Purpose

The bill provides a one-time funding appropriation to support a statewide program called Carts to Careers. The goal is to promote careers in the food industry by funding outreach, job skills training, and scholarships for students pursuing food-industry careers, thereby strengthening Minnesota’s food retail workforce.

Main Provisions

• Appropriation amount: 750,000 dollars in fiscal year 2026 and 750,000 dollars in fiscal year 2027.
• Source of funds: workforce development fund.
• Recipient: grants awarded to the Minnesota Grocers Association Foundation.
• Program: Carts to Careers, a statewide initiative to promote careers in the food industry.
• Activities funded: outreach, job skills training, scholarships for students pursuing food-industry careers.
• Additional uses allowed: training and development costs, certifications, and other activities aimed at strengthening the workforce pipeline in the food retail sector.
• Nature of funding: one-time appropriation.

Significance / Changes to Existing Law

• This bill creates a new, targeted one-time funding provision within the workforce development framework.
• It directs specific funds to a nonprofit foundation (Minnesota Grocers Association Foundation) to run the Carts to Careers initiative.
• It does not establish ongoing funding or explicitly amend other statutes beyond creating these appropriations.

Terminology Emphasis (Key terms from the bill)

• workforce development fund
• commissioner of employment and economic development
• grants
• Minnesota Grocers Association Foundation
• Carts to Careers
• statewide initiative
• food industry
• outreach
• job skills training
• scholarships
• students pursuing careers in the food industry
• training and development costs
• certifications
• workforce pipeline
• food retail sector
• one-time appropriation
• fiscal year 2026
• fiscal year 2027

Relevant Terms workforce development fund commissioner of employment and economic development grants Minnesota Grocers Association Foundation Carts to Careers statewide initiative food industry outreach job skills training scholarships students pursuing careers in the food industry training and development costs certifications workforce pipeline food retail sector one-time appropriation fiscal year 2026 fiscal year 2027