BAM Letter of Support to Higher Education Conference Committee

Re: BAM Written Testimony; SF2075

On behalf of the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM), I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share written testimony. Our membership of nearly 1600 residential builders, remodelers, subcontractors, and industry partners are joined together through eleven local associations across Minnesota, and we are proud to be the statewide voice of the Minnesota Home-Building Industry since 1974.

BAM Strongly Supports:

• Adding ”Construction” As An Eligible Field Of Study For MnSCU Workforce Scholarships: We applaud Chairs Pelowski and Fateh for their leadership by including language from SF1177 (Putnam) / HF2842 (Wolgamott) that expands eligibility for MnSCU Workforce Scholarships to the construction field of study. Residential construction careers are challenging and rewarding, and our members are committed to current and future workforce needs that help address Minnesota’s housing availability and affordability crises. We appreciate efforts like these that grow opportunities for students.
• Investing In Workforce Scholarships: Workforce Scholarships can make a meaningful difference to students interested in the field of construction, so we applaud the investments in both the House and Senate bills. We urge the Conference Committee to adopt the larger $21.4M House commitment.

BAM respectfully requests that these provisions be included in your Conference Committee Report.