ST. PAUL – State Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, has received an appointment to serve on a bipartisan House-Senate conference committee pertaining to K-12 Education Finance.
The joint committee will work to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of legislation that will set the K-12 education portion of the state budget for the next two years.
Urdahl is the only member of the House minority to serve the panel. Among other things, he said he will be working to see a proposal he authored to help facilitate a path from Minnesota’s secondary schools to vocational institutions is maintained in the final bill's language.
“There is a shortage of qualified workers in a number of workforce sectors throughout our state,” said Urdahl, a member of the House K-12 Education Policy Committee. “This is especially true in manufacturing, where reports show job openings remain unfilled because there is a lack of qualified applicants. This skills gap is projected to become an even greater issue in the future. My legislation would help us identify ways we can provide more opportunities for our next generations of workers through our two-year vocational schools.”
The House’s K-12 finance bill (H.F. 630) is a $15.7 billion proposal, the largest component in the state budget plan. It will return to both the House and Senate floors for final votes once the conference committee completes its work and – pending passage by each body – go to Gov. Mark Dayton for his action.
-30-