1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; expanding program eligibility for workforce 
1.3 	development scholarships; amending Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 
1.4 	136F.38, subdivision 3.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 136F.38, subdivision 3, is amended 
1.7 	to read:
1.8 		Subd. 3.Program eligibility. (a) Scholarships shall be awarded only to a student eligible 
1.9 	for resident tuition, as defined in section 135A.043, who is enrolled in any of the following 
1.10 	programs of study or certification: (1) advanced manufacturing; (2) agriculture; (3) health 
1.11 	care services; (4) information technology; (5) early childhood; (6) transportation; (7) 
1.12 	construction; (8) education; (9) public safety; (10) energy; or (10) (11) a program of study 
1.13 	under paragraph (b).
1.14 	(b) Each institution may add one additional area of study or certification, based on a 
1.15 	workforce shortage for full-time employment requiring postsecondary education that is 
1.16 	unique to the institution's specific region, as reported in the most recent Department of 
1.17 	Employment and Economic Development job vacancy survey data for the economic 
1.18 	development region in which the institution is located. A workforce shortage area is one in 
1.19 	which the job vacancy rate for full-time employment in a specific occupation in a region is 
1.20 	higher than the state average vacancy rate for that same occupation. The institution may 
1.21 	change the area of study or certification based on new data once every two years.
2.1 	(c) The student must be enrolled for at least nine credits in a two-year college in the 
2.2 	Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to be eligible for first- and second-year 
2.3 	scholarships.
2.4 	(d) The student is eligible for a one-year transfer scholarship if the student transfers from 
2.5 	a two-year college after two or more terms, and the student is enrolled for at least nine 
2.6 	credits in a four-year university in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.