1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to agriculture; appropriating money for grants for meat cutting and butchery 
1.3 	training; requiring reports.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. MEAT CUTTING GRANTS; APPROPRIATION.
 1.6 	(a) $375,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
1.7 	of agriculture to provide grants to secondary career and technical education programs for 
1.8 	the purpose of offering instruction in meat cutting and butchery. This is a onetime 
1.9 	appropriation. Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.28, any unencumbered 
1.10 	balance does not cancel at the end of fiscal year 2024 and is available in fiscal year 2025. 
1.11 	Grants may be used for costs, including but not limited to:
1.12 	(1) equipment required for a meat cutting program;
1.13 	(2) facility renovation to accommodate meat cutting; and
1.14 	(3) training faculty to teach the fundamentals of meat processing.
1.15 	(b) A grant recipient may be awarded a grant of up to $75,000 and may use up to ten 
1.16 	percent of the grant for faculty training.
1.17 	(c) Priority may be given to applicants who are coordinating with meat cutting and 
1.18 	butchery programs at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions or with local 
1.19 	industry partners.
1.20 	(d) By January 15, 2025, the commissioner must report to the chairs and ranking minority 
1.21 	members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over agriculture finance and 
2.1 	education finance by listing the grants made under this paragraph by county and noting the 
2.2 	number and amount of grant requests not fulfilled. The report may include additional 
2.3 	information as determined by the commissioner, including but not limited to information 
2.4 	regarding the outcomes produced by these grants. If additional grants are awarded under 
2.5 	this section that were not covered in the report due by January 15, 2025, the commissioner 
2.6 	must submit an additional report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative 
2.7 	committees with jurisdiction over agriculture finance and education finance regarding all 
2.8 	grants issued under this paragraph by November 1, 2025.

2.9 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.