SAINT PAUL, MN – Today, Senator Heather Gustafson (DFL-Vadnais Heights) is announcing her renewed legislative efforts to support small business growth in Minnesota. Senate File 5301 would create a Minnesota Entrepreneurship Task Force to bring entrepreneurs, business owners, educators, and labor together and find new ways to help people start, own, and grow a business in Minnesota.
The bill would establish an 11-member task force within Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to assess current business support programs, identify barriers to starting a business in Minnesota, and recommend improvements. The task force aims to:
- Build strong support systems for small business owners at every stage, from launch through succession
- Streamline licensing, permitting, and technical assistance to make it easier to start and run a business
- Expand access to capital and business mentors
- Strengthen entrepreneurship education for both students and adults
- Grow apprenticeship pathways connecting workers to businesses
- Address practical barriers to entrepreneurship, such as access to child care and health care
“Our state government should be a supportive partner to business owners,” said Senator Gustafson, who plans to reintroduce her legislation in 2027. “I serve on the Jobs and Economic Development Committee, and supporting small businesses is a big part of that work. This task force will look at what’s working in our current business support programs, what we can build on, and where we can cut red tape. Minnesotans have the talent and the drive. Our job is to make sure the state’s tools actually help them grow.”
The Minnesota Entrepreneurship Task Force, in addition to the Commissioner of DEED, would involve representatives from a variety of backgrounds: small and large businesses, organized labor, K-12 education, higher education, apprenticeships and technical education, the Department of Labor and Industry, and more. With this wide array of expertise, the Task Force should be able to help streamline state processes and permitting, and help businesses, workers, and entrepreneurs navigate the patchwork of support programs, licensing, and services with ease. This proposal was first introduced during the 2026 Legislative Session. Senator Gustafson and her House co-authors have continued refining it over the interim and plan to reintroduce it as a priority bill next session. The Legislature returns on January 12, 2027.
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Learn more about Sen. Gustafson.
