As we settle in for the winter and prepare for the coming holiday season, we at the Council are looking ahead to 2023, the start of the next legislative session, and what’s ahead for state government, the Council, and our Asian Pacific Minnesotan communities.
Post-election outlook for 2023
The midterm elections held on November 8 delivered unified control of state government to the DFL for the first time since 2014, as Governor Tim Walz was reelected and the DFL won narrow majorities in both the state House and Senate. While the margins in both chambers remain small (six seats in the House and just one in the Senate), this result means state government may act on more bills than we have seen in recent legislative sessions under divided control. With most of the historically large $9.25 billion budget surplus from the last biennium still unspent and the latest budget forecast projecting continued fiscal health for Minnesota, the state is in a strong position to consider a wide range of new programs, policies, and investments in the future.
Council Board adopts new agenda
Against the backdrop of a new legislative environment for the next biennium, the Council’s Board adopted its next legislative agenda for 2023 – 2024 at its meeting on November 17.
Based on responses from community members to the Community Priorities Survey, the following issues form the top five priority issues for the Council’s Agenda for the coming biennium:
- Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse
- Higher Education
- Equity
- Achievement Gap
- Access to Healthcare
Additionally, the Council has continued to maintain its ongoing positions on state responsiveness to linguistic and cultural diversity, data disaggregation, and gender-based violence. The Council remains committed to pursuing these community priorities in partnership with our many partners and community members for the coming biennium.
If you are, or your organization is, supporting a bill you anticipate will be introduced in this upcoming session, are concerned about a particular bill that may be introduced, or if you have questions about the makeup of the new legislature and what this may mean for your particular issue, we encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible.
As we wrap up 2022 and head into the holiday season, we at the Council encourage everyone in our communities to take some well-deserved time with family and loved ones before the hard work of the legislative session begins once more on January 3.
We look forward to sharing our work advocating on behalf of Asian Pacific Minnesotans with you in the new year. Stay tuned via email, social media, or the Council’s website as we continue to connect the lived realities of API communities to state government.
