88th Legislature (2013 - 2014)
Minnesota held its regular legislative session from January 8 to May 20, 2013, and from February 25 to May 16, 2014. A special session was held on September 9, 2013.
Minnesota held its regular legislative session from January 8 to May 20, 2013, and from February 25 to May 16, 2014. A special session was held on September 9, 2013.
as introduced - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/14/2013 08:58am
- 1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to human rights; providing for expansion of duties under the Human
1.3Rights Act; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
1.4Statutes, chapter 363A.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6 Section 1. [363A.50] STATEWIDE COMPLIANCE OVERSIGHT.
1.7(a) In order to increase enforcement and oversight functions of the Department of
1.8Human Rights, the commissioner shall establish an office within the department to deal
1.9with the following areas:
1.10(1) ensure that all duties specified in section 363A.06 are a priority;
1.11(2) implement audit procedures for state agencies, local areas of government,
1.12school districts, corporations and institutions for compliance with human rights, equal
1.13opportunity, fair housing, voting rights, and affirmative action laws and regulations;
1.14(3) conduct affirmative action and human rights impact analysis on all executive
1.15orders issued and proposed legislation; and
1.16(4) review and approve all state contract procurement services under chapter 16C to
1.17ensure that they meet equal access and equal opportunity laws.
1.18(b) The commissioner shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
1.19legislative committees with jurisdiction over human rights on efforts to implement the
1.20duties in paragraph (a) by January 1, 2015, and annually thereafter. The report shall also
1.21be issued to the governor and the public at large.
1.22 Sec. 2. STUDY COMMITTEE.
2.1The commissioner of human rights shall establish a committee to study the process
2.2of implementing the United Nation's International Covenant to End All Forms of Racial
2.3Discrimination (CERD). The commissioner shall issue a report to the legislature by
2.4January 1, 2014, and make recommendations on legislation for implementation of CERD.
2.5 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
2.6$....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2014 and $....... is appropriated in fiscal year
2.72015 from the general fund to the commissioner of human rights to carry out the duties in
2.8section 1. This appropriation is added to the department's base funding.
Bill Title: Targeted labor surplus area full employment initiative created. Status: 2013-03-13 - Introduction and first reading, referred to Jobs and Economic Development Finance and Policy [HF1543 Detail]
1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to economic development; creating a full employment initiative in
1.3targeted labor surplus areas;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,
1.4chapter 116J.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6 Section 1. [116J.9801] FULL EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE IN TARGETED
1.7LABOR SURPLUS COMMUNITIES.
1.8 Subdivision 1. Establishment. Within the limits of existing appropriations,
1.9the commissioner of employment and economic development shall establish a full
1.10employment initiative in targeted labor surplus communities.
1.11 Subd. 2. Community councils. (a) A community council proposing a
1.12redevelopment plan under section 469.027 may apply to the commissioner for coordinated
1.13benefits under this section. For the purposes of this section, "community council" means a
1.14locally appointed authority comprised of residents and stakeholders from targeted labor
1.15surplus areas as defined by the United States Department of Labor. A community council
1.16must agree to undertake a redevelopment plan in cooperation with a local redevelopment
1.17authority. The community council and redevelopment plan must be located within in cities
1.18that (1) have populations of more than 60,000 residents, and (2) contain areas designated
1.19as labor surplus areas.
1.20(b) For the purposes of this section, cities meeting the definition in paragraph (a),
1.21clause (1), include:
1.22(1) Bloomington;
1.23(2) Brooklyn Park;
1.24(3) Burnsville;
2.1(4) Coon Rapids;
2.2(5) Duluth;
2.3(6) Eagan;
2.4(7) Eden Prairie;
2.5(8) Maple Grove;
2.6(9) Minneapolis;
2.7(10) Plymouth;
2.8(11) Rochester;
2.9(12) St. Cloud;
2.10(13) St. Paul; and
2.11(14) Woodbury.
2.12 Subd. 3. Coordination benefits; targeted vendors. (a) The commissioner, in
2.13cooperation with the commissioner of administration, shall ensure that a percentage of
2.14the state's targeted vendor agreements in section 16C.16 are set aside for utilization by
2.15businesses located in the labor surplus area targeted for redevelopment.
2.16(b) The commissioner shall assist community councils in coordinating funds
2.17to finance the redevelopment projects using existing state, county, and city financing
2.18and grant programs and assist in the distribution of those funds in a manner that is
2.19directly proportionate to the surplus labor available in the labor surplus area targeted for
2.20redevelopment. The commissioner shall set aside a percentage of state and federal funds
2.21appropriated for redevelopment projects for use by community councils under this section.
2.22(c) The commissioner shall work with the commissioner of management and budget
2.23and the treasurer of each county and city to establish a socially responsible investment
2.24program that requires a financial institution that proposes to provide services to the
2.25state, county, or city to commit to establishing a lending program that supports the
2.26redevelopment plan objectives in the targeted labor surplus area. In return for deposits
2.27received, participating lending institutions agree to establish a lending program that assists
2.28with the redevelopment plan goals.
2.29 Subd. 4. Redevelopment plan requirements. (a) A community council agrees to
2.30maximize, to the greatest extent possible, the purchase of goods and services and the hiring
2.31of labor for the projects from within the labor surplus area in which the redevelopment
2.32plan is located. This includes:
2.33(1) utilizing local construction labor and contractors;
2.34(2) recruiting, hiring, and training United States veterans and other individuals from
2.35the labor surplus area for jobs resulting from the redevelopment project;
2.36(3) making purchases for the redevelopment project from local businesses;
3.1(4) making new and redeveloped commercial and industrial space available to
3.2entrepreneurs within the labor surplus area; and
3.3(5) making new and redeveloped housing available to residents currently residing
3.4within the labor surplus area.
3.5(b) Redevelopment projects must utilize sustainable and ecofriendly development
3.6principles to the greatest extent possible.
3.7(c) Redevelopment projects must be jointly ventured with a qualified housing and
3.8redevelopment authority as defined in section 469.002 and to the greatest extent possible
3.9prime contractors located within the labor surplus area.
3.10 Subd. 5. Redevelopment plan goals. Community councils must agree to use
3.11existing redevelopment plans for the labor surplus area or create a redevelopment plan
3.12that establishes outcome-based goals to measure the productivity of the redevelopment
3.13project, including:
3.14(1) the number of temporary and permanent jobs to be created through the
3.15implementation of the redevelopment plan for residents within the labor surplus area;
3.16(2) the number of affordable rental, owner-occupied, and permanent supportive
3.17housing units to be developed;
3.18(3) the amount of commercial, manufacturing, and industrial space to be developed;
3.19and
3.20(4) the amount of public infrastructure created, including but not limited to parks
3.21and safe agriculture space in the labor surplus area.
They are an act proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution by adding a section to Article XIII: affirming the enforcement of human rights. Citizens of Minnesota would be asked the following question:
“Shall the Minnesota constitution be amended to affirm the enforcement of human rights enumerated in article 1 and Minnesota law for the good of the people”?It also propose a bill for an act relating to human rights; providing for expansion of duties under the Human Rights Act; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 363A. The expansions include:
Our 2014 Recommendations: Human Rights Expansion
as introduced - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/12/2013 09:10am
1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to human services; providing for a pilot project to coordinate community
1.3violence prevention programs for African-American children; appropriating
1.4money.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6 Section 1. FINDINGS.
1.7The legislature finds that:
1.8(1) homicides have the most adverse affect on African-American children;
1.9(2) loss of a loved one due to homicide leaves children uprooted, displaced,
1.10abandoned, and isolated;
1.11(3) children who witness a homicide often experience posttraumatic stress, grief,
1.12loss, insecurity, conflicting loyalties, and fear of being identified as a witness or fear
1.13of retaliation;
1.14(4) community institutions lack the skills necessary to recognize the traumas of these
1.15children and provide psychological first aid treatment;
1.16(5) children exposed to community violence can be better served through a program
1.17providing psychological first aid treatment; and
1.18(6) children adversely affected by homicides and other violent crimes cause
1.19important and widespread social problems for the state because these children lack the
1.20opportunity to learn appropriate problem-solving skills and use violence as a primary
1.21problem-solving method to resolve stress in personal conflicts.
1.22 Sec. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE MARTIN LUTHER KING NONVIOLENT
1.23INSTITUTIONAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT PILOT PROGRAM.
2.1(a) The Council on Black Minnesotans shall plan, design, and implement the Martin
2.2Luther King nonviolent institutional child development pilot program which shall provide:
2.3(1) multi-institutional interdisciplinary community violence prevention programs;
2.4and
2.5(2) multi-institutional interdisciplinary intervention programs.
2.6(b) The pilot program may provide services to the following institutions:
2.7(1) elementary and secondary schools;
2.8(2) social service programs and agencies;
2.9(3) youth programs and services;
2.10(4) juvenile delinquency programs;
2.11(5) residential treatment facilities;
2.12(6) foster homes;
2.13(7) law enforcement agencies;
2.14(8) medical centers;
2.15(9) mental health programs; and
2.16(10) religious outreach programs.
2.17(c) The program shall include:
2.18(1) development and implementation of each participating institution's long-range
2.19community violence prevention plan for school-age children;
2.20(2) development and implementation of each participating institution's community
2.21violence intervention plan for children affected by violence in the community;
2.22(3) identification and implementation of each participating institution's training
2.23and staffing needs;
2.24(4) development and implementation of a network among participating institutions
2.25to coordinate services, share information, and develop common strategies for violence
2.26prevention and intervention; and
2.27(5) funding for each participating institution's violence prevention and intervention
2.28programs.
2.29(d) The pilot program must be evaluated based on outcome evaluation criteria
2.30determined by the executive director of the Council on Black Minnesotans in consultation
2.31with a community-based advisory council before implementation of the program.
2.32(e) The pilot program must begin on or before January 2, 2014.
2.33(f) The pilot program must be completed by the Council on Black Minnesotans by
2.34July 1, 2015, and report on the program to the commissioners of human services; public
2.35safety; corrections; and education.
3.1(g) Any information received by an institution described in this section is privileged
3.2and not required to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies or in a court. Persons in
3.3the pilot program are authorized to receive information from law enforcement agencies,
3.4schools, mortuaries, medical examiners, physicians, and social service agencies necessary
3.5to provide services to children impacted by homicides.
3.6 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
3.7$360,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2014 and $350,000 is appropriated in fiscal
3.8year 2015 from the general fund to the Council on Black Minnesotans for the Martin
3.9Luther King nonviolent institutional child development pilot program in section 2 and to
3.10pay related costs and expenses.
3.11 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
3.12Sections 1 to 3 are effective the day following final enactment.
COBM 2013 Criminal Justice Bills include the following two legislative recommendations:
Our 2014 Recommendations: Criminal Justice Disparities Eradication
COBM’s 2013 proposals for Education Achievement Disparity Eradication Initiatives include the following three legislative recommendations:
The Commissioner of the Department of Education will report to the Community, Legislature and Governor by December 31, 2013 on the aforementioned.
Our 2014 Recommendations: Educational Achievement Disparities Eradication
COBM’s Healthcare Disparity Eradication Initiative which includes the following: Expand funding for the Minnesota Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative to support minority run health care professional associations to carry out:
Our 2014 Recommendations: Healthcare Disparities Eradication
COBM’s 2013 Full Employment Initiative in Targeted Labor Surplus Communities establishes within the limits of existing appropriations, the commissioner of employment and economic development shall establish a full employment initiative in targeted labor surplus communities that include these components:
Our 2014 Recommendations: Full Employment Initiative in Labor Surplus Communities, Rochester DMC Equal Access & Opportunity Planning, Urban Fresh Food Access & Food Desert Eradication Initiative
African Heritage Arts and Culture in the State of Minnesota
The Council on Black Minnesotans wants recommendations on how to expand and broaden the impact of Black arts through legislative support, and request funding through the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. The recommendations should represent a strategy that ensures funds reach the diverse Black cultures, various Black artistic mediums and geographic regions throughout the state with large populations of Black people.
Our 2014 Recommendations: African Heritage Arts & Culture Preservation and Growth