5/30/2023 2:17:53 PM
When Governor Tim Walz signed the Judiciary and Public Safety bill into law, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights celebrated the investments and policy changes the legislature made to advance civil rights and address discrimination.
Thank you to the many people who have been part of moving these policies forward for years -- sometimes decades! This work absolutely would not be possible without your tireless work.
Minnesotans should be paid based on their skills, experiences, education, and the job market – not their previous salary. That’s exactly what the Preventing Pay Discrimination Act does.
Beginning January 1, 2024, employers can no longer ask a job applicant about their pay history. This will help narrow the racial and gender pay gap because when someone’s future pay is locked to their past pay, the cycle of unequal pay impacts them throughout their life. This cycle stops with the Preventing Pay Discrimination Act.
Minnesota has a lot to be proud of when it comes to LGBTQIA+ rights. With the passage of the Take Pride Act, Minnesota has one more reason to be proud.
The Take Pride Act helps clarify critical protections for LGBTQIA+ Minnesotans, while also removing outdated and prejudicial language from the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Beginning August 1, 2023, the state’s civil rights law will better reflect Minnesota’s diverse and thriving LGBTQIA+ communities.
Investment in Civil Rights Enforcement
Minnesotans deserve a strong civil rights enforcement agency. The Judiciary and Public Safety bill provides a transformational investment to support the Minnesota Department of Human Rights to carry out its mission by increasing the Department’s capacity to investigate discrimination and work with contractors to ensure state investments are used to intentionally undo racial and gender inequities.
Supports Mediation
The Judiciary and Public Safety bill also recognizes the importance of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ mediation program. Over the last several years, more Minnesotans chose to mediate their cases because mediation provides a meaningful way to find solutions and move forward. The Judiciary and Public Safety bill helps the Department to continue meeting the demand by providing stipends to trained and skilled volunteer mediators.
Report on Civil Rights Trends in Minnesota
For years, community organizations asked for a more robust understanding of what civil rights trends were occurring in Minnesota communities. These requests became more urgent during COVID-19 with the rise of anti-Asian rhetoric that resulted in attacks against Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community members.
At the same time, fires at mosques, swastikas painted on property, and Nazi salutes occurring at school events demonstrated to community members and legislators that having a better, more holistic understanding of civil rights trends through a biannual report would generate recommendations for policy changes to help prevent further civil rights incidents from occurring. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights will submit its first report to the legislature in time for the next biennium budget.
The Minnesota Legislature charged the Minnesota Department of Human Rights with these important new responsibilities to help end discrimination in Minnesota. We will spend the months ahead focused on implementing these new policies and you can look to this newsletter and our website to keep you informed.
We look forward to the continued work in the years ahead to build a world where everyone can live with dignity and joy, free from discrimination.
