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Minnesota Agencies

Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Office on the Economic Status of Women

Also known as:
OESW
Active dates:2005-2011, 2014-2017, 2023-
Function:

The Office on the Economic Status of Women (OESW) advises the legislature and provides information and statistics on women in Minnesota. The office gathers information on population characteristics, educational attainment and enrollments, marital and parental status, household characteristics, labor force status and employment characteristics, and basic information on women's legal and economic rights.

The OESW Advisory Commitee, comprised of four legislators, advises OESW on key issues and priorities, and provides suggestions and responses to OESW on current and emerging issues that pertain to the economic status of women in Minnesota.

History:

The Office on the Economic Status of Women (OESW) was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2005; however, the agency has a prior history. The group was originally known as the Council on the Economic Status of Women, created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1976. In 1983, it was reorganized as a joint legislative advisory commission and the name was changed to the Commission on the Economic Status of Women. In 2005, it was renamed again to the Office on the Economic Status of Women and was aligned under the Legislative Coordinating Commission.

The office closed in 2011 during a difficult state budget time. It was brought back in 2014 as part of the Women's Economic Security Act.

The 2017 special session omnibus state government appropriations bill, SF1, eliminated funding for the staff at the Office on the Economic Status of Women thus closing the office as of July 1, 2017. The Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC) may use central administrative staff to support the work of the Economic Status of Women Advisory Committee.

The office was re-established by the Legislature in 2023.

Agency heads:

Director: Amy Brenengen (2007-2011); Barbara Battiste (2014-2017); Heather Heyer (2023 - )

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
History of legislative membership, 1976-2005, 2005.
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 2008-2017.
Record last updated: 02/16/2024
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

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