Minnesota Agencies

The council shall advise the governor and the legislature on issues confronting the constituency of the council: including, administrative and legislative changes needed to improve the economic and social condition of the constituency of the council and the implications and effect of proposed administrative and legislative changes on the constituency of the council.

The council shall serve as a liaison between state government and organizations that serve the constituency of the council.

The council shall also perform or contract for the performance of studies designed to suggest solutions to the problems of the constituency of the council in the areas of education, employment, human rights, health, housing, social welfare, and other related areas.

The council must report on the measurable outcomes achieved in the council's current strategic plan to meet its statutory duties, along with the specific objectives and outcome measures proposed for the following year. The council must submit the report by January 15 each year to the chairs of the committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate with primary jurisdiction over state government operations.

The funding request of each council, after approval by the Legislative Coordinating Commission, must also be presented by February 1 in each odd-numbered year.

The Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage was created out of the restructuring of the state's ethnic councils in the 2015 legislative session. The statutory authority for the previous council, the Council on Black Minnesotans, was repealed during the same time period.

As of 2015, the council has 15 voting members. Eleven members of the council are public members appointed by the governor. Four members of each council are legislators. The Council must include members who are broadly representative of the African heritage community of the state. The council must include at least five women. At least three members must be first or second generation African immigrants, who generally reflect the demographic composition of these African immigrants, as determined by the state demographer. Four legislators are voting members of each council. The Speaker of the House and the House Minority Leader shall each appoint one member to each council. The Subcommittee on Committees of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall appoint one member of the majority caucus and one member of the minority caucus to each council.

The governor may appoint a commissioner of a state agency or a designee of that commissioner to serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of a council.

A member appointed by the governor may serve no more than a total of eight years on a council. A legislator may serve no more than eight consecutive years or 12 nonconsecutive years on any one council.

The Legislative Coordinating Commission must appoint an executive director for each council.