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Minnesota Agencies

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

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Labor Interpretive Center Board of Directors

Active dates:1993-2011
Function:

To oversee the operations and budget of the Labor Interpretive Center.

History:

The proposal to build a Minnesota Labor Interpretive Center began in 1984 when Governor Rudy Perpich announced the idea at the Minnesota AFL-CIO annual convention. Perpich appointed David Roe, president emeritus of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, to head a task force to plan a new interpretive center affiliated with the Minnesota Historical Society. In 1985, a $228,000 state appropriation was made to the Department of Administration to "plan and design the Labor History Center" (Laws of Minnesota 1986, 1st Special Session, chapter 3, article 4, section 8).

In 1993, the Center was separated from the Minnesota Historical Society. The Minnesota Labor Interpretive Center, Inc., a non-profit corporation authorized in the creating legislation, was formed with its own board of directors to advise the Center and engage in fundraising on its behalf. The ten directors were to be representatives of labor, business, state and local government, local education authorities, and arts groups and were appointed by the governor, the mayor of St. Paul, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Subcommittee on Committees of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (Laws of Minn. 1993, chap. 369, sec. 60).

Of primary importance to the Center was the preservation and interpretation of the story of the workers and their institutions in Minnesota. In addition, the Center was to spur an interest among the people of Minnesota in family and community traditions of work; help young people discover their work skills and opportunities for a productive working life; and advance the teaching of work and labor studies in schools and colleges. Not intended as a conventional museum or research library, the Center was to achieve these goals through exhibits, audio-visual programs, educational programs, theatrical presentations, seminars, conferences and symposia.

The Center was to be a state-of-the-art structure featuring exhibit galleries, educational facilities, and a theater. Several options for site locations were considered, but in 1995 it was decided that the Center would be constructed in the East Building of the former Science Museum of Minnesota complex in St. Paul. The 1998 legislative session approved six million dollars for the renovation of the East Building, with a projected completion date of December 2001 (Laws of Minn. 1998, chap. 404, sec. 13, subd. 5).

However, the Center suffered a severe setback when at the completion of the 1999 legislative session, Governor Jesse Ventura used the line item veto on two bills containing appropriations for the Center. The board began operating on a volunteer basis. One of their principle projects became the development of a "Workers Memorial Garden" on the State Capitol Mall, which was dedicated in August 2010.

Membership:

The board consists of 10 voting members and two legislative nonvoting members. Of the 10 voting members, three directors are appointed by the governor; one director is appointed by the mayor of St. Paul (subject to approval of city council); three directors are appointed by the speaker of the house; and three directors are appointed by the subcommittee on committees of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

Entries for this agency in the Annual Compilation and Statistical Report of Multi-Member Agencies Report: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993.

Note: This report provides membership details as well as meeting information and a summary of the group's activities.

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 1996-2004.
Record last updated: 12/31/2024
 

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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