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    Hawj, Foung

    Official Senate Web Page Sessions Served    Other Information

    Senate 2013-2022 (District 67); Senate 2023-Present (District 67)

    Party when first elected:  Democratic-Farmer-Labor

    Counties Served:  Ramsey

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: ??/??/1965
    Birth Place: ,
    Birth County:
    Birth Country: Laos
    Date of Death:
    Gender: Male
    Religion:
    Reported Minority: Hmong
    Other Names:
    City of Residence (when first elected): Saint Paul
    Occupation (when first elected): Small Business Owner

    EDUCATION

    J.C. Harmon High School, Kansas City, Kansas; Secondary;
    University of Kansas; B.A.; Media arts, 1990
    Rochester Institute of Technology, New York; M.S.; Applied science and technology, 2001

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    Municipal Council/Aldermen: St. Paul, Minnesota (District 2 Community Council); 2004 to 2010

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    Special Legislative Concerns: housing affordability and foreclosure prevention, environment, education, healthcare, and jobs and workforce development, social and economic equity.

    He arrived in the U.S. when he was 12 years old. (MPR News, June 9, 2016) He sought asylum in Thailand's refugee camps before coming to the United States. (Senate DFL biography)

    At the time of his election in 2012, he was the only Hmong-American member of the Legislature. (Star Tribune, January 9, 2013)

    He refers to himself as an American of Hmong descent on his 2022 campaign website.

    He ran unsuccessfully in the DFL primary for the Senate in 2010. (St. Paul Legal Ledger, November 20, 2012)

    Most recent term photo
    Click to view
    Total Days Served: 4558

    SESSIONS SERVED

    94th Legislative Session (2025-2026) (second half of Senate term)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/14/2025
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/8/2022
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/2/2023 to 1/3/2027
    Oath Date: 1/2/2023
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small business owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Special Session Bills Authored:  2025 1st Sp.S. - Chief Author    2025 1st Sp.S. - Author
    Committees:
    • Environment, Climate, and Legacy (Chair) [He was chair beginning 2/3/2025. He was co-chair from 1/14/2025 to 2/3/2025.]
    • Jobs and Economic Development
    • Transportation
    Leadership Position: Assistant DFL Leader - He was Assistant DFL Leader until February 3, 2025.
    Leadership Position: Assistant Majority Leader - He was Assistant Majority Leader starting February 3, 2025.
    term photo
    Click to view

    93rd Legislative Session (2023-2024)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/3/2023
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/8/2022
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/2/2023 to 1/3/2027
    Oath Date: 1/3/2023
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small business owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Committees:
    • Environment, Climate, and Legacy (Chair)
    • Jobs and Economic Development
    • Transportation
    Leadership Position: Assistant Majority Leader
    term photo
    Click to view

    92nd Legislative Session (2021-2022)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/2021
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/3/2020
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/4/2021 to 1/1/2023
    Oath Date: 1/5/2021
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small business owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Special Session Bills Authored:  2021 1st Sp.S. - Chief Author    2021 1st Sp.S. - Author
    Committees:
    • Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance
    • Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy
    • Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy
    Leadership Position: Assistant Minority Leader
    term photo
    Click to view

    91st Legislative Session (2019-2020) (second half of Senate term)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/8/2019
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/8/2016
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/2/2017 to 1/3/2021
    Oath Date: 1/3/2017
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small Business Owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Special Session Bills Authored:  2020 1st Sp.S. - Chief Author    2020 1st Sp.S. - Author
    2020 2nd Sp.S. - Chief Author    2020 2nd Sp.S. - Author
    2020 6th Sp.S. - Chief Author    2020 6th Sp.S. - Author
    Committees:
    • Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Policy
    • Capital Investment
    • Environment and Natural Resources Finance
    • Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy
    term photo
    Click to view

    90th Legislative Session (2017-2018)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/3/2017
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/8/2016
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/2/2017 to 1/3/2021
    Oath Date: 1/3/2017
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small Business Owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Committees:
    • Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Policy
    • Capital Investment
    • Environment and Natural Resources Finance
    • Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy
    term photo
    Click to view

    89th Legislative Session (2015-2016) (second half of Senate term)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/6/2015
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/6/2012
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/7/2013 to 1/1/2017
    Oath Date: 1/8/2013
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small Business Owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Committees:
    • Environment and Energy
    • Environment and Energy: Subcommittee on Lands (Chair)
    • Finance: Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Budget Division - 2015 / Natural Resources, Economic Development and Agriculture Budget Division - 2016
    • Finance: Health and Human Services Budget Division
    • Finance: Subcommittee on Equity
    • Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development
    term photo
    Click to view

    88th Legislative Session (2013-2014)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/8/2013
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/6/2012
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/7/2013 to 1/1/2017
    Oath Date: 1/8/2013
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Small Business Owner
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Bills Authored: Chief Author     Author
    Committees:
    • Environment and Energy
    • Finance: Environment, Economic Development, and Agriculture Division
    • Jobs, Agriculture, and Rural Development
    term photo
    Click to view

    OTHER INFORMATION

    News Sources

    The Library maintains newspaper clippings on individual legislators during their terms. Clippings are available from 1973 to the present in a variety of formats: 1973-1999, microfiche available at the Library; 2000-2009, scanned in yearly compilations and digitally available on the legislative network; 2009-present, archived in a searchable database maintained by the Library and available on the legislative network.
    These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.

    Photographs


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