HF1353 Summary

• Creates three ethnic councils in the executive branch: Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, Minnesota African Heritage Council, and Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, each with 15 voting members (11 appointed by governor, 4 legislators).

• Establishes demographic representation requirements: Latino council must include one member per congressional district plus three at-large; African Heritage Council must include at least 5 females and 3 first/second generation African immigrants; Asian-Pacific Council must include one member each from the 5 largest Asian-Pacific ancestry groups plus 6 additional broadly representative members.

• Limits governor-appointed member terms to 8 years total and legislators to 8 consecutive or 12 nonconsecutive years; members missing more than half of meetings in 12 months are automatically removed.

• Requires councils to advise legislature and governor on issues affecting their constituencies, recommend legislation, perform studies, and serve as liaisons between state government and community organizations; councils must submit annual reports by January 15 with measurable outcomes and strategic plans.

• Transfers executive director appointments from councils to Legislative Coordinating Commission; repeals previous ethnic council statutes effective July 1, 2015.