Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of the bill is to ensure that Minnesota's ethnic councils—specifically the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, and the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans—can maintain full participation and effectively carry out their duties by establishing a pool of alternate members.

Main Provisions

1. Establishment of Alternate Members Pool:

   • Each ethnic council must create a pool of alternate members to guarantee full participation during council meetings and activities.
   • For every regular member, there will be two alternate members, creating a 2:1 ratio.

2. Appointment and Eligibility of Alternates:

   • The Governor will appoint alternate members following the same eligibility and diversity criteria as regular members.
   • Alternates should collectively represent the communities served by their respective councils and possess expertise in relevant fields.

3. Terms and Activation:

   • Alternate members serve the same term lengths as regular members, with a maximum of eight years of service.
   • They are activated in place of regular members during absences and receive full voting rights and responsibilities when doing so.

4. Orientation and Participation:

   • Alternates must complete the same training as regular members and are encouraged to attend all meetings as non-voting participants to stay engaged.

5. Vacancies and Replacement:

   • Alternates temporarily fill vacancies if a regular member resigns or is removed until a new appointment is made.
   • Regular members missing over half of the meetings can be replaced by alternates.

6. Role in Maintaining Quorum:

   • Alternates count as voting members for quorum purposes when filling in for regular members.

7. Reporting:

   • Each council must annually report the use and impact of alternate members to the Governor and relevant legislative committees.

Significant Changes

This bill introduces a new subdivision to the existing statute, establishing a formal structure for incorporating alternate members into the ethnic councils and detailing their responsibilities and participation rights.

Relevant Terms

• Ethnic councils
• Alternate members
• Quorum
• Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs
• Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage
• Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans
• Governor appointments
• Voting rights
• Public policy
• Legal affairs
• Social work
• Business management