Contents | Contenido
Message from the Executive Director || Mensaje de la Directora Ejecutiva
A new legislative biennium is about to start || A las puertas de un nuevo bienio legislativo
 Rosa Tock, Executive Director
Looking into my archives as I was preparing for the upcoming months at the Capitol, I was reminded that I am about to begin my ninth legislative session in a row. Many things have changed in almost one decade: dozens of legislators have retired, the pandemic added a new level of complexity to our work, with hybrid hearings which allow for more people to participate, especially those in Greater Minnesota; and other legislators have recently departed from this earth but leaving great legacies for Minnesotans.
In addition, this start of the session is still unclear as the new composition of the House of Representatives is still on hold. After the November elections, the House was tied with 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans but one Democratic seat still awaits to be confirmed with a new special election in district 40B on January 28. In the meantime, a judge ruled that there is no reason for a new election in district 54A, confirming another Democratic seat. As of this morning, the initial power sharing agreement between the two leaders of each caucus, Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and Rep. Lisa Demuth (R), has stalled and Democrats might not show up to the Capitol for the next two weeks denying the quorum needed to begin work in the House. The situation is changing fast and MCLA is here to help keep you apprised of developments.
I want to note, though, that very important wins for our communities passed in the last biennium and those wins were fought very arduously by advocates and community members. The political dynamics facing us this session should not interfere in the proper and timely implementation of the legislation enacted into law, nor result in the elimination of new programs and resources.
With time and the good implementation of each new policy, it is our hope and it will be our work, to make sure that the disparities still prevailing in the Hispanic/Latine communities are reduced and disappear. As our As our 2024 Legislative Annual Report shows, MCLA continues to contribute to the needed systemic changes to improve the socio-economic conditions of all Minnesotanos.
A new legislative biennium at the beginning of the new year means renewed hopes amidst new challenges at the state and national level. But we will keep focused and "echando para adelante", moving forward in our statutory work.
As part of MCLA's efforts to convene community and serve as a bridge between organizations and state government, the Council is very proud to work in alliance with Latino-led organizations and is co-convening the third Minnesota Latino Leadership Alliance's Press Conference to unveil our 2025 Latino Public Policy Agenda.
For three years now, 11 Latino-led organizations and individuals committed to advocating for the social, economic, legal, and political needs of the Hispanic/Latine community in Minnesota, hosted their annual press conference on the first day of the 94th Session of the Minnesota Legislature, today January 14th, at 11:30 a.m. You can read a summary of MiLLA's agenda here.
If you were unable to join us, you can watch the presentation streamed by HACER, here.
P.S.: Although it is still uncertain which party will preside the legislature, I'm sharing a cool picture I took yesterday of the "Wolf Moon" presiding over the Capitol. I hope you enjoy it.
On the road to the 2025 Legislative Session || Rumbo a la sesión legislativa 2025
Links and resources to follow the legislative session || Enlaces y recursos para enterarse de la sesion legislativa ||
 Learn more about the incoming House of Representatives ahead of the 2025 session that begins today. Click here.
To learn about the 2025 House and Senate calendar and hearings at the Capitol, click here. This combined calendar includes listings of House, Senate, and Commission meetings.
If you happen to be in the Capitol complex, here are some breakfast and lunch options:
On Monday, January 6, 2025, the Centennial Café at the COB opened for operation. The hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 am to 1:30 pm and Friday 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Daily offerings include breakfast, soups, grill special, salad bar, and grab and go items. Daily entrées are served Tuesday through Thursday.
The Rathskeller Café in the State Capitol will be open from January 13, 2025, through the end of legislative 2025 legislative session.
Obtenga más información aquí sobre la Cámara de Representantes a inicios de la sesión 2025 que comienza hoy, 14 de enero.
Para obtener más información sobre el cronograma y las audiencias de 2025 en el Capitolio, haga clic aquí.
El lunes 6 de enero de 2025, el Café Centennial en el COB abrió sus puertas. El horario será de lunes a jueves de 8:00 a. m. a 1:30 p. m. y los viernes de 8:00 a. m. a 1:00 p. m.
Las ofertas diarias incluirán desayuno, sopas, platos especiales a la parrilla, barra de ensaladas y artículos para llevar. Se servirán platos principales diarios de martes a jueves.
El Café Rathskeller en el Capitolio estará abierto desde el 13 de enero de 2025 hasta el final de la sesión legislativa de 2025.
At the Capitol || En el capitolio
Hispanic/Latine members of the House of Representatives || Miembros Hispanos/Latine en la Camara de Representantes
Five Hispanic/Latine legislators in the House of Representatives were elected in the past elections. Four of them are returning members and one is newly elected. Here is a list of the Latino/a/e members:
Rep. Jon Koznick starts his fifth term.
Rep. Aisha Gomez starts her third term.
Rep. Maria Isa Perez-Vega and Rep. Alicia "Liish" Kozlowski each start their second term
Rep. Erika Schwartz will start her first term.
Buena suerte! Good luck!
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En las pasadas elecciones, se eligieron cinco legisladores hispanos/latinos para la Cámara de Representantes. Cuatro de ellos son miembros reelectos y una ha sido recién elegida. A continuación, se incluye una lista de los miembros latinos/as/e:
El representante Jon Koznick comienza su quinto mandato.
La representante Aisha Gómez comienza su tercer mandato.
La representante María Isa Pérez-Vega y representante Alicia "Liish" Kozlowski comienzan cada une su segundo mandato.
La representante Erika Schwartz comenzará su primer mandato.
Interesting readings || Lecturas interesantes
Census data around poverty in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) recently published a study on poverty rates in Minnesota. According to the updated American Community Survey "data on poverty in 2023 (Poverty in Minnesota in 2023 - Census Bureau Tables, n.d.) indicate that Minnesota has among the lowest poverty rates in the nation overall and for a number of important groups, including families and children. However, these data also point to areas of concern for the state, specifically poverty rates for Black or African American, American Indian and Hispanic or Latino Minnesotans."
The poverty rate for Minnesotans of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) is 14.1%; however, significantly lower than the national poverty rate of 16.6% for this group.
Read the study and poverty rates still affecting Latinos in Minnesota here.
The economic state of Latinos in America: Building up small businesses
Last December, the McKinsey & Company published a study indicating that "despite a range of challenges, Latino-owned small businesses are growing rapidly. Investing in their potential can support future generations of Latino entrepreneurs and boost the US economy."
Read the full report showing the conditions that fuel growth to the Latino small-business sector here.
Community Resources || Recursos comunitarios
 The Department of Human Services (DHS) officially expanded MinnesotaCare to more people living in the state, regardless of immigration status. Applications can be submitted now.
As indicated by DHS, immigrant communities are vital to the fabric of our state – to our workforce, to our economy, and as our friends, colleagues, family members and neighbors. DHS points out that high rates of uninsurance for undocumented people have contributed to disparities in health care access, health outcomes and quality of life. Expanded eligibility for these Minnesotans will reduce uninsured rates, increase preventive and early health care use in lieu of emergency room visits, lower costs, decrease uncompensated care, and improve health outcomes. That benefits all Minnesotans.
Go to MinnesotaCare and find all information regarding eligibility, costs, services MinnesotaCare helps you pay for, your privacy and public charge. This and other information is also available in Spanish.
Apply now here!
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El Departamento de Servicios Humanos (DHS) amplió el programa de MinnesotaCare a más personas que viven en el estado, independientemente de su estatus migratorio. Las solicitudes se pueden enviar ahora.
Como indica el DHS, las comunidades inmigrantes son vitales para la estructura de nuestro estado: para nuestra fuerza laboral, y para nuestra economía. El DHS señala que las altas tasas de personas sin seguro médico entre las personas indocumentadas han contribuido a las disparidades en el acceso a la atención médica, los resultados de salud y la calidad de vida. La ampliación de la elegibilidad para estos habitantes de Minnesota reducirá las tasas de personas sin seguro, aumentará el uso de atención médica preventiva y temprana en lugar de visitas a la sala de emergencias, reducirá los costos, disminuirá la atención no compensada y mejorará los resultados de salud. Eso beneficia a todos los habitantes de Minnesota.
Visite MinnesotaCare en español y encuentre toda la información sobre elegibilidad, costos, servicios que MinnesotaCare le ayuda a pagar, su privacidad y carga pública. Esta y otra información también está disponible en español.
¡Solicite ahora aquí!
U.S. Census and Latino categories || El Censo y categorías de Latinos
Request for public comment on Latino categories closes on February 18, 2025
Take a moment to give your feedback to the Census Bureau on its racial and ethnic group codes! So far only 52 comments have been received! Make yours count!
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking your feedback on updating its Race/Ethnicity Code List through a Federal Register notice (FRN). Feedback on the code list is essential to making sure future data on race/ethnicity groups accurately reflect Minnesota’s diverse populations of color and tribal communities. Comments to the FRN will inform how detailed write-in responses to the new combined race/ethnicity question will be processed and published in upcoming data products, like the American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2030 Census.
The Census Bureau wants to hear about any terms or groups that are missing from the code list, whether detailed groups are classified properly, alternative terms and spellings for groups already on the code list, and whether having data for regional groups like Southeast Asian or South American is useful to data users.
The deadline to submit feedback to the FRN is February 18, 2025. Your response doesn’t have to be long. Learn more about the proposed coding scheme, and help us spread the word about this important request!
For questions about this notice, please contact: Roberto Ramirez at [email protected] or (301) 763-6044.
La solicitud de comentarios públicos sobre las categorías latinas cierra el 18 de febrero de 2025
La Oficina del Censo de los EE. UU. solicita comentarios sobre cómo la Oficina del Censo de los EE. UU. clasifica a las personas de la comunidad hispana o latina (junto con otros grupos). La solicitud de comentarios se presenta en este formulario junto con el Aviso del Registro Federal que describe el Proyecto de mejora de la codificación de raza/etnicidad de la Oficina del Censo.
Hasta ahora, solo 52 personas han comentado. Si desea hacer oír su voz y ofrecer comentarios, no espere y complete el formulario antes del 18 de febrero de 2025.
Si tiene preguntas sobre este aviso, comuníquese con: Roberto Ramírez a [email protected] o al (301) 763-6044.
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