Under Minnesota's Summer-EBT program families will receive $120 per eligible school-aged child in funds loaded on EBT cards. Photo: AP File
Under Minnesota's Summer-EBT program families will receive $120 per eligible school-aged child in funds loaded on EBT cards. Photo: AP File
Thousands of low-income Minnesota families with school-aged children will get assistance from the state to purchase food during the summer when school is out.
Gov. Walz on Thursday announced the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program aimed at combating food insecurity. Under the program families will receive $120 per eligible school-aged child in funds loaded on EBT cards.
“The end of the school year should not mark the start of food scarcity,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement announcing the program. “This program, which has been a major priority of our administration, provides a boost for families, allowing them to ensure that their children have enough food to keep them going all summer and ready to learn come fall.”
The Minnesota Department of Human Services on its website says most families that already receive other benefits or public assistance such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Foster Care, or Medical Assistance (MA) will automatically be enrolled in the Summer EBT program, but some might need to apply for it.
Families that are not sure if they are eligible are encouraged to call the Summer EBT help line at 651-431-4608. They can also contact their school district or children’s school to check on eligibility.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the same statement as Gov. Walz said she had first-hand experience of food insecurity while growing up and used the free and reduced lunch program at school.
“Our kids shouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from. I also know that when the school year ends, kids can fall through the cracks,” Lt. Gov. Flanagan said, adding that the program will ensure that children can stay healthy and fed “all year long.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 400,000 children in Minnesota could benefit from the program, bringing in an estimated $100 million in food benefits for families between the summers of 2024 and 2025.
Ms. Huldah Hiltsley officially filed the required paperwork to run in the August 13, 2024 Democratic primary to represent District 38A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Photo: Tom Gitaa/Mshale
Ms. Huldah Hiltsley officially filed the required paperwork to run in the August 13, 2024 Democratic primary to represent District 38A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Photo: Tom Gitaa/Mshale
First-generation Kenyan immigrant and data privacy manager, Ms. Huldah Hiltsley, on Friday officially filed paperwork to run in the August 13 Democratic primary in the 38A Minnesota House District.
In the 2022 general election, the GOP did not field a candidate to challenge Rep. Nelson. This time around, Mr. Brad Olson of Brooklyn Park has filed to run in the Republican primary.
Ms. Hiltsley’s expected challenger for the Democratic nomination is Liberian American Mr. Wynfred Russell, a former Brooklyn Park City Council member. Mr. Russell told Mshale earlier this week that he expects to formally file by the June 4 deadline.
The two African immigrants battled for the Democratic endorsement in April but none could garner the required 60% threshold to win it. Barring any unexcepted filing by another Democrat by Tuesday, either Ms. Hiltsley or Mr. Russell is expected to be the next state representative for 38A after one of them wins the August 13 primary. The August Democratic primary is the defacto general election if the district votes Democratic in November as expected.
“I am very excited that I have filed as I want to ensure we have a community that is safe. That will ensure our businesses thrive. Our healthcare system is thriving.
Ms. Huldah Hiltsley arrives with family and supporters at the Veterans Service building in St. Paul on Friday, May 31, 2024 to formally file paperwork for her candidacy in the August 13, 2024 Democratic primary to represent District 38A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Photo: Tom Gitaa/Mshale
“As a first-generation immigrant to be able to file for office and run to represent my constituents is an honor and privilege that I don’t take lightly,” Ms. Hiltsley told Mshale as she left the Veterans Service building in St. Paul after filing.
“Most of all, my message to Brooklyn Park and Osseo is that they look for a candidate like me that is going to care for all of us a collective, as we are stronger together,” she said.
July 23: The last day to register in advance to be able to vote on Primary Election Day on August 13 and save time at the polls (you can still register on Primary Election Day at the polling site, just plan on extra time).
Kenyans at a previous community picnic in Brooklyn Center, Minn. catered by George “Jojo” Ndege of Tamu Grill and Catering. Kenyans will again gather on Saturday, June 1, 2024 for Kenya Fest at Centennial Park in Brooklyn Center to celebrate Madaraka Day organized by Mr. Ndege and other community groups. Mshale Staff Photo by Jasmine Webber
Kenyans at a previous community picnic in Brooklyn Center, Minn. catered by George “Jojo” Ndege of Tamu Grill and Catering. Kenyans will again gather on Saturday, June 1, 2024 for Kenya Fest at Centennial Park in Brooklyn Center to celebrate Madaraka Day organized by Mr. Ndege and other community groups. Mshale Staff Photo by Jasmine Webber
Kenyans from across Minnesota will gather in Brooklyn Center on Saturday for a festival to celebrate Madaraka Day, the day in 1963 when Kenya attained self-rule and ceased to be a British colony.
Madaraka, which in Kiswahili means “self-governance,” is a Kenyan national holiday celebrated every year on June 1.
The first half of the new festival known as Kenya Fest will take place in Centennial Park from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m, will in its essence be reminiscent of Madaraka Day festivities back in Kenya, according to George “Jojo” Ndege, who organized the event, along with several Kenyan businesses, churches, and community organizations like Association of Kenyans in America (AKIA), Mwanyagetinge and the Global Fatherhood Foundation. Ndege, who is the chef and owner of Tamu Grill and Catering, a Kenya-fusion restaurant located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, said that the roughly 300 people who are expected to attend the festival will be treated to a day of games and traditional Kenyan cuisine.
“It’s an excuse for people to come out,” Ndege said. “They’ll have a chance to see how the community has changed in terms of generations, and a lot of the people will have a chance to meet people they have not [seen] for years, and we all live in Minnesota, but we don’t meet.”
Vendors selling Kenya themed merchandise like bracelets and T-shirts will also be at the festival, and there will be a children’s area, where kids can get faces painted and play while their parents unwind. Multiple deejays will be playing different music throughout the day, and there may also be a talent show.
The second half of the festival, which will be at the Palm Grove Event Center, just across the road from the park from 9 p.m. to 2 p.m., will be an indoor party separated by two rooms for younger generations and older folks to choose from, also spotlighting different deejays.
“There’s a lot more Kenyans who came here when they were young, really young, and there’s a lot of Kenyans who have been born including my kids, and there’s the [older generation],” Ndege said. “There has not been an event that really brought them together as a community, so I’m aiming to do that.”
George “Jojo” Ndege, owner of Tamu Grill and Catering, is the brain behind Kenya Fest which will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Centennial Park in Brooklyn Center to mark Kenya’s Madaraka Day. Mshale Staff Photo by Panashe Matemba-Mutasa/FILE
Ndege has been in the entertainment industry for 20 years, bringing Kenyan artists to Minnesota as a concert promoter and hosting various events for both the Kenyan community and African community at large. The event will be Tamu’s first and will mark the end of a five-year pause of event planning for Ndege, who decided in 2019 to focus on opening and running Tamu Grill.
“After I opened the restaurant, I stopped that for a while and I’ve been wanting to come back because nobody really filled that spot,” said Ndege. “There’s different organizations that do different events within the community, but nobody has really done an event level that pulls Kenyans from all walks of life together to one place, so I wanted to come back and do that.”
With a little bit of something for everyone, the Kenyan Fest celebration will bring a much needed piece of Kenya to the Twin Cities, and will encourage people from all walks of life to interact.
“There’s about 10 to 15 thousand Kenyans in Minnesota, but we don’t have a community center where people can meet,” said Ndege. “With this [event], people from across the spectrum — from the different churches, different organizations, different tribes, different communities — will be able to mingle.”
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, addresses supporters and the media minutes before she filed for reelection at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office the morning of Tuesday, May 28, 2024. On her right is the DFL state party chair Mr. Ken Martin. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, addresses supporters and the media minutes before she filed for reelection at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office the morning of Tuesday, May 28, 2024. On her right is the DFL state party chair Mr. Ken Martin. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
St. Paul, Minn. – U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, filed for re-election Monday morning accompanied by supporters and DFL state chair Ken Martin.
This will be Rep. Omar’s fourth time running for Minnesota’s fifth congressional district.
” I am excited to file for reelection to continue building on the progress and to continue to deliver for the Fifth,” said Rep. Omar.
The congresswoman said she has delivered on many of the promises she made to her constituents, including the Meals Act that fed 22 million children across the United States and her championing of student debt cancelation which has led President Biden to cancel the debts of millions of Americans.
Rep. Omar said she has worked with President Biden in addressing the effects of climate change with the introduction of the Geen New Deal “on implementing the most historic investments in addressing our climate crisis with the Inflation reduction Act.”
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, looks on as an official at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office goes through her filing papers for reelection the morning of Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
“We have so much more we can do,” Rep. Omar said.
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, speaks to members of the press after filing for reelection for a fourth term at the Minnesota Secretary of State Office the morning of Tuesday, May 28, 20924. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
The congresswoman is facing a primary challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels on August 13, with the winner virtually assured of winning the November election in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. This is Mr. Samuel’s second time challenging the congresswoman in a primary.
The congresswoman won the Democratic Party endorsement on May 11 and the party’s chair Ken Martin in comments at Rep. Omar’s filing on Monday said “the DFL party is unified and ready to do everything we can to make sure Ilhan’s return to congress.”
“There is no one in our party that does more to organize and mobilize voters and turn them out, and in such a critical year we need everyone standing behind Ilhan and continue to support and lift her up,” Mr. Martin said. “She has not only been a great congresswoman, she has been a great leader in this party helping get new voices in and supporting Democrats up and down the ballot and glad to join her today as she files.”
Biden thanks Kenya’s Ruto for sending police to Haiti and defends keeping US forces from the mission
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday expressed deep appreciation to Kenyan President William Ruto for the coming deployment of Kenyan police forces to help quell gang violence in Haiti and he defended his decision to withhold American forces from the mission in the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
The United States has agreed to contribute $300 million to a multinational force that will include 1,000 Kenyan police officers, but Biden argued that an American troop presence in Haiti would raise “all kinds of questions that can easily be misrepresented.”
The Democrat came into office in 2021 pledging to end U.S. involvement in so-called endless wars in the aftermath of 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Haiti is in an area of the Caribbean that is a very volatile,” Biden said at a news conference with Ruto, who was in Washington for the first state visit to the U.S. by an African leader since 2008. “There’s a lot going on in this hemisphere. So we’re in a situation where we want to do all we can without us looking like America once again is stepping over and deciding this is what must be done.”
Ruto, who will be honored by Biden with a state dinner on the White House grounds in the evening, also gave a climate policy address and met with former President Barack Obama.
Ruto is facing legal challenges in Nairobi over the decision to commit Kenyan forces to a conflict thousands of miles from home when his own country has no shortage of economic and security challenges. He said that Kenya, as a democracy, has a duty to help.
“Kenya believes that the responsibility of peace and security anywhere in the world, including in Haiti, is the collective responsibility of all nations and all people who believe in freedom, self-determination, democracy and justice,” Ruto said. “And it is the reason why Kenya took up this responsibility.”
Some analysts say his move could run afoul of a Kenyan High Court ruling in January that found the deployment unconstitutional because of a lack of reciprocal agreements between Kenya and Haiti. A deal was signed in March, before Ariel Henry resigned as Haiti’s prime minister, to try to salvage the plan.
Kenya’s moving ahead “gives the impression that the country is lawless and does not believe in the rule of law,” said Macharia Munene, an international relations professor at United States International University-Africa.
A difficult assignment is ahead for the Kenyan officers.
Haiti has endured poverty, political instability and natural disasters for decades. International intervention in Haiti has a complicated history. A U.N.-approved stabilization mission to Haiti that started in June 2004 was marred by a sexual abuse scandal and the introduction of cholera, which killed nearly 10,000 people. The mission ended in October 2017.
Biden and Ruto also called on economies around the globe to take action to reduce the enormous debt burden crushing Kenya and other developing nations.
The call to action, termed the Nairobi-Washington Vision, comes as Biden presses his appeal to African nations that the U.S. can be a better partner than economic rival China. Beijing has been deepening its investment on the continent — often with high-interest loans and other difficult financing terms.
Biden and Ruto want creditor nations to reduce financing barriers for developing nations that have been constrained by high debt burdens. They also called on international financial institutions to coordinate debt relief and support through multilateral banks and institutions providing better financing terms.
The White House announced $250 million in grants for the International Development Association, part of the World Bank, to assist poor countries facing crises.
Separately, a $1.2 trillion government funding bill passed by Congress in March allows the U.S. to lend up to $21 billion to an International Monetary Fund trust that provides zero-interest loans to support low-income countries.
“Too many nations are forced to make a choice between development and debt, between investing in their people and paying back their creditors,” Biden said.
An Associated Press analysis of a dozen countries most indebted to China — including Kenya — found the debt is consuming an ever-greater amount of tax revenue needed to keep schools open, provide electricity and pay for food and fuel.
Behind the scenes is China’s reluctance to forgive debt and its extreme secrecy about how much money it has loaned and on what terms, which has kept other major lenders from stepping in to help.
Kenya’s debt-to-GDP ratio tops 70%, with the bulk of it owed to China. Credit ratings agency Fitch estimates the Kenya will spend almost one-third of its government revenues just on interest payments this year.
The Biden administration has praised Kenya for stepping up in Haiti when so few other countries have agreed to do so. Biden also announced his intention to designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally, an acknowledgment of the growing security partnership between the countries.
The designation, while largely symbolic, reflects how Kenya has grown from a regional partner that has long cooperated with U.S. counterterrorism operations on the continent to a major global influence — even extending its reach into the Western Hemisphere. Kenya will be the first sub-Saharan African country to receive the status.
Ruto arrived in Washington on Wednesday and began the visit by meeting with Biden and tech executives from Silicon Valley and Kenya’s growing tech sector.
The White House announced it was working with Congress to make Kenya the first country in Africa to benefit from funding through the CHIPS and Science Act, a 2022 law that aims to reinvigorate the computer chip sector within the United States through tens of billions of dollars in targeted government support.
“I think we have a historic moment to explore investment opportunities between Kenya and the United States,” Ruto said.
Despite the optimistic outlook, Kenya has seen a sharp decline in foreign investment since 2017. Net investment for foreign companies has fallen from $1.35 billion in 2017 to $394 million in 2022, according to the World Bank.
—
Associated Press writers Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya, and Josh Boak and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.
Rwanda’s envoy to the United States, Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana, speaks during the annual Books for Africa Luncheon in Roseville, Minnesota on Friday, May 10, 2024. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Rwanda’s envoy to the United States, Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana, speaks during the annual Books for Africa Luncheon in Roseville, Minnesota on Friday, May 10, 2024. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
For children caught in the middle of the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed over 800,000 people, a book in their hands made a world of difference. For the Rwandan ambassador to the United States, Mathilde Mukantabana, there were instances in her life during the genocide that the few books she could get hold of as she moved between countries as a refugee helped her see the light through the darkness. This was a reality for many, especially children, she said.
It is for that reason why she thanked the hundreds that attended a Friday May 10 luncheon, for their support and commitment to sending books to Africa. Ambassador Mukantabana, who serves as the deputy dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Washington and one of about 30 women that are ambassadors in Washington, was addressing the annual Books for Africa fundraising luncheon.
“I always say Books for Africa is better than any kind of diplomacy you can build anywhere in the world,” she said. “When you bring someone a book it shows you care. It is better than any material good you can bring, give me a book as a gift and I will never forget, as you can always find happiness in a book. One thing that kept me alive as I went from one country to another (as a refugee), was always having a good book with you. It takes you to another universe away from the reality of war.”
Attendees listen as Books for Africa’s board president Tammie Follett gives an update on Books for Africa during the organization’s annual luncheon in Roseville, Minnesota keynoted by Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States on Friday, May 10, 2024. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
The St. Paul, Minn.- based Books for Africa organization has shipped over 60 million donated text books to all African countries since its founding, with over 3 million of those being sent last year. Computers and e-readers are now also routinely sent alongside the text books with BFA pointing out the donated electronics it sent to the continent in 2023 were loaded with over one million digital books.
“When you see those kids jumping, it is because when you see books it’s like seeing gold,” said Ambassador Mukantabana, referencing a BFA video showing joyful schoolchildren with boxes of books.
The World Population Review reports that 9 out of 10 least literate countries in the world are in the African continent. Only 67% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa can read and write, according to the World Bank.
Books for Africa founder Mr. Tom Warth embraces Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana as Ms. Bonnette Ishimwe of the Rwanda Embassy looks on during the organization’s annual luncheon in Roseville, Minnesota that the ambassador keynoted on Friday, May 10, 2024. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
The post genocide outlook in Rwanda in terms of education has been one that has trended positive, but Ambassador Mukantabana, who addressed the crowd without written notes, said despite great investments in the sector by her government, more needs to be done and organizations such as Books for Africa are crucial in addressing unmet needs.
“One of the choices we have taken is what we call the strategy for transformation which is one of the visions we have for the country, and that strategy places literacy and education at the center and most of our budget is directed at that” she said. “So, Books for Africa has been a huge and fundamental, and I would say, critical partner in what we have been trying to do in our country.”
While the organization is known more for the shipment of books and computers for primary, secondary and college institutions, it has another high-profile mission of establishing law libraries in Africa. Known as the Law and Democracy Initiative, its inaugural co-chairs were the late U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Thomson Reuters, one of the world’s largest legal book publishers, provides the books for the law libraries and since its launch has established 147 law libraries in 25 African countries. Books for Africa executive director Mr. Patrick Plonski announced at the luncheon that the American Bar Association (ABA) will be joining Thomson Reuters in sending law books through the initiative.
Mr. Bryan Kay, ABA’s director for publishing editorial and licensing, was at the luncheon representing his organization. Sitting at the same table with Mr. Kay was Ms. Dana Mitchell, representing the Minnesota Attorney General’s office. Ms. Mitchell is also the board president at the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers.
Ms. Diane Moukouri, owner of B’Beri Desserts and originally from Cameroon, listens as Ambassador Mukantabana of Rwanda speaks during the annual Books for Africa Luncheon in Roseville, Minnesota on Friday, May 10, 2024. The Twin Cities businesswoman was attending her first Books for Africa event. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Ambassador Mukantabana while extolling the law and democracy initiative shared a light moment to demonstrate how in-demand the law books are, saying “my minister of justice said bring them to my office before you take them to the law school.”
In the audience sat Ms. Diane Moukouri, a Twin Cities businesswoman that owns B’beri Desserts. Ms. Moukouri, who is originally from Cameroon, was attending her first Books for Africa event. She was introduced to the organization during a recent Books for Africa warehouse visit by Zambia’s ambassador.
“I learnt during the visit that they do great work sending books and computers to Africa and I made up my mind that I need to get involved,” she said. “I got invited by Mark Ritchie (former Minnesota Secretary of State) to the luncheon and this is my opportunity to learn more.”
Mr. Bill Moran listens to speakers during the annual Books for Africa Luncheon in Roseville, Minnesota on Friday, May 10, 2024. Mr. Moran, a Twin Cities attorney, said his family has become a big supporter of the organization since being introduced to it by his daughter-in-law. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Unlike Ms. Moukouri, Mr. Bill Moran can no longer remember the number of times he has been to a Books for Africa event. A Twin Cities attorney, he was first introduced to the organization by his daughter-in-law who is the development director at Books for Africa.
His family has since become big supporters of charities operating in Africa.
“Since then, we have become big supporters of Books for Africa, and events like this give us an opportunity to learn of the progress it is making in addressing the need for books in the continent,” Mr. Moran said.
The organization said it raised over $170,000 at the luncheon.
House closes 2024 session in chaotic fashion, trading bonding for budget boosts
It was a session of modest ambitions.
After 2023 produced a record $72 billion in biennial funding, Minnesota’s legislative leaders were dampening expectations for anything resembling an encore. Tweaks and bonding seemed to be the chief items on the agenda.
Before the session started, House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said, “The state’s borrowing bill will be the biggest order of business.” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) said early in the session that fixing an issue with potential use of force by school resource officers was a top Republican priority, and a bill was signed into law relatively early in the session to address that issue.
On Sunday, both chambers of the Legislature finished their business for the year by the midnight deadline, and bonding bills fell by the wayside in the closing hours as DFL priorities in the House shifted toward getting a state equal rights amendment on the 2026 statewide ballot, cutting a deal for drivers with the companies that run rideshare services Lyft and Uber, and approving more than $450 million in supplemental funding for the current biennium.
House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth and House Majority Leader Jamie Long engage in a tense discussion on the House Floor following the introduction of the tax bill, HF5247, amended to include eight other bills that had previously been tabled. (Photo by Michele Jokinen)
As for bonding, Gov. Tim Walz proposed a $982 million capital investment plan, but the only 2024 bonding bill the House approved wasn’t passed by the Senate before midnight adjournment. While even-numbered years are generally called “bonding years” and the odd-numbered ones “budget years,” legislators stepped outside convention with a $2.6 billion infrastructure investment signed into law in 2023.
As for those tweaks, should they be signed into law, here are some of the changes coming Minnesota’s way.
Cannabis
One area subject to updates will be the landmark 2023 legislation legalizing adult-use recreational cannabis. The Office of Cannabis Management will now be allowed to issue licenses to potential retailers without first requiring they obtain a physical space to conduct business. The idea is to speed up the path for retail operations to begin in the state.
Another change would allow “social equity applicants” — defined as people harmed by over-prosecution of cannabis laws in the past — to get earlier approval of retail licenses.
Commerce
Consumer protections loomed large with legislation that will protect minors appearing in online content, restrict how collection agencies can collect medical debt, and require insurance coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming care.
A high-profile bill to expand the rights of online ticket buyers will become law, effective Jan. 1, 2025, requiring online bulk ticket resellers such as Ticketmaster to display “all-in pricing” to ensure ticket buyers know the total cost of a ticket up front.
The “Prohibiting Social Media Manipulation Act” will require a social media platform to allow users to indicate what content they do or do not want and requiring a platform’s algorithm to abide by those preferences.
Rideshare drivers celebrate early Monday morning after House and Senate passage of a bill that would set minimum pay for Uber and Lyft drivers and keep the companies operating in Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)
Education
The education finance bill will increase education spending by $43 million in fiscal year 2025, including $37 million in additional funding for the Read Act, paying student teachers a stipend for their work, and creating an attendance and truancy pilot program.
Energy
The Renewable Development Account was created to fund alternative energy projects, and this year’s legislation will send $6 million to Minneapolis’ Sabathani Community Center for a geothermal energy system and $5 million to an anaerobic digester system for Ramsey and Washington counties. The “Solar Rewards” program will be extended by 10 years. And several permitting reform measures will be implemented that are designed to speed up adding renewable energy sources to the electrical grid.
Environment
Between the end of session last year and the beginning of session this year, the State of Minnesota was directed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address elevated nitrate levels in drinking water in eight southeastern counties. Lawmakers approved $2.8 million to make grants available for approximately 9,000 households for them to get nitrate treatment equipment.
Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul) said it’s possible the most important thing the Legislature did this year is providing a framework for royalties and regulations to extract helium and possible hydrogen. A reservoir of helium discovered in northern Minnesota could potentially make the state a leader in clean energy raw materials.
Health
Health plans and medical assistance programs will be required to cover abortions and abortion-related services. Eligible employers will be allowed to forgo providing insurance coverage of contraception and abortions through a religious objection provision.
Medical assistance programs will be required to cover gender-affirming care, as of Jan. 1, 2025. Insurance plans will also be required to cover orthotics and prosthetics — including wigs for people with cancer.
House and Senate DFL Media Availability 5/20/24
An Office of Emergency Medical Services will replace the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board.
Higher Education
A scholarship program for college students who have been in foster care will receive a $5 million boost, while $500,000 will go toward Head Start child care and early learning centers on Minnesota State campuses.
Housing
The tenant-landlord bill will allow crime victims to terminate their rental lease without penalty if they fear imminent violence and need to find a living situation after experiencing domestic or sexual abuse or harassment.
The Minnesota Supreme Court will be asked to retroactively expunge rental evictions.
A study on the emergency shelter needs for transgender individuals will be launched.
Human Services
The state will apply to the federal government for a Medicaid waiver to allow incarcerated individuals eligible for medical assistance to enroll prior to their release. This will allow each person to identify medical providers and support mechanisms before their release so that their re-entry into their community could be successful.
Critical access nursing facilities will receive $576,000 in fiscal year 2025 and $1.33 million in the 2026-27 biennium.
Payment rates will be increased for substance use disorder providers by 20% for services with opioid use disorder medications. And recovery community organizations will be prohibited from classifying or treating recovery peers hired on or after July 1, 2024, as independent contractors.
Labor
A House provision in the labor finance bill will ensure a business does not classify, represent, treat, report, disclose, document, or enter into an agreement with an employee, or require employees to agree to be misclassified or treated as something other than an employee — such as an independent contractor.
House and Senate Republican Media Availability 5/20/24
The bill will add air flight crews to employees who can earn sick and safe time, while excluding volunteer or paid on-call firefighters, ambulance service personnel, elected officials and farm laborers.
Legacy Finance
Money from the Legacy Fund will provide $239.6 million for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, the Clean Water Fund, the Parks and Trails Fund, the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, which includes a $100,000 grant for the return of the Wizard of Oz ruby slippers to Minnesota.
Public Safety
New legislation will increase criminal penalties for swatting — making a fictitious emergency call that a serious crime is underway.
The penalty for making a straw firearm purchase — buying a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them — will be raised from a gross misdemeanor to a felony. Legislators also passed a measure that will ban binary trigger devices that enable a semiautomatic gun to fire more than one shot with a single pull and release of a trigger.
Other changes will:
prohibit a peace officer from using the perception of the odor of cannabis as the sole basis to search a motor vehicle;
make it a misdemeanor to interfere with a mandatory reporter making a report on child abuse;
make inadmissible in court any confession by a juvenile obtained using deception; and
prevent a peace officer making a traffic stop for a secondary offense of the motor vehicle code from asking if the driver can identify the reason for the stop. Instead, an officer must first inform the driver of the reason for the stop before engaging in questioning related to the suspected violation.
A $53.9 million public safety and judiciary supplemental budget bill had several big-ticket items, including $9.5 million for organizations and programs providing services to crime victims. Another $7.9 million will go to hire more staff at the state’s 11 prisons and boost their salaries, and $7 million from the 911 emergency telecommunications services account will create a digital geographic information system mapping data of school facilities.
Taxes
The state’s child tax credit will be available in periodic advance payments. Language is also changed on tax forfeited property. And $2 million will be allocated to grants for tax credit outreach and taxpayer assistance grants.
Transportation
“Roadable aircraft” (or flying cars) will be allowed to use state roads. And there will be red light and speed camera pilot programs in Minneapolis and Mendota Heights.
Uber and Lyft
And finally, on the final day of the session, the House approved the Uber Lyft bill, giving rideshare drivers a raise of $1.28 per mile and 31 cents per minute. There are provisions to mandate rideshare companies provide drivers with vehicle insurance and compensation for injuries occurring while driving to pick up passengers or when transporting them.
— Session Daily writers Brian Basham, Miranda Bryant, Margaret Stevens and Tim Walker contributed to this story.
Rep. Esther Agbaje and Sen. Zaynab Mohamed on Monday, May 13, 2024 when they became the first Black women to chair a conference committee at the Minnesota Legislature. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota Legislature
Rep. Esther Agbaje and Sen. Zaynab Mohamed on Monday, May 13, 2024 when they became the first Black women to chair a conference committee at the Minnesota Legislature. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota Legislature
History was made on Monday when a conference committee to iron out differences between the Minnesota House and Senate versions of a bill to modify residential housing tenant and landlord provisions met. For the first time it was being chaired by two Black women, one of Nigerian descent and the other Somali.
Before a bill can be sent to the governor for his signature, the House and Senate must reconcile any differences, so that only one bill emerges from the legislature. The process of accomplishing the reconciling is referred to as sending the bill to conference, hence conference committee. The two chambers choose their own representatives (conferees) to represent them at the conference committee. Typically, the chair of each chamber’s conferees being sent to conference on a bill tend to be one of the authors. The conference committee meeting is then co-chaired by the chairs of each chamber’s conferees’ chair.
So, it came to be that for the Tenant-Landlord bill referred to as HF3591 in the Minnesota House and SF3492 in the Senate, the authors for each were a Black woman. The Senate, which since its existence never had a Black woman sit in its chairs as a lawmaker until January 2023, tasked Sen. Zaynab Mohamed (DFL – Minneapolis) to chair their group, while the House selected Esther Agbaje (DFL – Minneapolis), a former Foreign Affairs Officer with the U.S. Department of State born to Nigerian immigrants, as the chair of its conferees.
Mshale has an earlier story on the far-reaching effects of the Tenant-Landlord bill that the conference committee met to discuss on Monday, which you can read at this link.
The conference committee met for just under 30 minutes in public. Both co-chairs issued a joint written press statement after the meeting.
Sen. Mohamed, who came to the United States from Somalia at age nine, described the historic moment as a milestone for Black women in Minnesota, adding “Representation matters, and the diversity of backgrounds we bring to the legislature makes us stronger. I am honored to be part of this historic conference committee to show other Minnesotans that they too can lead.”
Rep. Agbaje on her part said the two of them are “breaking ceilings and shattering the status quo of leadership in the Minnesota Legislature.”
“We stand on the shoulders of giants – phenomenal Black women who paved the way. But today, we’re not just following their path, we’re widening it for generations to come,” said Rep. Agbaje. “This is Minnesota’s future, a vibrant reflection of the diversity that defines our communities.”
Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten was one of the conferees from the Senate side and one of the first three Black women – along with Sen. Mohamed – elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2022. After making remarks on the substance of the Tenan-Landlord bill, she took a moment to reflect on historic moment.
“I just want to say how much I enjoy seeing the two of you chair a conference committee, it’s just lovely and thank you for inviting me to be a part of it,” said Sen. Oumou Verbeten.
On Monday, May 13, 2024, Senator Zaynab Mohamed and Representative Esther Agbaje became the first Black women to chair a conference committee at the Minnesota Legislature. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota Legislature
The conference committee on a bill to modify residential housing tenant and landlord provisions reached an agreement Monday.
The proposed legislation would, among other things, protect victims of domestic and sexual violence from housing discrimination and further limit other forms of tenant discrimination.
Rep. Esther Agbaje (DFL-Mpls) and Sen. Zaynab Mohamed (DFL-Mpls) sponsor HF3591/SF3492* that would allow tenants to organize, seek remedies if construction delays prevent them from moving into their unit, seek assistance for mental health or health crises, and allow individuals to use a taxpayer identification number on rental applications.
The bill no longer includes a House provision that would have prohibited landlords from discriminating against tenants who receive rental assistance, such as housing vouchers. Some Republicans voiced their concern about this provision earlier in the session. However, this provision is contained in HF5242, the transportation/housing/labor supplemental budget bill.
“At the end of the day, I’m glad to present a bill that encompasses the needs of tenants,” Agbaje said.
The bill is meant to bring Minnesota in line with other states’ housing policies and could allow more tenants to be stable in their homes.
“This is a really, really big deal,” said Rep. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield), chair of the House Housing Finance and Policy Committee.
The bill would:
allow tenants to ask the court to erase their eviction notice from official records if the tenant has been evicted for fearing imminent violence after experiencing domestic abuse, sexual extortion, rape, harassment, or stalking;
allow tenants to create tenant associations and organize without landlord retaliation;
declare that when a tenant abandons their dwelling, their lease is terminated when a new tenant begins a new lease for the dwelling unit, and defines the amount of rent the original tenant can owe if their lease was at-will or periodic; and
require landlords to only charge an additional fee for a pet when that policy is stated in the housing lease; accept a taxpayer identification number as a form of identification on a rental application, thereby allowing undocumented workers to apply for housing; and mitigate delays in new housing construction by providing the tenant alternate and equivalent housing, paying the tenant’s rent at an alternate location the tenant secured until the construction is complete, or allowing the tenant to break the lease.
Landlords would be prohibited from:
barring a tenant’s right to call for policy or emergency assistance in response to a mental health or heath crises;
denying a rental application based on a pending eviction action;
collecting rent or a security deposit from a tenant after the premises have been ordered to be vacated due to housing, health, or fire codes violations; and
evicting a tenant who has terminated their lease.
The agreement would establish statutory damages of $2,000 for landlords who disclose tenant information about the tenant’s fears of imminent violence from a person or the tenant’s new address or location.
Agbaje and Rep. Andrew Myers (R-Tonka Bay) successfully made oral amendments to push back the effective date of several sections of the bill to Jan. 1, 2025. This would allow landlords and housing leasing agencies to educate their staff on bill provisions.
Conferees agreed to another oral amendment by Agbaje that would delete a section that would have required landlords to disclose all mandatory fees, as well as optional fees for tenant-choice amenities such as pet and parking amenities, in the lease.
Agbaje said the provision was based on stakeholder language but is “too premature at this point.”
A beaming U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar gets ready to address the Fifth Congressional District's Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024 after securing the party’s endorsement for her reelection in the first round of balloting. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
A beaming U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar gets ready to address the Fifth Congressional District's Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024 after securing the party’s endorsement for her reelection in the first round of balloting. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Democrats in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District on Saturday endorsed U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar for reelection in an unprecedented style – it was the first time in her congressional career that she received the local party unit’s nod in the first round.
She first ran in 2018 and has won the endorsement in subsequent reelection bids, but it has required multiple rounds of voting by delegates.
Rep. Omar was being challenged for the Democratic endorsement by former Minneapolis Council member Don Samuels, an immigrant from Jamaica, and U.S. Airforce veteran Tim Peterson.
133 of the 216 credentialed delegates at the convention, which took place at South High School in Minneapolis, threw their support behind Rep. Omar to get her above the 60 percent threshold required for party endorsement.
This is the second time Mr. Samuels was challenging Rep. Omar for the endorsement. In 2022 he came up short but proceeded to the primary where he narrowly lost to Omar. In the question-and-answer session preceding the vote, both candidates were asked if they will suspend their campaign if they do not win the endorsement, with Mr. Samuels replying no while Rep. Omar said she will.
“Our congressional district has always been exceptional, it elected Keith Ellison as the first Muslim member of congress and when you elected me as the first Muslim woman, you told the world that this district is unlike any in the country,” said Omar, who is the first woman of color to represent Minnesota in Congress. “It is a place where we believe in progress and that change is possible. It tells me that we should stop listening to the naysayers.”
Former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar for the second time, delivers his pitch for party endorsement at the Fifth Congressional District’s Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the person who last represented the district in Congress before Omar, nominated her, saying “When I was your congressman we had the lowest voter turnout of any congressional district in the state. But now we have the largest turnout in the state because Ilhan continues to turn out the vote,” adding that the congresswoman’s ground game has been critical in maintaining Minnesota as a blue state.
State Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL-Minneapolis, a delegate who voted for Omar, told Mshale as the convention concluded that she does not foresee a repeat of 2022 when the congresswoman narrowly escaped defeat.
“Her win here today shows the strong support she has within the district, she has been there for us when we needed her and are glad that we could show our support back for us and thanks for all the hard work she does back in Washington,” Rep. Agbaje said. “It is the will of the people.”
Messrs. Don Samuels and Tim Peterson shake hands on stage during the Fifth Congressional District’s Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024 after Mr. Peterson said he is dropping out of the congressional race and throwing his supporting behind Mr. Samuels. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, who represents Cedar-Riverside and is also a former refugee from Somali like Omar, said people tend to underestimate how hard the congresswoman works for her constituents regardless of their station in life.
“I was super surprised that she got this in the first ballot, but then I should not because she is very close to the people, listening and doing what needs to be done, as a councilman I know what she has brought to us in Minneapolis,” Mr. Osman said.
Candidates Ilhan Omar and Don Samuels listen to questions from delegates during the Fifth Congressional District’s Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024 as they each sought the party’s endorsement. Delegates endorsed Omar in the first round of voting. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Speaking from the podium at the convention, Mayor Terry Wiggin of Hilltop, echoed Mr. Osman’s picture of a congresswoman working hard for her constituents.
In a heartfelt thank you to the congresswoman, Mayor Wiggin said his small city of just 958 people was chosen by Rep. Omar for the funding of its much-needed emergency storm shelter.
“It might not have been the most politically savvy thing to choose Hilltop, but she did not see it as a political decision but as an obligation to constituents that had no lobbyists to fight for them,” said Mayor Wiggin.
Delegates hold signs calling for a ceasefire in Gaza during the Fifth Congressional District’s Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Delegates endorsed Rep. Ilhan Omar in her reelection bid. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
Rep. Omar’s victory was preceded by some drama from Mr. Peterson who appeared on stage for his speech to the delegates with just his wife and children, and two other supporters, a marked contrast to Ms. Omar and Mr. Samuels who had dozens of supporters behind them as they gave their speeches. He however took full advantage of his allotted minutes pontificating about a color-blind society, and criticizing Rep. Omar, only to announce at the end that he is dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind Mr. Samuels with the latter quickly leaving his seat smiling and went to shake his new supporter’s hand.
Waving signs that read “ILHAN FOR CEASFIRE,” it became clear the war in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel was foremost in the minds of delegates.
Signs supporting Tim Peterson, Ilhan Omar and Don Samuels, line up the walkway to South High School in Minneapolis where the Fifth Congressional District’s Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024 was taking place. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
The two candidates were asked to state their position on the Israel-Hamas conflict with Mr. Samuels responding first. He went on to describe the conflict as a “fraught and very complex situation,” eliciting loud interruptions from the crowd that it is not. He acknowledged the scale of human tragedy that the conflict has brought on innocent women and children but that Israel is a “small isolated country with enemies around especially Iran and its proxies,” and that “any day in Israel there is never a ceasefire.”
Rep. Omar in her response described the conflict as a “genocide (by Israel) taking place in Gaza at the moment.”
“There is no way for us as citizens in this country to continue to allow our tax dollars to pay for the bombs that are destroying the civilian population – you cannot allow the death of one people (Palestinians) to be acceptable while condemning the death of others,” Omar said.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar addresses the Fifth Congressional District’s Democratic convention on Saturday, May 11, 2024 after she won the party’s endorsement in the first round in her bid for a fourth term. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
The primary will be on August 13 with early voting by mail or in person starting on June 28 through August 12.
In the overwhelmingly Democratic Fifth Congressional District, the August primary is the defacto election as whoever wins in Omar vs. Samuels rematch is as good as elected in November.
Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana of Rwanda addressing Minnesota investors about doing business in her country on November 2023 in Bloomington, Minn. The ambassador will deliver the keynote address at the annual Books for Africa fundraising luncheon on Friday, May 10, 2024. Photo: Triumph Graphics for Mshale/FILE
Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana of Rwanda addressing Minnesota investors about doing business in her country on November 2023 in Bloomington, Minn. The ambassador will deliver the keynote address at the annual Books for Africa fundraising luncheon on Friday, May 10, 2024. Photo: Triumph Graphics for Mshale/FILE
Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States, Mathilde Mukantabana, will deliver the keynote address at the annual Books for Africa fundraising luncheon on Friday, May 10 in Roseville, Minn.
Books for Africa is the world’s largest shipper of donated books to Africa, and Ambassador Mukantabana’s address is the first major event for the organization since its 35th anniversary celebration last September.
Over 400 people are expected at the free sold-out luncheon that will be held at the Midland Hills Country Club. Although sold out, Books for Africa’s executive director, Dr. Patrick Plonski, said the organization has opened a waiting list for those wishing to attend.
Dr. Plonski said this is the largest attendance for the annual luncheon which “will be a great way to celebrate the shipment of over 60 million books to Africa over the past 36 years.”
The organization has shipped over 60 million donated text books to all African countries since its founding, with over 3 million of those being sent last year. Computers and e-readers are now also routinely sent alongside the text books with BFA pointing out the donated electronics it sent to the continent in 2023 were loaded with over one million digital books.
The multilingual ambassador was in academia, serving as a tenured professor of history in California, before being tapped as her country’s 12th ambassador to the United States in 2013 and the first woman in the role. She also serves as the deputy dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Washington and is only one of about 30 women that are ambassadors in Washington out of the 185 countries that have embassies in America’s capital.
The World Population Review reports that 9 out of 10 least literate countries in the world are in the African continent. Only 67% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa can read and write, according to the World Bank, issues the ambassador is expected to address in her much anticipated address on Friday.
Rwanda commemorated 30 years of the 1994 genocide last month in Kigali led by President Paul Kagame. The genocide that lasted over 100 days saw an estimated 800,000 people killed, but mass graves of victims were being discovered as recently as January 2024. The US delegation to the somber commemoration in April was led by former President Bill Clinton.
The post genocide outlook in Rwanda in terms of education has however been a positive one. UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide describes the country as one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s top-performing countries in education, with 98% of children enrolled in elementary school.
