I wrapped up the month of May by joining the Seward, Longfellow, and Lake Street Council for their End of Session Legislative Update. I was joined by my colleagues at the legislature- Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura and Senator Zaynab Mohamed. We discussed the work around affordable housing, public safety, and the dynamic relationship between the state, cities, and counties.

Our office kicked off June with our first District Dishes Event! On June 5th we were out in community at the Midtown Global Market hosting a community meal, meeting residents, and having an open conversation on what the county does and how we can best serve residents. Thank you to everyone who came out and thank you to Moroccan Flavors for catering the food as well as the Midtown Global Market for opening up their space to us! If you weren't able to join us please keep an eye out for the next one and we hope to see you there!!

A huge win this legislative session that I'd like to highlight is the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act. I have been a vocal supporter of this bill and the importance of correcting the disparities that Black and Brown families face when engaging with the child protection system.

The bill would establish requirements for how social services agencies and courts are to serve African American and other children disproportionately represented in the child protection system.

“The purpose of this bill is to keep Black families in Minnesota intact when they first come into contact with child protective services, “ said Rep. Esther Agbaje House bill author and our Hennepin Delegation Co-Chair.

African American, Hispanic, and children of two or more races are “two to seven times more likely than their white counterparts to be in and out of their homes.” as stated by Agbaje. 

The bill would require responsible social services agencies to undertake “active efforts” to try and prevent out-of-home placements, such as working to locate the child’s noncustodial or non-adjudicated parent or relatives before or within 48 hours of a removal.

Other provisions in the bill include: 

• declaring a preference for transfer of permanent legal and physical custody to a relative or noncustodial parent;
• limiting the court’s ability to terminate parental rights for African American or other disproportionately represented children;
• promoting stability and security by establishing minimum standards to prevent arbitrary and unnecessary removal of children from their families;
• giving training in cultural competency to people working in the child welfare system; and
• establishing a number of reporting, compliance and oversight requirements.

As the bill goes into effect, Hennepin and Ramsey County will each get $2.5 million to run a pilot that is to begin this July 2024. The bill then has a statewide rollout beginning in 2027. I'd like to thank everyone who worked hard to make this happen from bill authors to Hennepin staff, to Kelis Houston and her team at Village Arms who's worked diligently to bring equity for Black and Brown families to our child protection system.

This 4th district serves parts of east and downtown Minneapolis, and Fort Snelling.