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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rena Moran (DFL)

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Legislative Update - Women of Color Opportunities Act

Monday, April 4, 2016

Dear Neighbors,

It was a busy week last week! Friday was the first committee deadline at the legislature. I’ll explain more about that below, as well as information about the Women of Color Opportunities Act that I have authored. You can read more about these bills below, and you can also watch the press conference by clicking here. You can listen to my MPR Morning interview with Cathy Wurzer on the legislation here, and you can find helpful fact sheets on the bills by going to my website here.

On March 23rd, I was joined by a wonderful, energized group of women and girls to kick-off our legislative push for the Women of Color Opportunities Act (WOCOA). This bill targets the elimination of racial disparities in the educational and economic status of women and girls of color in Minnesota. It addresses challenges faced in education, financial literacy, workforce development, and small business.

The Governor has made a strong call to find ways to reduce economic and educational disparities in communities of color. I strongly support those efforts, and I want to make sure that we’re not forgetting about the disparity within the disparity while we’re doing it. Black women, and other women of color, are leading lights of our community, but they face challenges when it comes to getting a loan, or a job, or running a business. That has to change if we’re going to create true economic equity.

Women and girls of color in Minnesota face significant challenges and disparities. Currently Minnesota’s African American women earn $0.62 for every dollar a white male earns, for Hispanic women that figure is even lower at $0.57 for every dollar a white male earns. A Hispanic woman working full-time stands to lose about $854,000 over the course of her career because of the gender wage gap.

Historically, women of many racial backgrounds have been excluded from major financial decision-making for families and business. If our girls don’t know how to set financial goals, or responsibly save to pay off debt or for retirement, then it doesn’t matter what other financial benefits we might be able to afford them. However, if we arm these women with the knowledge they need to improve their own lives, we know from experience they’ll do it.”

The gender wage gap for women of color has had devastating impacts on poverty in our communities. Over 64% of Minnesota’s African American female-headed households with young children live in poverty, with 53% of Hispanic female-headed households living in poverty.

The Women of Color Opportunities Act features five main components:

  • Academic Success (HF 3031/ SF 2885) - Creates replicable model programs—one for the Twin Cities and one for Greater Minnesota—to help girls of color succeed in school. This approach includes decreasing the school suspension rate for girls of color, increasing on-time high school graduation rates, and encouraging girls of color to pursue postsecondary education.

  • Financial Literacy (HF 3032/ SF 2865) - Gives women and girls of color the knowledge and understanding to make reasonable and appropriate personal financial decisions to lay the groundwork for an economically secure future.

  • STEM Career Training (HF 3033/ SF 2916) - Funds competitive grants to community-based STEM-affiliated organizations experienced in serving girls of color and to elementary and secondary schools that provide STEM instruction, giving girls of color greater access to high tech careers, and jobs of the future.

  • Nontraditional Job Training (HF 3098/ SF 3056) - Funds job-skills training and apprenticeships for women of color in high-wage, high-demand, non-traditional occupations—jobs in skilled trades and STEM.

  • Small Business Lending (HF 3099/ SF 2931) – Removes barriers to credit for women of color by funding micro-loans for start-up, expansion, and retention of small businesses that are owned by women of color in Ramsey County who have been underserved. Preference is given to lower income women of color

COMMITTEE DEADLINES

As I said above, last Friday was the first deadline for committees. The 2016 legislative session is compressed into about ten weeks and every year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills to narrow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

According to the House of Representatives web site:

"The first deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin." (April 1)

"The second deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other house." (April 8)

"The third deadline is for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills." (April 21)

“Deadline weeks” are very busy. This week is jam-packed with committee meetings, floor sessions, and constituents are visiting the Capitol complex in large numbers to visit with their legislators and advocate for their concerns and issues.

On Thursday I had a group testifying on one of the WOCOA bills I mentioned above. You can see a photo of their excellent testimony on reducing school suspensions below!

Please contact me with questions on these bills or any other legislative issue at 651-296-5158 or rep.rena.moran@house.mn .

Together, We Are Stronger!!

Rena Moran

State Representative