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Senate hears funding request to continue Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities archival work
Summary
Senate File 90 would fund the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities to maintain and expand an extensive archive documenting disability history in Minnesota; council leaders described national use of the materials and asked for legacy-fund support. The bill was laid over.
Senate File 90, a bill to appropriate funds so the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities can continue archiving Minnesota’s developmental-disability history, was discussed in the Senate Environment Committee and laid over for possible inclusion in legacy funding packages.
Senator Hoffman, sponsor of the bill, described the council’s archive as “the largest online archive of photos, videos, and reports of any disability-related information” and said it preserves stories that otherwise would be lost. He cited the council’s national recognition and use by universities and institutions.
Colleen Wieck, executive director of the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, told the committee the council is federally funded and governor-appointed, with about 60% of its 25 members people with developmental disabilities or family members. She said the council began archiving about 30 years ago and has produced a variety of materials — a photo book, documentary films and digital resources — to make the history accessible. “We have had 15,000,000 downloaded PDFs from our website since 2018 and 375,000 video views,” Wieck said, and she described the council’s use by law schools, the Smithsonian and the University of Minnesota.
Wieck described the archival work as preserving difficult and important history, including institutionalization, sterilizations and other abuses, and stressed ongoing needs for acquisition and digitization. The council has previously received small appropriations (noted in committee materials) and requested additional funding from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (legacy funds), with fiscal years of support identified in the bill language.
Committee members expressed broad support and recommended the request to be considered as part of the legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund process. Senator Greene asked for confirmation that funding would be drawn from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund in the next biennium; counsel confirmed the bill would be considered as part of legacy funding in fiscal years 2026–27. Senator Hoffman said he would reach out to other members interested in co-sponsoring and thanked the committee.
The committee laid Senate File 90 over for possible inclusion in legacy bill negotiations.
Ending: Supporters said the council’s archive preserves state history that is not captured elsewhere and argued the appropriation fits the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund purpose; the committee will consider the request in the legacy funding process.
