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Committee reviews request to restore funding for Minnesota Youth Council; bill laid over
Summary
House File 54 would provide funding for the Minnesota Youth Council, a legislatively created advisory body of 36 young people. Committee members heard testimony from the Alliance with Youth and multiple council members about the council's role advising the legislature, its selection process and the need for stable funding.
Representative (listed in the hearing as) Representative Censor Murrah introduced House File 54 and asked the committee to fund the Minnesota Youth Council, a 36-member body created by the legislature in 2013 to advise the governor and lawmakers on issues affecting young people.
Jim Davenney, director of the Minnesota Alliance with Youth, described the council's statutory structure and selection process. "By statute, the youth council is a representative body of youth 13 to 19 years of age with 4 representatives from each of Minnesota's 8 congressional districts and 4 selected at large," Davenney said. He said the council meets monthly (hybrid) and receives stipends and travel reimbursement to reduce participation barriers.
Three student council members testified about the council's impact. Julia Rosenman, a sophomore at Breck School and a fifth-district representative, said the council has helped her scale local education projects into policy proposals. Alexandra Hanks, a junior from Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School, said the council allowed her to bring rural student concerns to state policymakers: "By working on the Minnesota Youth Council I am finally able to give a voice to the communities that I have witnessed be lost in the system."
Committee members asked about outreach and selection. Davenney said the Alliance uses partnerships with school groups and a rigorous interview process to recruit students from varied geographies and school types.
Representative Censor Murrah closed by urging members to meet with youth from their districts and by noting the council sends representatives with divergent views on policy to the legislature. The committee laid House File 54 over for possible inclusion in an education omnibus bill.
