Committee advances Native youth suicide‑prevention grant; lays over permanent‑fund and mascot bills for further work

Senator Kunish presented several bills related to Indian education on March 18, 2025, and the Minnesota State Education Finance Committee voted to recommend passage of Senate File 42 — a one‑time grant to fund development and piloting of culturally specific suicide‑prevention curriculum for Native youth — and laid over multiple other measures for possible inclusion in the omnibus package.

Senate File 42: suicide‑prevention curriculum Sen. Kunish said the grant would fund the Division of Indian Work and community partners to develop and pilot a suicide‑prevention curriculum tailored to Native youth, with an emphasis on mental health, emotional intelligence and suicide prevention. Testimony in support included Suzanne Nash of Indigenous Peoples Task Force, who urged culturally rooted protective practices; Kelsey Yale, a licensed clinical social worker who described national and state suicide trends and the need for culturally specific preventive strategies; and Beth Seidel of Division of Indian Work, who described lived experience and the importance of culturally appropriate interventions.

Sen. Kunish moved that Senate File 42 be recommended to pass and referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services; the committee recorded an affirmative voice vote with no opposition noted and the bill was recommended to pass and referred.

Several members emphasized that the proposal is intended as a one‑time appropriation to develop and pilot curricula and to build local capacity for prevention and early intervention. The bill does not specify a dollar amount in committee testimony.

Senate File 193: permanent school fund supplemental aid Sen. Kunish also presented Senate File 193, which would extend a modest distribution from the permanent school fund to tribal contract schools. The bill would appropriate $40,000 for fiscal year 2026‑27, to be divided among qualifying tribal schools in proportion to students served the prior year. Aaron Vanderland, director of the Minnesota Office of School Trust Lands, described last year’s compromise and said the permanent school fund distributions totaled roughly $58 million for the current school year; he said roughly 600 students across four tribal contract schools would be covered by the continuation.

Committee members discussed constitutional and procedural questions about school trust‑land distributions. Senate counsel clarified that the bill would appropriate general fund dollars for distribution to the schools so the appropriation itself would not be drawn directly from the trust corpus. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion.

Senate File 1404 and related mascot bills Sen. Kunish presented Senate File 1404, which modifies the existing 2024 prohibition on American Indian mascots by changing the exemption process: instead of requiring consent from all 11 federally recognized tribal nations, a public school district seeking to retain a mascot would obtain consent from the tribal nation nearest the school. The bill also contemplates state reimbursement for costs of removing prohibited mascots and requires reporting to the legislature. Brandon Alkire of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council testified in support, arguing the change promotes local tribal‑school district relationships. Dave Cowan, a Grand Rapids school board member, testified the Thunderhawks mascot was created as a fictional bird in 1995 and that replacing the mascot could cost the district roughly $800,000; he asked for a pathway to an exemption from the closest tribal nation to avoid that expense.

Members discussed timelines and costs; some senators said they prefer Sen. Kunish’s local‑consent approach and state reimbursement for replacement costs, while others urged clearer appeals and application procedures to avoid pulling in districts that do not use Native imagery. The committee laid Senate File 1404, along with Senate Files 81 and 349 (related alternatives and funding proposals), over for possible inclusion.

Other committee business Senate File 42 was the only item recommended to pass in committee on March 18; the other bills were laid over for further consideration as lawmakers prepare omnibus language. Members announced follow‑up hearings and noted additional bills on the committee calendar for upcoming meetings.