April's Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Forum gave an overview of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) One Minnesota budget priorities, which includes creating an Office of New Americans within DEED.

Establishing an Office of New Americans in Minnesota

Minnesota's new Americans create robust businesses, offer extraordinary cultural contributions, and play a critical role in meeting labor needs throughout Minnesota. But there are multiple barriers to getting established in Minnesota. That's why the Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend $1.5 million in each biennium to establish an Office of New Americans focused on supporting immigrant and refugee integration, reducing barriers to employment, and improving connections between employers and job seekers.

Other important DEED budget priorities that empower the growth of the Minnesota economy, for everyone, include:

Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance – The Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend $669.321 million for a Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program to ensure more equitable economic opportunities for all Minnesotans. It will also keep more women in the labor force, positively impact the lives of children, and make Minnesota a more attractive state at a time of historic workforce challenges.

Main Street Economic Revitalization Program – The Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend $85 million in new funding for the program to catalyze investments in business corridors, neighborhoods, and main streets where they can make a big difference for individual businesses and communities as a whole.

Small Business Partnerships Program - The Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend $7.5 million per year for FY24-25 to meet the high level of demand for business development and technical assistance services throughout the state for up to 27,000 businesses.

Small Business Navigation Program - The Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend $1.250 million in FY24 and FY25 and $1 million each year thereafter to hire, train and deploy community navigators to help small businesses learn about and access DEED's small business programs.

Launch Minnesota - The Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend $5 million to significantly expand Launch Minnesota's work connecting start-ups to capital, expanding entrepreneurial expertise, and cultivating collaboration with business leaders.

New Office of Community Relations and Public Engagement at the Department of Human Services

During the Forum, we also heard from the Department of Human Services (DHS) – this state agency has created a new Office of Community Relations and Public Engagement to build relationships and trust through authentic engagement with communities in Minnesota. This new team will strive to prioritize community solutions by creating a bridge between institutions, community-based organizations, partners, and those who participate in DHS programs. You can get involved by reaching out to their team at community.relations.dhs@state.mn.us.

If you missed this month's forum, you can watch our discussion on DEED's YouTube channel.