1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to health; establishing the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council; requiring a 
1.3 	report;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 15.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. [15.0592] AGE-FRIENDLY MINNESOTA COUNCIL ESTABLISHED.
1.6 		Subdivision 1.Age-Friendly Minnesota Council established. The Age-Friendly 
1.7 	Minnesota Council is established in law and sets forth the work of the council established 
1.8 	by the governor's Executive Order No. 19-38 by undertaking the established steps to enroll 
1.9 	Minnesota in a nationally recognized network of age-friendly states, such as the AARP 
1.10 	Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. The infrastructure of the Age-Friendly 
1.11 	Minnesota Council established in this section shall be autonomous and independent.
1.12 		Subd. 2.Membership. (a) The Age-Friendly Minnesota Council shall consist of at least 
1.13 	25 voting members:
1.14 	(1) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house;
1.15 	(2) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the house minority leader;
1.16 	(3) one member of the senate appointed by the senate majority leader;
1.17 	(4) one member of the senate appointed by the senate minority leader;
1.18 	(5) one member representing a Minnesota Tribal Nation selected by the Indian Affairs 
1.19 	Council under section 3.922;
1.20 	(6) one member representing the Governor's broadband task force;
1.21 	(7) a minimum of two members from age-friendly cities and counties;
2.1 	(8) members from philanthropic organizations;
2.2 	(9) members of the public who are older adults and either residents of or individuals 
2.3 	representing rural areas outside of the seven-county metropolitan area;
2.4 	(10) members representing the business community
2.5 	(11) members representing nonprofit organizations representing older adults and 
2.6 	healthcare providers; and
2.7 	(12) members representing the public at large.
2.8 	(b) In addition to the members in paragraph (a), each of the following state agencies 
2.9 	shall designate an Age-Friendly Minnesota lead who shall actively participate as a member 
2.10 	of the council:
2.11 	(1) Board on Aging;
2.12 	(2) Department of Commerce;
2.13 	(3) Department of Employment and Economic Development;
2.14 	(4) Department of Health;
2.15 	(5) Housing and Finance Agency;
2.16 	(6) Department of Human Services;
2.17 	(7) Department of Transportation;
2.18 	(8) Department of Veterans Affairs;
2.19 	(9) Metropolitan Council; and
2.20 	(10) Department of Natural Resources.
2.21 	Other state agencies may participate as nonvoting members.
2.22 	(c) To ensure that power is repositioned and that the council is helping to create leaders 
2.23 	and build capacity, priority shall be given to older adults and members of groups and 
2.24 	communities that face frequent discrimination and exclusion. Those groups and communities 
2.25 	include but are not limited to individuals who are low income; identify as indigenous 
2.26 	American Indian, Black, African-American, Asian, or Latinx; identify as LGBTQ+; are 
2.27 	new immigrants or refugees; have limited English proficiency; live in rural areas; are 
2.28 	veterans; or have disabilities.
2.29 	(d) The council shall hire an executive director who serves in the unclassified service 
2.30 	and may employ or contract with staff to provide support as the council deems necessary 
3.1 	to perform the council's duties. The director must have knowledge and demonstrated 
3.2 	experience in aging, age-friendly work, and proficiency in the management and 
3.3 	administration of programs relating to these fields.
3.4 	(e) The Minnesota Board on Aging appointee shall serve at all times as the chair of the 
3.5 	Age-Friendly Minnesota Council unless the council, by majority vote, selects another 
3.6 	chairperson from among the council's members. Any vote to replace the chair of the council 
3.7 	requires 30 days public notice prior to any such vote.
3.8 	(f) The council shall take all steps necessary to enroll Minnesota in a nationally recognized 
3.9 	network of age-friendly states to advise state and local government agencies and organizations 
3.10 	on the establishment of age-friendly communities, including sovereign tribal nations in 
3.11 	Minnesota, if one or more tribal nations decide to pursue age-friendly designation by 
3.12 	December 31, 2021.
3.13 	(g) The council may accept support and in-kind services from nongovernment 
3.14 	organizations, corporations, and other entities for purposes consistent with the role and 
3.15 	authority of the council in this section.
3.16 		Subd. 3.Initial membership terms. Except for members appointed by the Indian Affairs 
3.17 	Council, initial appointments shall be made by the governor by October 1, 2021. Initial 
3.18 	appointments shall serve staggered terms of three years or as determined by the secretary 
3.19 	of state.
3.20 		Subd. 4.Compensation. Members shall be compensated as provided in section 15.0575, 
3.21 	subdivision 3.
3.22 		Subd. 5.Domains. An age-friendly cities framework proposes eight domains to identify 
3.23 	and address barriers to and opportunities for the well-being and participation of older people. 
3.24 	Domains are specified to guide the priorities and strategies of the council. The council shall 
3.25 	work to advance age-friendly policies and prioritize social equity considerations in an effort 
3.26 	to eliminate historic disparities experienced by older Minnesotans. Domains include but 
3.27 	are not limited to:
3.28 	(1) outdoor spaces and buildings that ensure parks and other green spaces, safe streets, 
3.29 	well-maintained sidewalks, outdoor and indoor seating, and accessible buildings are available 
3.30 	and can be used and enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities;
3.31 	(2) housing options that include homes that are affordable, accessible, appropriate for 
3.32 	various stages of life, and allow aging in the community, including access to home 
3.33 	modifications and services that allow people to stay in their homes;
4.1 	(3) transportation options in Minnesota that are safe, reliable, convenient, and easy to 
4.2 	use and include accessible and affordable public transit, ridesharing, and walking and biking, 
4.3 	recognizing that needs and resources vary by geography across the state.
4.4 	(4) work and civic engagement that ensures older Minnesotans continue to have 
4.5 	opportunities to work for pay, volunteer their skills, and be actively engaged in community 
4.6 	life;
4.7 	(5) respect and social inclusion that ensures that older Minnesotans feel valued, regardless 
4.8 	of age; that older adults are understood and appreciated through an intergenerational lens; 
4.9 	and that multicultural views and traditions associated with aging are recognized and 
4.10 	respected;
4.11 	(6) work that seeks to eliminate ageism;
4.12 	(7) social participation, including electronic means of connecting, that provides 
4.13 	opportunities for older adults to engage in community life through accessible and affordable 
4.14 	activities that are meaningful and safe and that supports physical and mental well-being and 
4.15 	helps combat isolation;
4.16 	(8) communication and information sources that enable communities to effectively 
4.17 	disseminate information in a variety of ways, including through well-designed online sources 
4.18 	made available through affordable, universal access to broadband services, as well as through 
4.19 	nonweb-based means such as print, radio, and television;
4.20 	(9) community and health services that ensure access to affordable, quality, culturally 
4.21 	and linguistically appropriate health care and community support services that match older 
4.22 	adults' needs to help them live safely and with dignity;
4.23 	(10) emergency preparedness policies that ensure that the state's emergency plans 
4.24 	specifically include older adults, drawing on best practices learned through past crises in 
4.25 	Minnesota and elsewhere; and
4.26 	(11) other potential domains as identified by the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council.
4.27 		Subd. 6.Duties of the council. (a) The council shall carry out the following duties:
4.28 	(1) supplement, inform, and advise spending across multiple agencies by developing 
4.29 	relationships with the philanthropic community, nonprofit groups, and informal groups to 
4.30 	identify funding to support the council's work;
4.31 	(2) use an asset-based approach that recognizes individuals from groups and communities 
4.32 	identified in subdivision 2, paragraph (c), that experience frequent discrimination and 
5.1 	disparities, hold a wealth of knowledge and lived experiences, and are best positioned to 
5.2 	identify problems and solutions;
5.3 	(3) seek to address the social and economic inequities that are responsible for most health 
5.4 	and aging disparities that must be changed to achieve equity and recognize that racism is a 
5.5 	public health issue that must be treated as such;
5.6 	(4) develop a grant program designed to help communities, including cities, counties, 
5.7 	other municipalities, nonprofit organizations, health systems, universities, collaborative 
5.8 	community efforts, informal groups, and other such entities to build capacity for age-friendly 
5.9 	initiatives and activities, including but not limited to needs assessments, action planning, 
5.10 	implementation, and evaluation. Technical assistance may also be provided, especially using 
5.11 	a train the trainer model;
5.12 	(5) support the growth and expansion of work with and engagement of older adults 
5.13 	across the state;
5.14 	(6) inform assessment, planning, and implementation across various cultural and ethnic 
5.15 	communities; and
5.16 	(7) utilize cultural navigators or equivalent services to engage, establish partnerships 
5.17 	with, and build capacity among organizations and communities representing older 
5.18 	Minnesotans who are racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse as part of a coordinated 
5.19 	effort to achieve equity.
5.20 	(b) The council shall complete the initial community assessment and age-friendly action 
5.21 	planning efforts no later than one year from the date of enrollment in the national age-friendly 
5.22 	network.
5.23 		Subd. 7.Age-friendly dashboard. The council, in consultation with the Minnesota 
5.24 	Board on Aging, shall work to inventory and identify metrics for an all-state-agencies 
5.25 	dashboard of age-friendly policies and practices that are being utilized across state 
5.26 	government agencies. The dashboard may be used to assess current programs and policies 
5.27 	and to inform state agencies' progress toward an age-friendly Minnesota.
5.28 		Subd. 8.Central inventory of reports and analyses on aging. Within available 
5.29 	appropriations and in collaboration with other organizations, the council shall work to 
5.30 	establish a central inventory of data reports and analyses, including readily available learning 
5.31 	and lessons, to help policymakers in state, local, and tribal government agencies; 
5.32 	stakeholders; and the public to identify information and experts on age-related topics to 
5.33 	advance state and local age-friendly initiatives.
6.1 		Subd. 9.Reports to legislature and governor. The council shall present to the governor 
6.2 	and chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction 
6.3 	over public health, aging, and other relevant committees the council's completion of the 
6.4 	initial community assessments and age-friendly action planning no later than one year from 
6.5 	the date of enrollment in the national age-friendly network. The council shall annually 
6.6 	thereafter report to the governor and committee chairs and ranking minority members of 
6.7 	the legislative committees a brief report of the council's work, including a summary of the 
6.8 	grants administered to support age-friendly initiatives and dashboard progress toward an 
6.9 	age-friendly Minnesota.