HF 1240

1st Engrossment - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 01:46am

A bill for an act
relating to education; establishing a volunteer working group on Native language
revitalization and preservation; providing for appointments; requiring a report;
appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin VOLUNTEER WORKING GROUP ON DAKOTA AND OJIBWE
LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION AND PRESERVATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin A volunteer working group is established to develop
a unified strategy to revitalize and preserve indigenous languages of the 11 federally
recognized American Indian tribes in Minnesota. As the federal government recognized
through passage of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act
of 2006, the revitalization and preservation of American Indian languages is of vital
importance to preserving the American Indian culture. There have been recent efforts in
Minnesota to develop programs to teach the Dakota and Ojibwe languages to students
and to create fluent speakers at both the kindergarten through grade 12 level and at the
postsecondary level. The volunteer working group shall, among other duties, inventory
these efforts and make recommendations regarding how to further revitalize and preserve
Dakota and Ojibwe languages.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Membership. new text end

new text begin The executive director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs
Council shall invite each of the 11 federally recognized tribes under Minnesota Statutes,
section 3.922, subdivision 1, clause (1), to participate by appointing one member of each
tribe to the working group. Three additional members shall be appointed by the Indian
Affairs Council. Two of these members must represent the American Indian population
in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and one member must represent the American Indian
population in Duluth. Other working group members may include, at their discretion, the
commissioner of education or the commissioner's appointee, the director of the Office of
Higher Education or the director's appointee, one member of the Board of Teaching, the
director of the Minnesota Historical Society or the director's appointee, one member of
the senate appointed by its Subcommittee on Committees, and one member of the house
of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house. The working group may add
other members as deemed appropriate by a majority vote of the existing members. The
executive director of the Indian Affairs Council must convene the first meeting no later
than September 1, 2009. At the first meeting, the members shall elect from amongst
themselves a chair and vice chair of the working group.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Duties. new text end

new text begin The working group must develop strategies for the 11 federally
recognized American Indian tribes and the state to work together to revitalize and preserve
the Dakota and Ojibwe languages in Minnesota. The duties of the working group include,
but are not limited to:
new text end

new text begin (1) creating an inventory of existing programs designed to preserve Dakota and
Ojibwe languages in the state, including postsecondary programs, programs in tribal
schools, and other schools throughout the state;
new text end

new text begin (2) creating an inventory of available resources for Dakota and Ojibwe language
revitalization and immersion programs, including curriculum, educational materials,
and trained teachers;
new text end

new text begin (3) identifying curriculum needs to train teachers to teach the Dakota and Ojibwe
languages in immersion programs and barriers to training teachers to teach the Dakota and
Ojibwe language;
new text end

new text begin (4) identifying classroom curriculum needs for teaching students in Dakota and
Ojibwe languages;
new text end

new text begin (5) determining how the identified curriculum needs should be met;
new text end

new text begin (6) determining if there is a need for a central repository of resources, and if there
is a need, where the repository should be located, how it should be structured, and who
should have responsibility for maintaining the repository;
new text end

new text begin (7) determining what technical assistance the state could offer to further Dakota
and Ojibwe language immersion programs;
new text end

new text begin (8) identifying both existing state and national financial resources available to further
Dakota and Ojibwe language revitalization and preservation efforts;
new text end

new text begin (9) identifying current state and federal law, rules, regulations, and policy that
should be repealed, modified, or waived, in order to further Dakota and Ojibwe language
immersion programs; and
new text end

new text begin (10) assessing the level of interest in the community for Dakota and Ojibwe
language immersion programs.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Administrative support; expenses. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of education
shall provide the working group with meeting space and the necessary staff support for
meetings of the working group. Members of the group are not eligible for compensation
but may receive reimbursement for their expenses as provided in Minnesota Statutes,
section 15.059, subdivision 3.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Report. new text end

new text begin The working group must report its findings and recommendations,
including draft legislation, if necessary, to the Indian Affairs Council and the chairs and
ranking minority members of the legislative committees and divisions with jurisdiction
over early childhood through grade 12 education and higher education by February 15,
2011. The committee expires on February 16, 2011.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $150,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2010 from the arts and cultural heritage fund
to the commissioner of education to promote staff support and expense reimbursement for
the working group on Dakota and Ojibwe Language Revitalization and Preservation. Any
balance in fiscal year 2010 is available in fiscal year 2011.
new text end