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A bill for an act
relating to state government; creating an Advisory Council on Community
Collaboration, Stability, and Preparedness and a Minnesota Common Ground Task
Force; increasing capacity for dispute resolution; requiring reports; establishing a
civil health dashboard; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 16B.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
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[16B.363] ADVISORY COUNCIL ON COMMUNITY COLLABORATION,
STABILITY, AND PREPAREDNESS.
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Subdivision 1.
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Membership; staff support.
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(a) The Advisory Council on Community
Collaboration, Stability, and Preparedness consists of the following members:
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(1) one member representing the Association of Minnesota Counties;
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(2) one member representing the League of Minnesota Cities;
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(3) the commissioner of public safety, or the commissioner's designee;
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(4) one member representing the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association;
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(5) one member representing the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association;
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(6) the colonel of the Minnesota State Patrol, or the colonel's designee;
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(7) one member representing licensed behavioral health practitioners, appointed by the
governor;
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(8) one member representing mediation and conflict resolution practitioners, appointed
by the governor;
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(9) one member with expertise in peace and diplomacy, appointed by the governor;
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(10) one member with academic expertise in violence prevention, appointed by the
governor;
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(11) two representatives of community organizations that address community safety and
de-escalation, appointed by the governor;
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(12) one communications strategist with expertise in public messaging and addressing
misinformation, appointed by the governor;
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(13) one legal expert in civil liberties, appointed by the governor; and
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(14) one faith leader with a multifaith perspective, appointed by the governor.
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(b) In making appointments, the governor must ensure representation from greater
Minnesota.
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(c) The Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution must provide meeting space and
administrative and research support to the council.
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(d) The council must elect a chair and vice-chair from among the membership at the
first council meeting each odd-numbered year.
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Subd. 2.
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Duties.
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The council must foster proactive collaboration between trusted
community leaders and public officials and submit findings and recommendations to the
legislature and the governor regarding preparedness for civil unrest and political instability
in Minnesota. The council's findings and recommendations must address but are not limited
to the following topics:
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(1) shared principles and best practices for effective collaboration during times of unrest
and community escalation;
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(2) gaps and opportunities in current statewide civil unrest preparedness planning;
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(3) recommended strategies for strengthening trust-building and communication between
state and local elected officials, law enforcement, community leaders, and the public; and
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(4) toolkits for community leaders to guide effective response, de-escalation, and
coordination.
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Subd. 3.
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Meetings must be public.
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Meetings of the council are subject to chapter 13D.
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Subd. 4.
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Terms; compensation; removal.
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The membership terms, compensation, and
removal of members of the council are as provided in section 15.059.
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Subd. 5.
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Report.
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No later than February 1 each year, the council must submit a report
to the legislature and the governor regarding the council's findings, recommendations,
activities, and accomplishments during the previous calendar year.
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Subd. 6.
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Expiration.
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This section expires June 30, 20.....
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Sec. 2.
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MINNESOTA COMMON GROUND TASK FORCE.
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Subdivision 1.
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Membership; chair.
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(a) The Minnesota Common Ground Task Force
consists of the following members:
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(1) two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the
house and one appointed by the house minority leader;
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(2) two members of the senate, one appointed by the senate majority leader and one
appointed by the senate minority leader;
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(3) one member representing the Association of Minnesota Counties;
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(4) one member representing the League of Minnesota Cities;
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(5) one member representing school districts, appointed by the governor; and
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(6) seven members appointed by the governor representing organizations with expertise
in relevant areas, including but not limited to civic education and youth leadership, bridging
urban-rural divides, political bipartisanship, civil discourse, interfaith understanding, and
media and storytelling.
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(b) Each appointing authority must submit appointments to the commissioner of
administration by August 15, 2026.
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(c) The Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution must provide meeting space and
administrative and research support to the task force. The Office of Collaboration and
Dispute Resolution must convene the first meeting by October 15, 2026.
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(d) The task force members must elect a chair and a vice-chair from among the
membership of the task force at the first meeting.
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Subd. 2.
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Duties.
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The task force must:
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(1) develop specific policy recommendations to increase common ground and Minnesota's
resilience to the impacts of polarization and social division; and
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(2) review current policies and practices in the Minnesota legislature and make
recommendations that support civility and effective bipartisan cogovernance within the
legislature.
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Subd. 3.
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Meetings must be public.
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Meetings of the task force are subject to Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 13D. The task force must seek input from the public.
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Subd. 4.
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Compensation; removal.
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The compensation and removal of members of the
task force are as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 6.
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Subd. 5.
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Report.
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By January 15, 2028, the task force must submit a report containing
the policy recommendations developed under subdivision 2 to the legislature and the
governor.
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Subd. 6.
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Expiration.
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The task force expires on January 16, 2028, or the day after the
task force submits the report required under subdivision 5, whichever occurs first.
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EFFECTIVE DATE.
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This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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Sec. 3.
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STUDY REQUIRED; APPROPRIATION.
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(a) $....... in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of administration to study and report on the economic impacts of polarization and social
division in Minnesota, including but not limited to lost productivity and absenteeism
attributable to uncivil behavior in the workplace. This is a onetime appropriation and is
available until June 30, 2028.
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(b) By February 1, 2028, the commissioner must submit the report, including
recommendations, to the legislature and the governor.
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Sec. 4.
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CIVIL HEALTH DASHBOARD; APPROPRIATION.
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$....... in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
administration for the Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution to create and maintain
a public-facing civic health dashboard of data on the status of polarization, social cohesion,
political violence, bipartisanship, and other metrics relevant to civic health in Minnesota.
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Sec. 5.
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OFFICE OF COLLABORATION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION CAPACITY
INCREASED; APPROPRIATION.
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$....... in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
administration to increase the capacity of the Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution
in the following ways:
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(1) promoting practical skill building and education about conflict resolution approaches
for kindergarten through grade 12 students;
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(2) expanding assistance to local governments on dispute resolution and providing
additional dispute resolution training to local government staff and elected officials and
their communities;
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(3) expanding the use of community mediation and volunteer mediation models
throughout Minnesota and ensuring all counties and regions of the state have access to
low-cost mediation; and
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(4) creating a position to mediate disputes that arise under the Minnesota Government
Data Practices Act.
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Sec. 6.
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COMMUNITY MEDIATION AND ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE
RESOLUTION STRENGTHENED; APPROPRIATION.
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$....... in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the state court
administrator to strengthen the infrastructure and funding for community mediation and
alternative dispute resolution statewide under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 494.
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