Legislative Commission to End Poverty

Legislative Commission to End Poverty
in Minnesota by 2020
Mission Statement
Develop guidelines to end poverty. Prepare recommendation on how to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020.
The commission must be guided by the following principles:
(a) There should be a consistent and persistent approach that includes participation of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government and businesses
(b) All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity and make for a healthy life, including adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe communities, health care and education.
(c) All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have to little to live on and those who have a disproportionate share of the nation's goods.
(d) All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or structure. Overcoming poverty requires the use of private and public resources.
(e) Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies, government, business and others with a commitment to overcoming poverty.
(f) Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.
(g) Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their lives based on their shared vision. Society is well served when people bring their values in the public arena. This convergence around issues of poverty and the common good leads people of varying tradition to call on government to make a critical commitment to overcoming poverty.
Established by the Legislature in 2006. - Minnesota Laws 2006 Chapter 282, article 2, section 27.
Sec. 27. LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO END POVERTY IN MINNESOTA
BY 2020.
Subdivision 1. Membership. The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in
Minnesota by 2020 consists of nine members of the senate appointed by the Subcommittee
on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, including four members of
the minority, and nine members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker,
including four members of the minority. Appointments must be made by members elected
to the 85th session of the legislature and no later than February 15, 2007. The governor
may appoint two nonvoting members to sit with the commission.
Subd. 2. Guiding principles. In preparing recommendations on how to end poverty
in Minnesota by 2020, the commission must be guided by the following principles:
(a) There should be a consistent and persistent approach that includes participation
of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government, and business.
(b) All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity
and make for a healthy life, including adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe
communities, health care, and education.
(c) All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the
common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have too little to live on and
those who have a disproportionate share of the nation's goods.
(d) All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends
both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or
structure. Overcoming poverty requires the use of private and public resources.
(e) Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies,
government, business, and others with a commitment to overcoming poverty.
(f) Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes
of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.
(g) Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed
from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their lives
based on their shared vision. Society is well served when people bring their values into
the public arena. This convergence around issues of poverty and the common good
leads people of varying traditions to call on government to make a critical commitment
to overcoming poverty.
Subd. 3. Report. The commission shall report its recommendations on how to end
poverty in Minnesota by 2020 to the legislature by December 15, 2008.
Subd. 4. Expiration. The commission expires December 31, 2008.