HF5056

Purpose

• This bill would provide a targeted state appropriation to support a public memorial in Minneapolis. The memorial honors Rene Good and Alex Pretti, whose deaths prompted public dialogue about civil rights, public safety, and the protection of community members during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.

Main Provisions

• Subdivision 1 – Appropriation

  • Amount: $1,500,000 in fiscal year 2027.
  • Source: Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
  • Use: A grant to the City of Minneapolis to design, commission, construct, furnish, and install the public memorial.
  • Memorial components required:
  • Public art installations or statues commemorating Rene Good and Alex Pretti.
  • Educational exhibits, interpretive signage, or digital materials documenting the events and their significance in Minnesota’s civic history.
  • A reflection space for community gathering, dialogue, and remembrance.

• Subdivision 2 – Community partnerships

  • The city must develop the memorial through a community engagement process that involves local residents, civil rights organizations, artists, historians, community cultural institutions, and immigrant community leaders.

• Subdivision 3 – Project oversight

  • The memorial project must be overseen by a partnership that includes:
  • The City of Minneapolis, and
  • One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, and
  • One member of the Senate appointed by the Committee on Rules and Administration, plus representatives of community organizations and cultural institutions.

• Subdivision 4 – Matching contributions

  • The city may accept private donations, philanthropic contributions, and nonprofit partnerships to support the design, programming, and long-term maintenance of the memorial.

Funding Source and Timing

• The appropriation is from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and is designated for fiscal year 2027. It is intended to support design, construction, and ongoing maintenance of the memorial.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Establishes a new, specific appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to fund a Minneapolis memorial.
• Creates a multi-party oversight framework that includes state legislators (one House member and one Senate member) and representatives from community organizations and cultural institutions.
• Allows for private contributions and partnerships to support ongoing maintenance, expanding funding sources beyond public dollars.

What this bill seeks to accomplish

• Create a lasting memorial as a public testament to civil rights, public safety, and community protection in the context of federal immigration enforcement events.
• Foster community involvement and education through exhibits and dialogue spaces.
• Formalize a collaborative governance structure for the memorial’s design, construction, and maintenance.

Relevant Terms arts and cultural heritage fund appropriation public memorial Rene Good Alex Pretti Minneapolis civil rights public safety federal immigration enforcement operations educational exhibits interpretive signage digital materials reflection space community engagement local residents civil rights organizations immigrant community leaders artists historians cultural institutions oversight partnership House member appointed by Speaker Senate member appointed by Rules and Administration private donations philanthropic contributions nonprofit partnerships design programming maintenance