ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota has a deadline to reduce poverty, and it's only two years away.
Nine years ago, a bipartisan legislative commission studied poverty in the state and set out an ambitious plan to eliminate it. But time is running short, and Anne Krisnik, executive director of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, said by her group's calculation, things aren't looking good to meet that deadline based on the three benchmarks set by the commission.
"One was to reduce the poverty rates among racial minority groups to the national average by 2012, which we did not do," she said. "One was to reduce the poverty rates among children by half by 2014, which we did not do. And the third is to eliminate poverty by 2020."
The coalition's latest update, released this month, showed that almost 13 percent of Minnesota children live in poverty and one in ten households is affected by hunger.
The update also found huge gaps in racial disparity for families in poverty. It said Minnesotans of color are also about half as likely to own a home and significantly less likely to graduate from high school on time.
The median annual income for African-American Minnesotans is about $32,000, compared with more than $90,000 for whites. Brett Grant, director of research and policy for the group Voices for Racial Justice, said historic, institutional racism continues to be a problem in the state.
"Minnesota is known across the nation to have a wonderful education system, a wonderful health-care system," he said, "but when you conduct a racial equity analysis, it actually has some of the worst racial and economic disparities in the nation."
There is some good news, however. In 2017, state foreclosure rates were the lowest in a decade. Graduation rates for homeless students have risen almost 10 percent, and the state's minimum wage has increased.
Krisnik said there are many different factors at work, adding that it will take both public and private-sector commitments to help people recover from poverty.
"There isn't one single way to address poverty," she said. "So, if you give someone a safe home, that's very important, but if they don't have a job or they don't have a car to get to work, that's a problem."
Krisnik said the ultimate purpose of tracking these issues is to get Minnesotans talking about poverty, and asking how the state can do better to keep its pledge to end it. The report is online at jrlc.org.
get more stories like this via email
A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are prioritizing coordination so potential cases do not fall through the cracks.
Since Minnesota adopted a wage theft law in 2019, it has seen a handful of high profile examples of state and local officials going after companies accused of shortchanging workers.
John Choi, Ramsey County Attorney, feels Minnesota is starting to come around to the idea such matters should not just be resolved through civil penalties. He said there are some keys to taking the next step in seeing a wave of additional cases.
"It's really doing the investigations," Choi explained. "Then also making sure that we get referrals from other agencies that might be doing that civil enforcement."
Choi's office has hired a wage theft investigator, though stakeholders acknowledged not all county prosecutors and sheriff's departments around the state have such resources.
Choi co-chairs the Labor Advisory Council in the Twin Cities, which leads discussions with key partners and labor leaders about working more closely on the issue, including knowing when it is appropriate to pursue a criminal investigation.
Minnesota's Attorney General has been aggressive in combating wage theft but is only allowed to file civil lawsuits. The decision on criminal charges is up to county prosecutors. Choi emphasized the good news is the Attorney General can lend support to under-resourced offices. He suggested community members can spur more interest, too.
"I also think, just locally around the state, a lot of local sheriffs would be interested in undertaking some of these investigations once they start hearing from the public," Choi noted.
Under Minnesota's wage theft law, an employer can now be charged with a felony. Choi added there are other legal tools, such as charges sought by the revenue department, and said it is a matter of ensuring agencies are not working in silos.
The Labor Advisory Council said wage theft is rampant among nonunion construction activity. It estimates in the Twin Cities, employers steal more than $3 million in wages each year.
get more stories like this via email
Legislation proposed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills would ensure thousands of farmworkers are eligible to receive the state minimum wage.
Current law requires they be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, compared to the state minimum wage of $14.15.
Cynthia Phinney, president of Maine AFL-CIO, said the bill still lacks protection from excessive forced overtime or the allowance for an unpaid rest break after six hours of work.
"Those are things that other workers are entitled to already and farmworkers are not," Phinney pointed out. "Certainly farmworkers work hard enough."
Phinney noted the legislation would require employers to keep records of their workers' hours and provide them with pay stubs. Some farmers have opposed the increase in wages and overtime protections, saying it could force them to cut workers' hours.
Farmworkers were intentionally excluded from benefits and protections in the National Labor Relations Act, which protects the rights of workers to unionize and collectively bargain. They were also originally exempted from wage and overtime protections in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Phinney argued it is time to correct the historical injustice.
"It's not lost on us that they were classifications that included largely workers of color," Phinney observed. "They included domestic workers, farmworkers."
Gov. Mills vetoed previous bills to ensure wage and other protections for farmworkers, only to develop a committee of union organizers, farmers, state agencies and lawmakers to develop the new legislation. If passed by the Legislature, the minimum wage for farmworkers would take effect Sept. 1, peak harvest time for Maine's blueberries and apples.
get more stories like this via email
With tax season winding down, efforts continue to spread the word about Minnesota's new Child Tax Credit.
Outreach leaders say it's another way to help struggling households land on firmer financial ground.
Under the plan approved by lawmakers last year, families who qualify will receive up to $1,750 per child, with no limits on the number of children for filers claiming the credit.
The Children's Defense Fund's Economic Justice Outreach Manager Natletha Sumo Kollie said the extra refund will complement aid programs these households might be relying on.
"Public programs, right now as they exist, are really something that we call expense reducers," said Kollie. "If you have SNAP, it can only go towards food. But the idea of flexible cash, from tax-credit refunds, it's something that you can use for other things."
That might include a car repair or paying off some medical debt. State revenue officials say so far, about 145,000 filed returns have claimed the credit.
Among those eligible are households with little to no income that aren't required to file taxes.
Kollie said there are barriers to reaching those families and easing their fears about going through the process of receiving the tax benefit.
To help as many people as possible learn about the Child Tax Credit, the Children's Defense Fund has added it to its "Bridge to Benefits" platform.
Kollie said you can find out if you're eligible through this online screening tool.
"You just answer a few questions about the county that you live in, your family makeup - to see if you're a single or married household, the ages of the children, your income," said Kollie, "and then the tool tells you what public programs and tax credits you're potentially eligible for."
And there's information on free tax prep sites in your area.
Her organization also partnered with the Minnesota Budget Project and Prepare & Prosper in developing a website with specific details on the CTC called ClaimYourMoneyMN.com.
Kollie said the new benefit isn't a cure-all in addressing poverty, but it should help.
She said benefit cliffs remain a challenge.
That's when a household gains a little more income, then loses a public aid benefit - and what they earn doesn't make up for that loss, leaving them economically unstable.
Disclosure: Children's Defense Fund- Minnesota Chapter contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Children's Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email