Minnesotans often face difficult or even insurmountable barriers in finding and maintaining employment. The Minnesota Council on Disability is leading efforts to increase disability representation in the Minnesota state government workforce. Senate File 1570 (SF 1570) improves the hiring and retention of Minnesotans with disabilities by:
- Strengthening the disability hiring affirmative action program, Connect 700;
- Provides direction for the state’s Human Resources department regarding disability policies and employment;
- Clarifies the roles, responsibilities, and training for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinators across all state agencies;
- Establishes a reporting structure to collect data on the advancement of employees with disabilities.
Urge Senator Kiffmeyer to Schedule a Hearing for SF 1570
Contact Senator Mary Kiffmeyer and urge her to hear SF 1570 in the Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee as soon as possible. For SF 1570 to succeed, the bill must pass out of this committee.
Call Senator Kiffmeyer by phone at 651-296-5655 or email at Sen.Mary.Kiffmeyer@senate.mn.
Senators receive many requests from their constituents. To help make sure she gets yours, we ask that you include two of Kiffmeyer’s assistants when you email or call:
- Legislative assistant Christina Wilson at 651-296-1323 or christina.wilson@senate.mn
- Committee administrator Alec Biorn at 651-296-7593 or alec.biorn@senate.mn
If you are a person with a disability and have a personal story to share, please include that in your message. Relevant stories include working for the state or applying for a state job.
Sample Message
Dear Chair Kiffmeyer,
My name is [Insert Name] and I live in [City, State].
I am contacting you to urge you to give Senate File 1570 a hearing in the Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee.
The state of Minnesota should be a model employer. We must do more to hire and retain people with disabilities. Senate File 1570 improves the hiring and retention of Minnesotans with disabilities among our state government.
This bill ensures that Minnesotans with disabilities are better represented in our government. It creates a pipeline to advance state leaders. These leaders will use their professional and lived experiences to craft better disability-related policies.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]