The Governor has proclaimed Monday, October 10, as Indigenous Peoples Day. Minnesota is home to eleven tribal nations, as well as a resilient and robust urban Native American community. The area known today as the State of Minnesota is located on ancestral and contemporary lands that have been called home by the Anishinaabe and Dakota People since time immemorial. Indigenous Peoples Day is a time to recognize the atrocities committed at the hands of European settlers through genocidal violence, displacement, and forced removal of families across our nation, and the everlasting impact of boarding schools and transgenerational trauma that has rippled across Indian Country. This is a time to remember and to honor our state’s mission to respect and honor sovereignty through government-to-government relations. It is also a day to recognize the immeasurable contributions that Indigenous peoples have made to Minnesota’s history, culture, and economy.
The State of Minnesota strives to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination towards Indigenous peoples and promote practices and policies that honor Indigenous roots, history, and contributions. We recognize Indigenous peoples as contemporary peoples and remain committed to meaningful and genuine working relationships that exist within the tribal nations that share Minnesota’s geography.
I encourage you to check out the public events around the state that will honor Indigenous Peoples Day.
Cold Weather Rule Now in Effect
Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule (CWR) is a state law that protects residential utility customers from having electric or natural gas service shut off between October 1 and April 30.
To protect your service from disconnection you must make and keep a payment plan that you and your utility agree on. The utility must offer a payment plan that is reasonable for your household’s financial circumstances. You can set up a CWR payment plan any time during the CWR season. You are eligible for CWR protection even if you rent – the electricity or gas must be the primary heat source and the utility account must be in your name.
You and your utility must agree to a payment plan that is reasonable for your household. You can set up a CWR payment plan any time during the CWR season.
Call your natural gas, electric, municipal utility, or electric cooperative for more information, or contact the Commission’s Consumer Affairs Office at consumer.puc@state.mn.us or 651-296-0406, 1-800-657-3782.
More than One Million Applicants Approved for Frontline Worker Pay
1,025,655 Minnesota workers who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency and applied and met all eligibility requirements of the Frontline Worker Pay Program, will receive a payment of $487.45 beginning Wednesday, October 5.
Approved applicants who chose to receive payment via ACH direct deposit will see funds deposited within seven to 10 business days; those who chose to receive payment via debit card will be mailed their funds within three to four weeks.
Minnesota Expands Higher Education Opportunities for Students
The Minnesota Office of Higher Education launched Direct Admissions, a new program designed to promote college access. Driven by the belief that every student is “college material,” the program ensures that graduating high school students know they qualify for admission to a variety of Minnesota colleges and universities. The program also eliminates the application fee for participating colleges and universities.
Significant disparities in educational attainment exist for Minnesota's Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. Direct Admissions has potential to reduce equity gaps by providing important college-going information to high school students and eliminating the need for extensive college-going knowledge to navigate the complex college admissions process. The program aims to reduce self-selection bias and reduce equity gaps in college enrollment using three strategies:
• Connecting students, families, and schools with colleges and universities earlier, giving families time to consider their options and plan
• Easing the transition from high school to college
• Showing students that they have access to a certificate, associate degree, or bachelor's degree if they choose to further their education