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Esperanza United is thrilled to announce that House File 4417 was set over for consideration in the omnibus bill by the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee in the House of Representatives.
HF4417 and its companion Senate File 4258 will create a task force to help Minnesotans better understand the root causes of violence impacting Latina women, including queer Latines, raise awareness about the problem, and support better coordination of state-wide responses. HF4417/ SF4258 builds upon previous initiatives to investigate missing and murdered women and girls in African American and Indigenous communities, expanding those efforts to include more prevention and address the unique needs of Latina survivors.
HF 4417 is the result of years of work led by Esperanza United to mobilize Latinas and their communities to end gender-based violence and push for greater investments and attention to its prevention.
Gender-based violence is deadly in Minnesota. According to the 2022 Status of Women and Girls in Minnesota report, at least 21 Minnesotans were killed by a current or former partner in 2019 alone. As a state, we need to invest in stopping this violence and part of that is better understanding how it affects the fastest-growing minority in Minnesota. Survivors from traditionally marginalized communities deserve access to and rely on culturally specific community-based organizations to provide violence prevention and intervention services that meet their unique needs.
Esperanza United, the Latina survivors they serve, and the communities in which they live, work, and play applaud the direction taken by the House of Representatives, led by Representative Alicia “Liish” Kozlowski and House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee Chair Kelly Moller. The Minnesota Senate should support and pass SF4258, authored by Senator Alice Mann.
For more information and documents from the hearing visit the House committee webpage.
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