1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to state government; increasing the 
  1.3             membership of the state council on Black Minnesotans; 
  1.4             amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 3.9225, 
  1.5             subdivisions 1 and 2. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 3.9225, 
  1.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [CREATION.] A state council on Black 
  1.10  Minnesotans consists of ~~11~~ 13 members appointed by the governor. 
  1.11  The members of the council must be broadly representative of the 
  1.12  Black community of the state and include at least five males and 
  1.13  at least five females.  One member of the council must be a 
  1.14  person whose ethnic heritage is from West Africa, and one member 
  1.15  of the council must be a person whose ethnic heritage is from 
  1.16  East Africa.  Membership terms, compensation, removal of 
  1.17  members, and filling of vacancies for nonlegislative members are 
  1.18  as provided in section 15.0575.  Because the council performs 
  1.19  functions that are not purely advisory, the council is not 
  1.20  subject to the expiration date in section 15.059.  Two members 
  1.21  of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker and two 
  1.22  members of the senate appointed by the subcommittee on 
  1.23  committees of the committee on rules and administration shall 
  1.24  serve as nonvoting members of the council.  The council shall 
  1.25  annually elect from its membership a chair and other officers it 
  2.1   deems necessary. 
  2.2      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 3.9225, 
  2.3   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  2.4      Subd. 2.  [DEFINITIONS.] For the purpose of this section~~,~~ 
  2.5   ~~the term~~: 
  2.6      (1) "Black" describes persons who consider themselves as 
  2.7   having origin in any of the black racial groups of Africa; 
  2.8      (2) "East Africa" means the eastern region of the continent 
  2.9   of Africa, comprising areas occupied by the countries of 
  2.10  Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Somalia; and 
  2.11     (3) "West Africa" means the western region of the continent 
  2.12  of Africa comprising areas occupied by the countries of 
  2.13  Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra 
  2.14  Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, 
  2.15  Burkina Faso, and those parts of Mali and Niger south of the 
  2.16  Sahara.