SAINT PAUL, MN — COPAL kicked off the 2025 Legislative Session with its annual meet-and-greet event, Café y Tamales, at the Minnesota State Capitol this morning. The event brought together COPAL and Minnesota legislators to discuss COPAL’s 2025 Legislative Agenda and the issues that most impact Latine communities throughout the state.
Attendees discussed issues such as health, education, housing, immigration, environmental justice, and workers’ rights.
“The legislative agenda serves as a powerful document that captures the needs, aspirations, and dreams of our community in Minnesota,” said Ryan Pérez, Organizing Director at COPAL. “It is our roadmap for advocating change, guiding meaningful conversations with legislators about the improvements our community envisions, and the transformative actions we aim to see in the coming year.”
COPAL’s legislative priorities for 2025 include:
- North STAR Act: To protect the rights of undocumented immigrants and create safer communities across Minnesota.
- MinnesotaCare Public Option: To establish a MinnesotaCare public option, paving the way for a universal healthcare system.
- Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund Appropriation: To advance special environment and natural resource projects that better Minnesota’s environment.
- Universal FAFSA Requirement: To establish a universal FAFSA requirement that will increase access to financial aid, helping more students afford college and reducing unmet financial need.
- Constitutional Amendment for Housing: To advance a constitutional amendment that would dedicate sustainable, predictable, and ongoing funding to the housing crisis.
- Latino Center for Community Engagement (LCCE): To advance the creation of a hub to empower Minnesota’s Latine community, while revitalizing a vital space impacted during the 2020 summer protests. Learn more here.
Following the meet-and-greet, COPAL participated in the Minnesota Latino Leadership Alliance (MiLLA) press conference to present MiLLA’s 2025 Public Policy Agenda.
###
COPAL Minnesota is a member-based organization driven to improve the quality of life for Minnesota’s Latine communities. For more information, please visit www.copalmn.org.