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Minnesota Agencies

Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Planning Agency

Also known as:
State Planning Agency
State Health Planning and Development Agency
Active dates:1965-1991
Function:

In order that the state benefit from an integrated program for the development and effective employment of its resources, and in order to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of its citizens, it is in the public interest that a department be created in the executive branch to engage in a program of comprehensive statewide planning. The department shall act as a directing, advisory, consulting, and coordinating agency to harmonize activities at all levels of government.

The state planning officer shall:
(1) Review current programming and future planning of all state departments and agencies.
(2) Report regularly and on or before January 15 of each odd numbered year to the legislature, reviewing in each report the state planning program, and the progress and development thereof.

History:

According to a 2003 Star Tribune article, "the department has been subject to intense political scrutiny from its beginning in 1965 under Gov. Karl Rolvaag. But, despite almost annual attempts by both Republicans and DFLers to kill the department, it has had a Rasputin-like penchant for survival. The Legislature tried to abolish it in the 1980s under Gov. Rudy Perpich, who was accused of using the department to build intelligence on his opponents and to employ supporters who had outlived their usefulness. The House and Senate made another attempt to abolish it in the '90s under Gov. Arne Carlson, who resurrected it under a different name."

In 1976, the Planning Agency was designated as the official State Health Planning and Development Agency for Minnesota, as required by federal Public Law 93-641.

The 1983 Minnesota Legislature authorized the recreation of an independent State Planning Agency. A separate agency was one of the key recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Long Range Planning, charired by Earl D. Craig, Jr. The Task Force recommended in early 1983 that an independent agency could best provide the central focus for policy development in the Administration, through close ties with the Governor's Office. One of the first decisions concerning the agency's activities was to transfer the grant-making function to the new Department of Energy and Economic Development (DEED).

Agency heads:

Director; term, 4 years or pleasure of governor

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
Agency Chronology, 1965-1985, [1985].
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 1974-2011.
Record last updated: 02/16/2024
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

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