Mee Moua ( RPA: Qaav Ruom, born June 30, 1969 in Xieng Khouang,

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

), is an American politician, and is the former president and executive director of the

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

-AAJC (Advancing Justice-AAJC) She served as the vice president for strategic impact initiatives at the Asian & Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) from 2011–12, and as a member of the Minnesota state senate from 2002-11. On February 3, 2017, Moua announced her departure from AAJC to "spend more time with her family, for her children and their future, and being the right kind of mom for them."

Early life and education

Moua's father was a

medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. At the end of the war, her family fled to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

when Moua was five years old. In 1978 her family, along with other

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s, moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Moua graduated from

Xavier High School A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

in 1988. Moua obtained an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

degree from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in public policy from the

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs (or LBJ School of Public Affairs) is a graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin that was founded in 1970 to offer training in public policy analysis and administration for students that ar ...

at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent Law ...

Minnesota State Senate

Moua was the first

Hmong American Hmong Americans ( RPA: ''Hmoob Mes Kas'', Pahawh Hmong: "") are Americans of Hmong ancestry. Many Hmong Americans immigrated to the United States as refugees in the late 1970s. Over half of the Hmong population from Laos left the country, or a ...

woman elected to a state legislature, where she served as a member of the

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

. She represented District 67 in the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

, which includes portions of the city of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

in Ramsey County, which is in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

metropolitan area. On May 16, 2010, she announced that she would not run for a third term. Moua chaired the Judiciary Committee and held the highest office of any Hmong American politician. She also served on the senate's Taxes and Transportation committees, and was a member of the Finance subcommittee for the Public Safety Budget Division and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Data Practices, and of the Taxes Subcommittee for the Property Tax Division. Moua was first elected with 60 percent of the vote in a special election held on January 29, 2002. She succeeded Senator

Randy Kelly Randy Cameron Kelly (born August 2, 1950) is an American politician and the former mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Born in the small town of Rolette, North Dakota, Kelly and his family ...

, who resigned after being elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Saint Paul. She was re-elected in November 2002 and, again, in November 2006. In May 2010, Moua announced that she would not seek re-election. She said "My decision not to run was about my children and their future, and being the right kind of mom for them."

Campaign finance

In 2002, Moua spent $45,852 on her campaign, including $11,200 in campaign

matching funds Matching funds are funds that are set to be paid in proportion to funds available from other sources. Matching fund payments usually arise in situations of charity or public good. The terms cost sharing, in-kind, and matching can be used interc ...

. Her opponent in the 2002 race for MN Senate district 67, David Racer (R), received matching funds in the amount of $7,706. In order to receive matching funds a candidate must also raise a specified amount in individual contributions and agree to campaign spending limits. Moua received individual donor contributions in the amount of $21,599 in 2006. In 2006 she only had a single donor who contributed the $500 maximum under Minnesota campaign finance laws. The majority, $18,899 of her $21,599 in individual contributions, were from individual contributors donating $100 or less. She received matching funds in the amount of $15,794. Her Republican challenger, Richard Mulkern, received $9,982 in matching funds.

Per diem criticism

In 2008, Minnesota public records indicated that Moua claimed $21,954 in per diem, the most of any senator, and effectively increased her compensation by 71 percent. In response to Moua leading the senate with her per diem claims, Republican Senator

Dick Day Richard Day (born March 9, 1937) in American politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 26, which includes portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties in the sout ...

stated "I don't know how someone like Sen. Moua who lives a few miles from the Capitol can justify to her constituents spending taxpayer dollars so recklessly." A study looking at per diem claims from 2009–10, Moua topped the list at $35,136. Also in 2010, CBS News noted that Moua as the top per diem taker.

Personal

She is married to Yee Chang, with whom she has three children.

References

External links

Election of Mee Moua to the Minnesota Senate, 2002 in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia

Senator Moua Web Page

Mpls-St. Paul Magazine Article: Mee Moua in the Age of Obama (February 2009)

Minnesota Public Radio: New senator makes history (January 30, 2002)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moua, Mee 1969 births Living people Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota American politicians of Hmong descent Asian-American people in Minnesota politics Brown University alumni Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Women state legislators in Minnesota University of Minnesota Law School alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Xiangkhouang province Laotian emigrants to the United States Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs alumni Xavier High School (Appleton, Wisconsin) alumni Hmong American