The Minnesota Executive Council is the council of state of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Executive Council is currently constituted under Chapter 9 of

Minnesota Statutes Minnesota Statutes are a compilation of the official laws of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Minnesota Statutes comprise only of the general and permanent laws of the state. The Office of the Revisor of Statutes publishes a complete set of statutes ...

and has been in continuous existence since 1925.

Composition

The Executive Council is composed of Minnesota's five constitutional officers: the governor, the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, the secretary of state, the

state auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

, and the

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. The governor, lieutenant governor, and the commissioner of the Department of Administration are ex officio chairperson, vice chairperson, and nonvoting executive secretary of the council, respectively. The Executive Council meets upon the call of the governor or upon the call of the executive secretary at the written request of three or more members.

Powers and duties

As the successor to the Board of Timber Commissioners, the State Board of Deposit, the State Board of Relief, and the State Land Commissioner, the Executive Council is generally charged with matters of state finance, emergency management, and administration of the state's natural resources.

State finance

The Executive Council designates banks, trust companies and credit unions as depositories for state funds and advises the commissioner of the Department of Management and Budget on the issuance of bonded debt. In addition, the council settles claims and controversies between the state of Minnesota and the United States government.

Emergency management

The Executive Council has the authority to declare, extend, amend or revoke states of emergency at the request of the governor, to request by finding that the governor relocate the legislative session in the event of imminent attack, and to take all measures necessary to prevent emergencies and natural disasters from occurring. The council may also grant property tax relief to local governments in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Natural resources

The Executive Council authorizes timber harvests on the public domain, rents state property, and sells state land. Moreover, the council selects in lieu lands from the federal government for the endowed support of public education via the Permanent School Fund and grants permits to individuals for the purposes of mineral prospecting and the drainage of certain navigable waters. However, perhaps the council's most apparent function to the public is to examine and approve leases of state lands. The council's leasing authority extends to no only upland leases for dams and submerged leases for ports and harbors, but also to mineral leases of sand, gravel, clay, rock, marl, peat, black dirt, iron ore, taconite, and all other mineral deposits underlying public lands owned by the state.

References

{{Government of Minnesota Government of Minnesota Executive branches of government