Foung Hawj
Name: Foung Hawj
Public Office Sought: Minnesota State Senate - District 67
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651.592.3129
Campaign website: www.founghawj.com
Twitter handle: www.twitter.com/founghawj
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/teamfoung
Candidate Bio
SERVICE
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Equity, Economic Development and Social Justice, Affordable Housing
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro and what role do businesses play in supporting quality of life issues in East Metro communities?
Prior to COVID19, the business climate in the East Metro had the potential to be more vibrant. The span of East Metro has many layers of community from St. Anthony to Stillwater. Each community or neighborhood has its own characteristics. The areas with tougher challenges and disparities are St. Paul’s Frogtown, Eastside and Westside. The business corridors in these areas are predominantly immigrant owned operations. The possibility of becoming more vibrant depends on intentional investments from the city and the state as well as support and direction from our business organizations.
What role do you think the State should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to and retain existing businesses in the East Metro?
During Covid-19 the first financial steps by the state were towards assisting the retention and recovery of businesses and workers harmed. The immigrant populated communities were not included in very much of the covid relief funding by the state, city and county though the state was able to pass micro business relief directed to minority business categories, and cultural mall assistance during the first special system. Disparities in resource distribution due to language barriers, not being a part of a lending network, and not having experience in maneuvering through the bureaucracy. The state does have a role and indeed an obligation to be constantly recruiting and incentivize businesses to our state and the east metro creating good paying jobs that one can raise a family with. The fact it is mid July and there has not been Capital Investment bill passed and work underway is a further detriment to infrastructure jobs in Minnesota. Minnesota must continue to build upon its core economic development engines; the Minnesota Investment Fund, the Job Creation Fund and the Angel Tax Credit (restored in 2019). Minnesota has many corporate partners which continue to serve as accelerators spinning off midsize and small businesses with their many good paying jobs. Minnesota’s workplace with bounce back from Covid-19 shutdowns. I am optimistic for Minnesota businesses and jobs. Our high labor force participation rate, rising wage and income growth and capacity for available venture capital and loans to small business capacity will fuel a bounce back. I believe DEED will be on top of it. Having said that, I caution that the growing immigrant and refugee community is going to need guidance and resources if we are to keep these communities intact.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals (such as minimum wage, sick time, or mandatory scheduling notice)? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of an ordinance on the many types of businesses in the east metro and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Yes, I am well connected with the small businesses and enterprises in my district and continue to reach out to hear their concerns on employment related proposals. Most support issues of minimum wage (living wage) and sick time/paid leave. Mandatory/Predictive Scheduling is a discussion we need to continue. In the east metro we continue to have a high percentage of hourly wage earners who are the main wage earners in their family unit.. For a worker to know his/her schedule in advance and know that the hours committed to by the employer brings some additional assurance he/she will have enough paycheck at the end of the month to cover. It is fairness and would modernize employment. There was the Fair Scheduling Act of 2015 in the Minnesota Legislature. Though it didn’t pass, I would like to see this conversation come back as a fair construct between employers, workers and families. Workers, especially with language barriers, are subject to being taken advantage of.
What is your strategy to address public safety, transportation, and housing issues?
All three are critical for the well being of our communities. I have, along with the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus (POCI) been working for transformational change to public safety. The people of the East Side, St. Paul and the state deserve to feel safe. In current legislation, I was able to pass amendments requiring peace officers to have mental health training and autism training. My colleagues and I were able to add two additional citizen POST Board members to be appointed by the Governor. Words matter and I want to state clearly, I do not support defunding law enforcement. A safe community needs law enforcement and I will work for a community based model for peace officers.. My colleagues and I hope to bring additional measures, continuing our fight for racial justice, systemic change and accountability.
The Affordable Housing shortage on the East Side, in St. Paul and throughout the state is an imposing challenge for the state especially as we face a future ending of the Governor’s Peacetime Emergency when foreclosures and evictions begin again. There is very little affordable housing stock. While there is going to be some affordable housing money in a second special session bill, it will not be enough to keep up with national, regional and local demand. On the East Side I support a combination of new development by East Side based developers combined with repurposing existing home structures within the communities. We need a plan for the community wide needs. I am very supportive of the Governor using $100 m from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, authorized by the CARES Act though this will only offset some of the short-term need and is not a long term resolution of present and future affordable housing need.
What are your priorities for the State’s budget? Are there any services currently provided by the State that you believe should be expanded, cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
If there ever was a time for a robust Capital Investment (bonding) bill, now is the time. Interest rates are the lowest they have been in at least a generation and Minnesota should take advantage of this. We have identified over $5 b in infrastructure through out Minnesota. As I write this it appears we may have agreement on about $1.8 b (1.35 in general obligation bonds) so it is a start. I believe the legislature will need a Capital Investment bill for each of the next 4 years. I believe we need a series of relief packages targeted to certain industry, business and communities left out of the federal and state programs to date. DEED has every capability in identifying same. Our schools are currently underfunded and often are left behind when the state is in a financial downturn and we can not let this happen this time. Our future economy continues to count on a very educated and skilled workforce. I am confident state leaders will take steps to protect our bond rating which impacts future bonding opportunities. I am always supportive of reviewing the need and capacity for further service sharing between state and local governments but will not support or tolerate efforts to cut services for the poor, the needy and our schools. If we can become more efficient while delivering a high quality result then by all means let us look at it. Sadly, too many times in the past, sharing services has meant cutting services and I will not stand for that. I would like to see the extension of the federal Covid unemployment insurance enhancement and another round of federal grants and forgivable loans to medium, small and micro businesses targeted toward those businesses left out of relief. No more PPP should go to publicly traded corporations. In this next round of federal funding there must be funding for state, county and municipal governments. I also call on FEMA to contribute to the rebuilding of the areas impacted in the protests post the George Floyd killing.
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
I believe the best ways to expand the districts tax base is to attract and invest in bringing new businesses into the area, investing in expansion of existing businesses, bringing the average wage level up to a living wage and I would like to see a pipeline built from the East Side into the Building Trades which would mean more workers working at prevailing wages. The combination of these efforts would result in a higher property tax base as our Eastsiders invest back into the community. We must properly fund our public schools to assure we are graduating a workforce ready for post secondary education opportunities and training for high skilled job opportunities. I would like to have us bring more summer program apprentice opportunities to our high school students so their post high school opportunities are more seamless.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
First, we need to properly invest in our schools. Student to teacher ratio is too large for excellence in learning. The East Side is very diverse so investing in our students with more teachers who look like them is of primary importance. We have far too many students living under the hardship of poverty or near poverty. Our student bodies will reflect the general population and no one learns well on a hungry stomach. Technology. While we live in the most functional technological era ever, too many students are still without access to technology and are in households where parents and grandparents are limited in their access and knowledge of technology. Especially in this time of Covid, it is a disadvantaged student who does not have access to online learning skills. I believe the area colleges and universities have a tremendous opportunity to immerse students, faculty, influence and funders into the discussion on what needs to be done for the East Side. Metro State University has been a good collaborator. The bottom-line is we need to determine the funding levels the area schools require to operate and teach at the very highest level and design the path to get there.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
Women and minorities represent the growth in our state. They are increasingly harnessing the energy and growth in owning businesses, big and small. We must be in the present while at the same time casting our eyes to the future and what our economy will look like twenty years from now, or more. It is of course in Minnesota’s very best interest to foster and support the successful development of these businesses owners and startups. Minnesota was one of the few states in the nation to have a net-positive migrant growth in population in 2018 and 2019. With DEED at the center of it all, we need to include women and minority businesses in applying the state’s main economic drivers and development tools, the MN Investment Fund, the Job Creation Fund and Angel Tax Fund. We must support venture capital funds like the Sophia Fund which invests in high growth women-led companies, and other collaborative Funds such as MN Cup and the Itasca Project. Minnesota has earned its reputation as the “headquarters” economy spinning off mid sized and small businesses. We did it before Covid-19 and we can do it after but should sharpen our attention to supporting growth in women, veteran and minority owned businesses.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The large corporations have resources and access to capital to find ways to recover, and many have received aid from the federal government and the state of Minnesota. Small businesses, especially the microbusinesses, "mom and pop" and minority and women owned, have not had access to this aid except for a small package of aid in the first special session. That package was not nearly sufficient. Additional assistance in the form of grants and forgivable loans to microbusiness will be needed to help them recover. The relief packages thus far did not take into account many/most of these micro mom and pop businesses do not belong to a lending network as they started their businesses with hard earned cash and lived within their cashflow. So, they go to the back of the line and when you add in language barriers and lack of experience traversing the modern bureaucracy, they are missed. As important as money is, we need to develop capacity within these communities to respond and compete. I would like to see the state, cities and counties take this on. We know the roadblock is there, let’s take it down together.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
During Covid-19 and post Covid, when is realized, is a time when we must all come together, recognize the impacts on our families, schools, communications, businesses and institutions and commit with a declaration that we each are all in on listening and learning what our next best steps as a community are then roll up our sleeves and make it so. The optimism in me says we will come back, after a time, better and stronger. I make this commitment as an individual and as a public official. I invite you to do so as well. Thank you.
Public Office Sought: Minnesota State Senate - District 67
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651.592.3129
Campaign website: www.founghawj.com
Twitter handle: www.twitter.com/founghawj
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/teamfoung
Candidate Bio
SERVICE
- 8 Years serving as State Senator of District 67 (2013-present)
- Steering Committee, Gateway Food Initiative Coop 2011-2013
- Watershed Advisory Committee 2011-2013
- Board member, St. Paul’s District 2 Council 2004-2010
- Vice-president, Lake Phalen Townhome Association - served 2 terms
- Helped refugees in Thailand through UNHCR 1996
- Co-founder of Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce 1996
- State Legislative Leaders Foundation: Emerging Leaders Program 2015
- BILLD Fellowship 2014
- Snow and Ice Control Best Practices Certificate from MPCA 2012
- Department of Agriculture's Merit for Engaging Urban America 2011
- Confined Space Training 2009 • Bush Leadership Fellows 1998
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Equity, Economic Development and Social Justice, Affordable Housing
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro and what role do businesses play in supporting quality of life issues in East Metro communities?
Prior to COVID19, the business climate in the East Metro had the potential to be more vibrant. The span of East Metro has many layers of community from St. Anthony to Stillwater. Each community or neighborhood has its own characteristics. The areas with tougher challenges and disparities are St. Paul’s Frogtown, Eastside and Westside. The business corridors in these areas are predominantly immigrant owned operations. The possibility of becoming more vibrant depends on intentional investments from the city and the state as well as support and direction from our business organizations.
What role do you think the State should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to and retain existing businesses in the East Metro?
During Covid-19 the first financial steps by the state were towards assisting the retention and recovery of businesses and workers harmed. The immigrant populated communities were not included in very much of the covid relief funding by the state, city and county though the state was able to pass micro business relief directed to minority business categories, and cultural mall assistance during the first special system. Disparities in resource distribution due to language barriers, not being a part of a lending network, and not having experience in maneuvering through the bureaucracy. The state does have a role and indeed an obligation to be constantly recruiting and incentivize businesses to our state and the east metro creating good paying jobs that one can raise a family with. The fact it is mid July and there has not been Capital Investment bill passed and work underway is a further detriment to infrastructure jobs in Minnesota. Minnesota must continue to build upon its core economic development engines; the Minnesota Investment Fund, the Job Creation Fund and the Angel Tax Credit (restored in 2019). Minnesota has many corporate partners which continue to serve as accelerators spinning off midsize and small businesses with their many good paying jobs. Minnesota’s workplace with bounce back from Covid-19 shutdowns. I am optimistic for Minnesota businesses and jobs. Our high labor force participation rate, rising wage and income growth and capacity for available venture capital and loans to small business capacity will fuel a bounce back. I believe DEED will be on top of it. Having said that, I caution that the growing immigrant and refugee community is going to need guidance and resources if we are to keep these communities intact.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals (such as minimum wage, sick time, or mandatory scheduling notice)? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of an ordinance on the many types of businesses in the east metro and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Yes, I am well connected with the small businesses and enterprises in my district and continue to reach out to hear their concerns on employment related proposals. Most support issues of minimum wage (living wage) and sick time/paid leave. Mandatory/Predictive Scheduling is a discussion we need to continue. In the east metro we continue to have a high percentage of hourly wage earners who are the main wage earners in their family unit.. For a worker to know his/her schedule in advance and know that the hours committed to by the employer brings some additional assurance he/she will have enough paycheck at the end of the month to cover. It is fairness and would modernize employment. There was the Fair Scheduling Act of 2015 in the Minnesota Legislature. Though it didn’t pass, I would like to see this conversation come back as a fair construct between employers, workers and families. Workers, especially with language barriers, are subject to being taken advantage of.
What is your strategy to address public safety, transportation, and housing issues?
All three are critical for the well being of our communities. I have, along with the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus (POCI) been working for transformational change to public safety. The people of the East Side, St. Paul and the state deserve to feel safe. In current legislation, I was able to pass amendments requiring peace officers to have mental health training and autism training. My colleagues and I were able to add two additional citizen POST Board members to be appointed by the Governor. Words matter and I want to state clearly, I do not support defunding law enforcement. A safe community needs law enforcement and I will work for a community based model for peace officers.. My colleagues and I hope to bring additional measures, continuing our fight for racial justice, systemic change and accountability.
The Affordable Housing shortage on the East Side, in St. Paul and throughout the state is an imposing challenge for the state especially as we face a future ending of the Governor’s Peacetime Emergency when foreclosures and evictions begin again. There is very little affordable housing stock. While there is going to be some affordable housing money in a second special session bill, it will not be enough to keep up with national, regional and local demand. On the East Side I support a combination of new development by East Side based developers combined with repurposing existing home structures within the communities. We need a plan for the community wide needs. I am very supportive of the Governor using $100 m from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, authorized by the CARES Act though this will only offset some of the short-term need and is not a long term resolution of present and future affordable housing need.
What are your priorities for the State’s budget? Are there any services currently provided by the State that you believe should be expanded, cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
If there ever was a time for a robust Capital Investment (bonding) bill, now is the time. Interest rates are the lowest they have been in at least a generation and Minnesota should take advantage of this. We have identified over $5 b in infrastructure through out Minnesota. As I write this it appears we may have agreement on about $1.8 b (1.35 in general obligation bonds) so it is a start. I believe the legislature will need a Capital Investment bill for each of the next 4 years. I believe we need a series of relief packages targeted to certain industry, business and communities left out of the federal and state programs to date. DEED has every capability in identifying same. Our schools are currently underfunded and often are left behind when the state is in a financial downturn and we can not let this happen this time. Our future economy continues to count on a very educated and skilled workforce. I am confident state leaders will take steps to protect our bond rating which impacts future bonding opportunities. I am always supportive of reviewing the need and capacity for further service sharing between state and local governments but will not support or tolerate efforts to cut services for the poor, the needy and our schools. If we can become more efficient while delivering a high quality result then by all means let us look at it. Sadly, too many times in the past, sharing services has meant cutting services and I will not stand for that. I would like to see the extension of the federal Covid unemployment insurance enhancement and another round of federal grants and forgivable loans to medium, small and micro businesses targeted toward those businesses left out of relief. No more PPP should go to publicly traded corporations. In this next round of federal funding there must be funding for state, county and municipal governments. I also call on FEMA to contribute to the rebuilding of the areas impacted in the protests post the George Floyd killing.
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
I believe the best ways to expand the districts tax base is to attract and invest in bringing new businesses into the area, investing in expansion of existing businesses, bringing the average wage level up to a living wage and I would like to see a pipeline built from the East Side into the Building Trades which would mean more workers working at prevailing wages. The combination of these efforts would result in a higher property tax base as our Eastsiders invest back into the community. We must properly fund our public schools to assure we are graduating a workforce ready for post secondary education opportunities and training for high skilled job opportunities. I would like to have us bring more summer program apprentice opportunities to our high school students so their post high school opportunities are more seamless.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
First, we need to properly invest in our schools. Student to teacher ratio is too large for excellence in learning. The East Side is very diverse so investing in our students with more teachers who look like them is of primary importance. We have far too many students living under the hardship of poverty or near poverty. Our student bodies will reflect the general population and no one learns well on a hungry stomach. Technology. While we live in the most functional technological era ever, too many students are still without access to technology and are in households where parents and grandparents are limited in their access and knowledge of technology. Especially in this time of Covid, it is a disadvantaged student who does not have access to online learning skills. I believe the area colleges and universities have a tremendous opportunity to immerse students, faculty, influence and funders into the discussion on what needs to be done for the East Side. Metro State University has been a good collaborator. The bottom-line is we need to determine the funding levels the area schools require to operate and teach at the very highest level and design the path to get there.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
Women and minorities represent the growth in our state. They are increasingly harnessing the energy and growth in owning businesses, big and small. We must be in the present while at the same time casting our eyes to the future and what our economy will look like twenty years from now, or more. It is of course in Minnesota’s very best interest to foster and support the successful development of these businesses owners and startups. Minnesota was one of the few states in the nation to have a net-positive migrant growth in population in 2018 and 2019. With DEED at the center of it all, we need to include women and minority businesses in applying the state’s main economic drivers and development tools, the MN Investment Fund, the Job Creation Fund and Angel Tax Fund. We must support venture capital funds like the Sophia Fund which invests in high growth women-led companies, and other collaborative Funds such as MN Cup and the Itasca Project. Minnesota has earned its reputation as the “headquarters” economy spinning off mid sized and small businesses. We did it before Covid-19 and we can do it after but should sharpen our attention to supporting growth in women, veteran and minority owned businesses.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The large corporations have resources and access to capital to find ways to recover, and many have received aid from the federal government and the state of Minnesota. Small businesses, especially the microbusinesses, "mom and pop" and minority and women owned, have not had access to this aid except for a small package of aid in the first special session. That package was not nearly sufficient. Additional assistance in the form of grants and forgivable loans to microbusiness will be needed to help them recover. The relief packages thus far did not take into account many/most of these micro mom and pop businesses do not belong to a lending network as they started their businesses with hard earned cash and lived within their cashflow. So, they go to the back of the line and when you add in language barriers and lack of experience traversing the modern bureaucracy, they are missed. As important as money is, we need to develop capacity within these communities to respond and compete. I would like to see the state, cities and counties take this on. We know the roadblock is there, let’s take it down together.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
During Covid-19 and post Covid, when is realized, is a time when we must all come together, recognize the impacts on our families, schools, communications, businesses and institutions and commit with a declaration that we each are all in on listening and learning what our next best steps as a community are then roll up our sleeves and make it so. The optimism in me says we will come back, after a time, better and stronger. I make this commitment as an individual and as a public official. I invite you to do so as well. Thank you.