Subdivision 1. Creation.
Each ombudsperson shall operate independently from but in collaboration with the community-specific board that appointed the ombudsperson under section 257.0768 : the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, and the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.
Subd. 2. Selection; qualifications.
The ombudsperson for each community shall be selected by the applicable community-specific board established in section 257.0768 . Each ombudsperson serves in the unclassified service at the pleasure of the community-specific board and may be removed only for just cause. Each ombudsperson must be selected without regard to political affiliation, and shall be a person highly competent and qualified to analyze questions of law, administration, and public policy regarding the protection and placement of children from families of color. In addition, the ombudsperson must be experienced in dealing with communities of color and knowledgeable about the needs of those communities. No individual may serve as ombudsperson while holding any other public office.
Subd. 3. Appropriation.
Money appropriated for each ombudsperson from the general fund or the special fund authorized by section 256.01, subdivision 2 , paragraph (o), is under the control of each ombudsperson for which it is appropriated.