SF 3834

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 03/26/2026 09:06 a.m.

A bill for an act
relating to data privacy; expanding personal information protections for judicial
officials to state legislators; creating a legislative task force to study personal
information protections for government officials; requiring a report; appropriating
money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, sections 480.40,
subdivision 1; 480.45, subdivision 2.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 480.40, subdivision 1, is amended
to read:

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section and section 480.45, the
following terms have the meanings given.

(b) deleted text begin "Judicial official" deleted text end new text begin "Covered official" new text end means:

(1) every Minnesota district court judge, senior judge, retired judge, and every judge of
the Minnesota Court of Appeals and every active, senior, recalled, or retired federal judge
who resides in Minnesota;

(2) a current or retired justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court;

(3) employees of the Minnesota judicial branch;

(4) judicial referees and magistrate judges; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(5) current and retired judges and current employees of the Office of Administrative
Hearings, Department of Human Services Appeals Division, Workers' Compensation Court
of Appeals, and Tax Court new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (6) a current or former member of the Minnesota legislature new text end .

(c) "Personal information" does not include publicly available information. Personal
information means:

(1) a residential address of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official;

(2) a residential address of the spouse, domestic partner, or children of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end
official;

(3) a deleted text begin nonjudicial branch issued deleted text end new text begin personal new text end telephone number or email address of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin
covered new text end official;

(4) the name of any child of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official; and

(5) the name of any child care facility or school that is attended by a child of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin
covered new text end official if combined with an assertion that the named facility or school is attended
by the child of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official.

(d) "Publicly available information" means information that is lawfully made available
through federal, state, or local government records or information that a business has a
reasonable basis to believe is lawfully made available to the general public through widely
distributed media, by a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official, or by a person to whom the deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end
official has disclosed the information, unless the deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official has restricted the
information to a specific audience.

(e) "Law enforcement support organizations" do not include charitable organizations.

(f) "Real property records" has the meaning given in section 480.50, subdivision 1,
paragraph (f).

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 480.45, subdivision 2, is amended
to read:

Subd. 2.

Removal of personal information; exception.

(a) Upon receipt of an affidavit
requesting removal of the personal information of a deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official that meets the
requirements of subdivision 1, the person, business, association, or government entity shall
remove the publicly posted personal information within 30 days. If the person, business,
association, or government entity fails to remove the publicly posted personal information
within 30 days after an affidavit is submitted, the deleted text begin judicial deleted text end new text begin covered new text end official may file a civil
action in a court of competent jurisdiction seeking a court order compelling compliance,
including injunctive and declarative relief.

(b) Paragraph (a) shall not apply to personal information contained in real property
records, as defined in section 480.50, subdivision 1, paragraph (f), when disseminated
directly by a government entity or when publicly posted or published in a manner required
by statute.

Sec. 3. new text begin LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL PRIVACY
PROTECTIONS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Task force established. new text end

new text begin A government official privacy protection task
force is established within the legislative branch to analyze the need for expanded protection
of the personal information and privacy of Minnesota government officials and explore
options for efficiently and effectively administering such protections.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Membership. new text end

new text begin (a) The government official privacy protection task force consists
of 12 members, including:
new text end

new text begin (1) the eight members of the Legislative Commission on Data Practices and Personal
Data Privacy;
new text end

new text begin (2) one person appointed by the secretary of state;
new text end

new text begin (3) one person appointed by the commissioner of administration;
new text end

new text begin (4) one person appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court; and
new text end

new text begin (5) the president of the Minnesota Association of County Officers, or a designee thereof.
new text end

new text begin (b) Each appointing authority must appoint task force members no later than August 1,
2026.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Duties. new text end

new text begin The task force must analyze and evaluate:
new text end

new text begin (1) the need for changing the personal information protections currently available to
government officials under law;
new text end

new text begin (2) the need for changing what government officials qualify for those protections;
new text end

new text begin (3) options for effectively and efficiently administering current protections as well as
any proposed expanded protections; and
new text end

new text begin (4) other issues the task force considers relevant to protection of the personal information
and privacy of Minnesota government officials.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Meetings, administration, and compensation. new text end

new text begin (a) The task force shall elect
a chair and vice-chair and may elect other officers as necessary.
new text end

new text begin (b) The chair of the Legislative Commission on Data Practices shall convene the first
meeting of the task force no later than August 1, 2026. The Legislative Commission on
Data Practices shall provide meeting space and administrative assistance as necessary for
the task force to conduct its work.
new text end

new text begin (c) The task force shall meet at least monthly or upon the call of the chair. The task force
shall meet sufficiently enough to accomplish the tasks identified in this section. Meetings
of the task force are subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 3.055.
new text end

new text begin (d) Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 3, governs compensation of the
members of the task force.
new text end

new text begin (e) Members of the task force serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority or until
the task force expires. Vacancies shall be filled by the appointing authority consistent with
the qualifications of the vacating member required by this subdivision.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Report required. new text end

new text begin The task force must issue a report to the chairs and ranking
minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over data practices by
January 15, 2027, discussing the task force's conclusions, including any recommended
changes to state laws. The report must be prepared and filed consistent with the requirements
of Minnesota Statutes, section 3.195.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin The task force expires January 15, 2027, or the day following the
issuance of the report required under subdivision 5, whichever occurs first.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATION; LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.
new text end

new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the Legislative
Coordinating Commission for the legislative task force on government official privacy
protections established in section 3. This appropriation does not cancel, but is available
until January 15, 2027, or until the expiration of the task force, whichever occurs first. This
is a onetime appropriation.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin REVISOR INSTRUCTION.
new text end

new text begin (a) The revisor of statutes shall substitute the term "covered official" for "judicial official"
in Minnesota Statutes, sections 13.991, 480.40 to 480.50, and 609.476, as amended by Laws
2025, chapter 35, article 9, sections 6 and 10 to 13, when referring to those individuals
whose personal information is protected by those sections. The revisor shall also make
grammatical changes related to the changes in terms.
new text end

new text begin (b) In Minnesota Statutes, the revisor of statutes shall renumber as chapter 10B the
personal information protection laws that are currently coded as Minnesota Statutes, sections
480.40 to 480.50, and shall appropriately revise any statutory cross-references consistent
with that recoding.
new text end