1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to crime; providing for the crime of hiding identity at a public 
1.3 	demonstration;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 609.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. [609.736] HIDING IDENTITY AT PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS.
1.6 	(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to disguise, by a mask or otherwise unless based 
1.7 	on religious beliefs, that person's face while at a public demonstration. For the purposes of 
1.8 	this section, "public demonstration" means any prearranged gathering of three or more 
1.9 	persons for the purpose of exercising their right to free speech.
1.10 	(b) If the official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather 
1.11 	forecast for the time and location of the demonstration is for temperatures below zero degrees 
1.12 	Fahrenheit, paragraph (a) only applies to persons who engage in unprovoked violence against 
1.13 	a person or object.
1.14 	(c) A violation of paragraph (a) is a gross misdemeanor. A violation of this section is 
1.15 	not a bar to prosecution for any other crime or offense.

1.16 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2017, and applies to crimes 
1.17 	committed on or after that date.