HF 653

1st Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/20/2013 05:11pm

A bill for an act
relating to open meeting law; providing that certain communications on social
media are not meetings under the law; amending Minnesota Statutes 2012,
section 13D.01, subdivision 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 13D.01, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Exceptions.

This chapter does not apply new text begin :
new text end

(1) to meetings of the commissioner of corrections;

(2) to a state agency, board, or commission when it is exercising quasi-judicial
functions involving disciplinary proceedings; deleted text begin or
deleted text end

(3) new text begin to participation in social media forums by members of a public body otherwise
subject to this chapter, so long as:
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new text begin (i) the social media forums are open to public participation;
new text end

new text begin (ii) the social media forums have been first identified by the public body at a public
meeting and a list of the identified social media forums is kept on file at the primary
offices of the public body;
new text end

new text begin (iii) participation is limited to discussion only and no decision or vote is made
or taken;
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new text begin (iv) the use of social media forums is not the sole means of deliberation by the
public body; and
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new text begin (v) participation does not take the place of any required public meeting or hearing.
"Social media" means forms of Web-based and mobile technologies for communication,
such as Web sites for social networking and microblogging, through which users participate
in online communities to share information, ideas, messages, and other content; or
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new text begin (4) new text end as otherwise expressly provided by statute.