SF 577

1st Engrossment - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 06/06/2012 11:56am

A bill for an act
relating to education; prohibiting public school employees from using public
funds and resources to advocate to pass, elect, or defeat a political candidate,
ballot question, or pending legislation; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 123B.

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

Section 1.

[123B.022] PROHIBITIONS ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES BY
PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES.

Local school boards shall develop and implement policies to ensure that publicly
funded resources, including, but not limited to, time, materials, equipment, facilities, and
e-mail and other forms of technology used to communicate are not used or authorized
for use by public employees to:

(1) advocate the election or defeat of any candidate for elective office;

(2) advocate the passage or defeat of any referendum question; or

(3) solicit funds for political purposes.

The policy also must define appropriate use and times of use of all computers at a
school site with Internet access available for employee use.

Such policies shall not prohibit the use of public funds for disseminating factual
information about a proposition appearing on a local ballot, if such information is factual
and does not advocate for or against the proposition.

All school districts must make these policies readily accessible to the public.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective six months following final enactment.