1st Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 05/12/2014 06:11pm
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:
Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 13D.01, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
new text begin(a) new text endThis chapter does not applynew 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 beginor
deleted text end
(3) new text beginto participation in social media forums by members of a public body otherwise
subject to this chapter, so long as:
new text end
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 and publicly posted
at the primary offices and on the official Web site if one exists 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;
new text end
new text begin
(iv) the use of social media forums is not the sole or primary means of deliberation
by the public body; and
new text end
new text begin
(v) participation does not take the place of any required public meeting or hearing; or
new text end
new text begin (4) new text endas otherwise expressly provided by statute.
new text begin
(b) For purposes of this subdivision, "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.
new text end