Minnesota Session Laws - 1984, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1984 

                        CHAPTER 533-H.F.No. 1950
           An act relating to discrimination; authorizing a woman 
          to use a current or former surname for purposes of 
          credit or business; prohibiting discrimination on the 
          basis of use of a current or former surname; amending 
          Minnesota Statutes 1982, section 363.03, subdivision 
          8, and by adding a subdivision; proposing new law 
          coded in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325G. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [325G.041] [MARRIED WOMAN; NAME ON CARD.] 
    If a credit card issuer has determined in the normal course 
of business that it will issue a card to a married woman, the 
card shall be issued bearing either her current or former 
surname, as the woman may direct.  
    Credit card issuers may require that a married woman 
requesting a card in a former surname open a new account in that 
name.  Refusal to issue a credit card pursuant to this section 
constitutes an unfair discriminatory practice under section 
363.03, subdivision 8.  
    Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1982, section 363.03, 
subdivision 8, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 8.  [CREDIT; SEX DISCRIMINATION.] It is an unfair 
discriminatory practice:  
    (1) to discriminate in the extension of credit to a person 
because of sex or marital status;  
    (2) for a credit card issuer to refuse to issue a credit 
card to a woman under her current or former surname unless there 
is an intent to defraud or mislead, except that a credit card 
issuer may require that a woman requesting a card under a former 
surname open a separate account in that name.  A credit card 
issuer may also require disclosure of any other names under 
which the credit card applicant may have a credit history. 
    Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1982, section 363.03, is 
amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
    Subd. 8a.  [BUSINESS; SEX DISCRIMINATION.] It is an unfair 
discriminatory practice for a person engaged in a trade or 
business or in the provision of a service to refuse to do 
business with or provide a service to a woman based on her use 
of her current or former surname.  It is an unfair 
discriminatory practice for a person to impose, as a condition 
of doing business with or providing a service to a woman, that a 
woman use her current surname rather than a former surname. 
    Approved April 25, 1984