1997 Minnesota Statutes

     181.932 Disclosure of information by employees. 

    Subdivision 1.    Prohibited action.  An employer shall 
 not discharge, discipline, threaten, otherwise discriminate 
 against, or penalize an employee regarding the employee's 
 compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of 
 employment because: 

    (a) the employee, or a person acting on behalf of an 
 employee, in good faith, reports a violation or suspected 
 violation of any federal or state law or rule adopted pursuant 
 to law to an employer or to any governmental body or law 
 enforcement official; 

    (b) the employee is requested by a public body or office to 
 participate in an investigation, hearing, inquiry; 

    (c) the employee refuses an employer's order to perform an 
 action that the employee has an objective basis in fact to 
 believe violates any state or federal law or rule or regulation 
 adopted pursuant to law, and the employee informs the employer 
 that the order is being refused for that reason; or 

    (d) the employee, in good faith, reports a situation in 
 which the quality of health care services provided by a health 
 care facility, organization, or health care provider violates a 
 standard established by federal or state law or a professionally 
 recognized national clinical or ethical standard and potentially 
 places the public at risk of harm. 

    Subd. 2.    Disclosure of identity.  No public official 
 or law enforcement official shall disclose, or cause to 
 disclose, the identity of any employee making a report or 
 providing information under subdivision 1 without the employee's 
 consent unless the investigator determines that disclosure is 
 necessary for prosecution.  If the disclosure is necessary for 
 prosecution, the employee shall be informed prior to the 
 disclosure. 

    Subd. 3.    False disclosures.  This section does not 
 permit an employee to make statements or disclosures knowing 
 that they are false or that they are in reckless disregard of 
 the truth. 

    Subd. 4.    Collective bargaining rights.  This section 
 does not diminish or impair the rights of a person under any 
 collective bargaining agreement. 

    Subd. 5.    Confidential information.  This section does 
 not permit disclosures that would violate federal or state law 
 or diminish or impair the rights of any person to the continued 
 protection of confidentiality of communications provided by 
 common law. 

    HIST: 1987 c 76 s 2; 1988 c 659 s 2; 1997 c 237 s 16