Minnesota Legislature
Office of the Revisor of Statutes
2006 Minnesota Statutes
This is an historical version of this statute chapter. Also view the most recent published version.
116J.0124 PLAIN LANGUAGE IN WRITTEN MATERIALS.
(a) To the extent reasonable and consistent with the goals of providing easily understandable
and readable materials and complying with federal and state laws governing the programs, all
written materials relating to services and determinations of eligibility for or amounts of benefits
that will be given to applicants for or recipients of assistance under a program administered or
supervised by the commissioner of economic security must be understandable to a person of
average intelligence and education.
(b) All written materials relating to determinations of eligibility for or amounts of benefits
that will be given to applicants for or recipients of assistance under programs administered or
supervised by the commissioner of economic security must be developed to satisfy the plain
language requirements of the Plain Language Contract Act under sections 325G.29 to 325G.36.
Materials may be submitted to the attorney general for review and certification. Regardless of
section 325G.35, subdivision 1, the attorney general shall review submitted materials to determine
whether they comply with the requirements of section 325G.31. The remedies available pursuant
to sections 8.31 and 325G.33 to 325G.36 do not apply to these materials. Failure to comply with
this section does not provide a basis for suspending the implementation or operation of other laws
governing programs administered by the commissioner.
(c) The requirements of this section apply to all materials modified or developed by the
commissioner on or after July 1, 1988. The requirements of this section do not apply to materials
that must be submitted to a federal agency for approval, to the extent that application of the
requirements prevents federal approval.
(d) Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit a lawsuit brought to require the
commissioner to comply with this section.
History: 1988 c 689 art 2 s 220; 1994 c 483 s 1; 1995 c 259 art 1 s 41; 1996 c 339 s 4; 1997
c 7 art 1 s 104; 2001 c 175 s 52; 2004 c 206 s 52
(a) To the extent reasonable and consistent with the goals of providing easily understandable
and readable materials and complying with federal and state laws governing the programs, all
written materials relating to services and determinations of eligibility for or amounts of benefits
that will be given to applicants for or recipients of assistance under a program administered or
supervised by the commissioner of economic security must be understandable to a person of
average intelligence and education.
(b) All written materials relating to determinations of eligibility for or amounts of benefits
that will be given to applicants for or recipients of assistance under programs administered or
supervised by the commissioner of economic security must be developed to satisfy the plain
language requirements of the Plain Language Contract Act under sections 325G.29 to 325G.36.
Materials may be submitted to the attorney general for review and certification. Regardless of
section 325G.35, subdivision 1, the attorney general shall review submitted materials to determine
whether they comply with the requirements of section 325G.31. The remedies available pursuant
to sections 8.31 and 325G.33 to 325G.36 do not apply to these materials. Failure to comply with
this section does not provide a basis for suspending the implementation or operation of other laws
governing programs administered by the commissioner.
(c) The requirements of this section apply to all materials modified or developed by the
commissioner on or after July 1, 1988. The requirements of this section do not apply to materials
that must be submitted to a federal agency for approval, to the extent that application of the
requirements prevents federal approval.
(d) Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit a lawsuit brought to require the
commissioner to comply with this section.
History: 1988 c 689 art 2 s 220; 1994 c 483 s 1; 1995 c 259 art 1 s 41; 1996 c 339 s 4; 1997
c 7 art 1 s 104; 2001 c 175 s 52; 2004 c 206 s 52
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes