This bill, S.F. No. 2089, proposes amendments to Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 13.04, subdivision 4, concerning the process by which individuals can contest the accuracy or completeness of public or private data about themselves.

Key Changes:

1. Process for Contesting Data Accuracy:

   • Individuals can contest the accuracy or completeness of their data by submitting a written request to the responsible government authority.
   • The government entity must respond within 30 days by either:
     1. Correcting the inaccurate or incomplete data and notifying past recipients.
     2. Informing the individual that the data is accurate and providing information on the right to appeal.

2. Appealing a Decision:

   • If the data is deemed accurate by the government authority, individuals can appeal the decision to the commissioner within 60 days.
   • The commissioner will attempt to resolve the dispute through education, conference, conciliation, or mediation before issuing an order or scheduling a hearing.
   • If informal resolution fails, the commissioner can dismiss the appeal or escalate it to a contested case hearing.

3. Grounds for Dismissing an Appeal:

   • The commissioner can dismiss an appeal if:
     1. It is not filed within the required timeline.
     2. The data in question was already litigated in court.
     3. The appellant is not the subject of the disputed data.
     4. A final order has already been issued on the same dispute.

4. Handling of Corrected or Destroyed Data:

   • Successfully challenged data must be corrected, completed, or destroyed without adhering to data retention laws under section 138.17.
   • The government entity may keep a summary of the dispute instead of the original challenged data.
   • Data held by the commissioner that has been corrected or destroyed becomes private data.

Overall Impact:

The bill strengthens individuals' rights to challenge and rectify inaccurate government data, provides a structured appeal process, and clarifies data retention and privacy provisions.