Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to extend privacy protections to peace officers in Minnesota. It seeks to provide the same level of personal information protection to peace officers that is currently afforded to judicial officials.

Main Provisions

• Privacy Protections: The bill amends existing statutes to classify the personal information of peace officers, alongside judicial officials, as private data. This means their personal information collected, created, or maintained by a government entity is not publicly accessible.

• Notification Requirement: For peace officers or judicial officials to make a claim if their data privacy is violated, they must first provide written notification to the responsible authority. This notification needs to confirm their entitlement to protection under the specified section. Adult children of these officials, who do not reside with them, also need to confirm their status to access remedies.

• Exemptions: The bill specifies exceptions where privacy protection does not apply. This includes personal information in real property records, Uniform Commercial Code filings, and tax liens maintained by the state, as well as any records that show title, lien, judgment, or other encumbrances on real or personal property.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Extension of Protections: Previously, the statute protected only judicial officials' personal information. This bill extends those protections to include peace officers, ensuring their information is equally regarded as private.

• Duration of Notification: The protection notice filed by the peace officer or judicial official expires after five years unless it is renewed before the expiration date.

Relevant Terms

personal information, judicial officials, peace officers, privacy, government data practices, Minnesota statutes, data protection, notification requirement, real property records, Uniform Commercial Code, tax liens, public safety.