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Lawmakers clarify landlords must keep domestic‑violence documentation private; bill placed on General Register
Summary
Representative Howard's amendment clarifies that a landlord’s general release or other standard lease paperwork does not override statutory confidentiality protections for tenants who break leases due to domestic violence. House File 2296 was placed on the General Register.
The committee placed House File 2296 on the General Register after Representative Howard described a technical change intended to protect tenants who provide documentation to terminate a lease because of domestic violence.
The bill updates statute language to make clear that the confidentiality requirement in the law protecting tenants who break leases for domestic‑violence reasons supersedes general release forms landlords may require at lease signing. Jill Kehulani Esch, the ombudsperson for American Indian Families, testified on a separate bill earlier about fee waivers for filing letters regarding ICWA; in this matter Legal Aid and the Minnesota Multi‑Housing Association worked collaboratively on the wording and the author said there is no opposition.
Ron Elwood of Legal Aid told the committee the change aims to remove ambiguity landlords had raised in court about whether a prior general release could be used to defeat the confidentiality protections in the statute. Representative Howard said the change is intended to make it “crystal clear” that the statutory confidentiality rule governs.
The motion to place House File 2296 on the General Register carried by voice vote.
