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Committee advances bill to remove population thresholds from Minnesota public data law
Summary
The House Judiciary Finance & Civil Law Committee recommended re-referral of House File 19-17 to the Committee on Election Finance and Government Operations, a bill that would remove population cutoffs that currently limit public access to certain complaint-related records about local officials.
The House Judiciary Finance & Civil Law Committee on Monday recommended re-referral of House File 19-17, a bill that would remove population-based thresholds from Minnesota's public data law and make certain records about local public officials available regardless of city or county size. Representative Paul Anderson moved the bill; the committee advanced it by voice vote and sent it to the Committee on Election Finance and Government Operations.
Supporters said the change would equalize public access across the state. "This population based distinction is arbitrary and should be corrected," Matt Ealing of Minnesotans for Open Government told the committee, arguing that citizens in smaller communities are disadvantaged when the definition of a public official depends on city or county population.
The bill and testimony…
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