House GOP leader advances bill to narrow attorney general—s secrecy under Minnesota data law

House Majority Leader Harry Niska, R‑Andover, said he will bring House File 20 to the House floor to amend the Minnesota Data Practices Act so the attorney general's office cannot classify non‑personal materials as "private data on individuals," he told reporters.

Niska said the change responds to a 2022 Minnesota Supreme Court decision, Energy Policy Advocates v. Ellison, which he said allowed the attorney general's office to withhold policy‑making materials and closed investigative records that do not implicate an individual's privacy interest.

"It is absolutely crucial to our democracy that we know what is happening with our public resources and our public offices," Niska said. He told reporters the bill simply "adds the words 'on individuals' to make sure that we are talking about data that actually relates to an individual person." He said the…