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Senate committee advances bill to bar non‑affiliated use of legislative email, phones and offices
Summary
A Senate committee advanced a bill authored by Sen. West that would prohibit members, officers or staff from assigning legislative email addresses, telephone numbers or office space to people who are not employed by the Legislature; supporters said it protects public trust and cybersecurity, while colleagues sought cross‑branch alignment and clarified enforcement would be internal to each chamber.
Sen. West introduced legislation the Senate Committee on State and Local Government on April 14 that would bar members, officers or employees from assigning legislative email addresses, telephone numbers or office space to people who are not employees or officers of the Legislature.
"This is a bill about good governance and protecting the integrity of our legislature," Sen. West said, arguing that non‑affiliated access to senate.house emails or phones can mislead the public and create cybersecurity risks. The A1 amendment to the bill — which clarifies exclusive use language and requires caucus notification before permitting contractors or others to occupy assigned office space — was adopted in committee.
Supporters said the measure is intended to safeguard public trust and taxpayer resources. Committee members asked how the proposed language relates to an existing executive‑branch statute (cited in committee as Minn. Stat. 43.8.3) that already limits employee use of state property. Sen. Koski and others suggested reviewing executive‑branch language and, if helpful, aligning provisions across branches.
Sen. West said the bill intentionally leaves enforcement remedies to the rules of each chamber: the Senate and House would adopt implementing rules and remedies for violations rather than creating a new external enforcement mechanism.
After discussion, the committee recommended Senate File '48 98' as amended to pass and referred it on to the Rules calendar for further consideration.
The committee record shows members raising operational items such as legacy 800 numbers and desk phones, and asking staff to provide clarification on enforcement structures before floor consideration. The bill’s text as discussed focuses on exclusive assignment of legislative emails, phone numbers and office space and requires the Senate and House to adopt rules implementing remedies for violations.
