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Legislative Commission on Data Practices hears grouped testimony on retention, geolocation, health-records and ALPR rules, postpones state–federal privacy item
Summary
The Legislative Commission on Data Practices met Nov. 20, 2025, approved prior minutes and heard grouped public testimony on data-retention challenges, data-minimization best practices, geolocation data treatment, HIPAA and Minnesota health-records intersections with consumer privacy law, and ALPR/body-camera reporting; an item on state–federal interplay was postponed.
Rep. Sandra Feist, co-chair of the Legislative Commission on Data Practices, called the commission to order at 9:36 a.m. in Room G-3 of the State Capitol and confirmed a quorum was present.
Sen. Bonnie Westlin moved to approve the Oct. 15, 2025, meeting minutes; "the motion prevailed," according to the transcript. The record supplied does not include a roll call or vote tally for that motion.
The commission proceeded through a series of agenda items that drew grouped public testimony but whose substantive remarks are not included in the transcript excerpts provided. On "current challenges with data retention," the transcript lists testimony from Legislative Auditor Judy Randall; Tanya Tacker, executive director of the Rum River Special Education Cooperative; Dr. Bibi Neumann; Matt Ehling of Minnesotans for Open Government; and Rich Neumeister. The transcript enumerates participants but does not record their specific arguments or recommendations.
A second panel of witnesses appeared on modern data-privacy best practices, including Nathan Zacharias of the Association of Minnesota Counties; Tori Kee of the League of Minnesota Cities; Kristi Lahti-Johnson, identified as Hennepin County's responsible authority and data practices compliance official; John Boehler, policy counsel at the ACLU of Minnesota; and Rich Neumeister. The commission then took testimony on treatment of geolocation data; listed speakers for that item included Julia Decker, policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, John Boehler (ACLU), and Rich Neumeister.
Members also heard witnesses on the intersection of federal HIPAA/HITECH rules, the Minnesota Health Records Act, and the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act; listed testifiers were Ana Pottratz Acosta (University of Minnesota), Matt Flanders (Citizens' Council for Health Freedom), and Rich Neumeister. The commission received testimony on automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) data and body-worn camera reporting requirements from Zurisaddai Lopez (Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota); John Boehler (ACLU); Dr. Bibi Neumann; Rich Neumeister; and Matt Ehling.
An agenda item described as "Data privacy as it relates to the interplay of state and federal government" was postponed to the next meeting because of time constraints, and the session adjourned at 11:36 a.m.
The transcript provided lists participants for each agenda topic but does not include verbatim testimony, summaries of arguments, or any vote tallies beyond noting that the motion to approve minutes "prevailed." Future minutes or meeting materials may include fuller testimony records, votes, or any staff reports referenced during the hearing.
