MAY 2024

Data Practices Act? FOIA? What's the difference?

Although similar in many ways, the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are different laws addressing access to government information. Our office will often see confusion when data requesters cite FOIA when submitting a data request to a Minnesota government entity. To help avoid any concerns, the Data Practices Office has a new webpage describing the differences between these two laws governing information access. Both data requesters and government entities can use this page to understand the difference between the Data Practices Act and FOIA as well as which law may be appropriate to use when requesting information from a government entity. Additionally, our website has a helpful step-by-step guide for how individuals can request data from Minnesota government entities under the Data Practices Act.

Minnesota Legislature Continues Its Work

The Minnesota Legislature remains hard at work during its 2024 session, and the Data Practices Office is continuing to track several bills about data practices (House bills; Senate bills) and the Open Meeting Law (House bills; Senate bills).

Stay tuned for our July FYi Newsletter, where we'll provide an overview of any new laws affecting data practices statutes and the Open Meeting Law.

Upcoming Data Practices Trainings

Free Data Practices Potpourri: Traveling Data Webinar

Join us for a Data Practices Potpourri: Traveling Data Webinar! We will host our next FREE webinar on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 10 a.m.

DPO will take a deep dive into Minnesota Statutes, section 13.03, subd. 4, which governs "traveling data." We'll highlight the different requirements regarding classifications when government entities share data with each other and discuss considerations all entities should keep in mind when sending or receiving government data. We'll also save time for a live Q & A!

There is no cost to attend this webinar.

Please visit our website for more information and to register.

Data Practices Workshops

The Data Practices Office does not have any upcoming workshops scheduled. However, our office has been partnering with different government entities and professional organizations to offer trainings throughout the state.

You can find a list of who DPO has partnered with and where we have been conducting trainings on our website. We'll also provide regular updates via email when new workshops are scheduled.

Advisory Opinion Updates

The Commissioner of Administration has not issued any advisory opinions since the last FYi newsletter.

Data Practices or OML Questions?

Have questions about data practices or the Open Meeting Law? Contact us by email at info.dpo@state.mn.us or by phone at 651-296-6733. We are here to help!