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The 2026 Sunshine Week is scheduled for March 15-21. Sunshine Week is a national initiative focused on the important roles freedom of information and open government have in a functional democracy. The event is held annually and coincides with James Madison's birthday on March 16.
The Data Practices Office offers several resources to help members of the public and government understand Minnesota's government transparency laws. The Data Practices Office website has tips on how to make a data practices request as well as several pages with guidance on specific types of data and the Open Meeting Law.
You can also search the Commissioner of Administration's advisory opinions online as well as watch videos on YouTube about a variety of different data practices and open meeting topics.
Always feel free to contact the Data Practices Office with any questions you have. Our team is here to help!
Free Data Practices Act Basics Webinar
The Data Practices Office will be hosting a free Data Practices Act Basics webinar on Thursday, March 19 from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
This webinar will provide an overview of the Data Practice Act's requirements as well as a discussion of best practices in responding to requests. We'll also answer questions during a live Q&A session.
Note: Our office will be using Microsoft Teams to host this webinar, which is a different platform than past webinars. You will receive an email confirmation with a calendar invite after you have registered.
Registration for this free webinar is available on our website, and you can view recordings of past webinars on our YouTube Channel.
Government Personnel Data 101
Thursday, March 26, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on WebEx
Are you new to managing data about government employees? Do you need a refresher about government entities' legal obligations related to personnel data? Then join us for our Government Personnel Data 101 workshop where we'll discuss the basics of section 13.43. This introductory workshop includes:
- An overview of classifications of data about government employees
- A look at when personnel data may be shared with others
- An opportunity to apply your knowledge in hands-on exercises
- Q&A time with DPO staff for any questions about personnel data you have
Please note: DPO will be providing a general overview of section 13.43 requirements, and the workshop is designed for people who want an introduction to personnel data about government employees. We'll host more workshops in the future specifically focusing on employee disciplinary data.
The workshop will be held remotely on WebEx, and it will not require in-person attendance. The cost to attend this workshop is $125 per person.
Registration information for this workshop is available on our website.
Law Enforcement Data Workshop hosted by the Rochester Police Department
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Rochester Police Department
Need a primer or a refresher about the key provisions in Minnesota law governing law enforcement data? Then join us for this Data Practices Office workshop with the Rochester Police Department serving as our host!
This workshop offers:
- Discussion of general legal requirements, including criminal investigative data, traffic accident data, body camera video data, and more
- Real-life problem solving scenarios based on actual inquiries
- Time for questions and answers about the day-to-day issues that involve law enforcement data
The Data Practices Office will be presenting the content for this workshop, and it will be held in-person at the Rochester Police Department, 4001 West River Pkwy #200, Rochester, MN 55901.
The cost to attend this workshop is $250 per person.
Please visit our website for more information and to register.
Classification of personnel data
In Advisory Opinion 26-001, a reporter asked about Met Council’s response to a request for data about a former Metro Transit Police Chief. The reporter requested access to public data about an investigation into complaints or charges against the chief. Due to a recent legislative change, the duly appointed chief law enforcement officer of the Metro Transit is a “public official” as defined in Minnesota Statutes section 13.43, subd. 2(e)(5), and data about a complaint or charge against the chief are classified as public because he resigned while the complaint or charge was pending. Therefore, Met Council did not respond appropriately to the reporter’s request.
Attorney data
In Advisory Opinion 26-002, a member of the public asked whether a city responded appropriately to a request for documents that an individual gave to city council members during a council meeting. The city maintained that the data its council members received were privileged communications between a third-party individual and that individual's attorney. Therefore, the city denied the requester access to the data on the basis of the attorney-client privilege. The Commissioner noted section 13.393 exempts attorney data from the requirements of the Data Practices Act, including documents protected by attorney-client privilege. However, those exemptions apply to communications between only the city and its attorney and do not extend to data that the city believes may be privileged between others. Therefore, the city did not respond appropriately to the request because the requested data appeared to be presumptively public.
Data on elected officials
In Advisory Opinion 26-003, a school district asked about the classification of data it maintained in an investigative report about the alleged misconduct of a school board member. The Commissioner explained that a government entity is in the best position to determine whether its elected officials are employees for data practices purposes. If the officials are employees, then section 13.43 applies to data about them and the applicable classifications follow. If the officials are not employees, then section 13.43 does not apply to them and data are presumptively public. The Commissioner added that entities must affirmatively determine whether its elected officials are employees, and the decision cannot be made directly in response to a data request. The Commissioner observed that the district had not designated its elected officials as employees, which meant the data in the investigative report are presumptively public.
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