MAY 2026

The Data Practices Act and Courts

The Data Practices Act does not apply to the judicial branch, but there are many situations where courts will interact with government entities in ways that raise data practices considerations.  For example, section 13.03, subd. 4(e) states that data that the judicial branch disseminates to a government entity must have the same level of accessibility at the entity as it does at the court. Additionally, courts may occasionally issue orders that may affect whether certain data are accessible at government entities. There are also several considerations government entities must keep in mind when receiving a subpoena for government data.  You can find more information about data practices and the courts as well as specific guidance on how entities should handle subpoenas on the Data Practices Office website.  As always, please contact our office with any questions you have about data practices. We are here to help!

Minnesota Legislature Continues Its Work

The Minnesota Legislature is continuing to work on legislation during its 2026 session, and the Data Practices Office is tracking 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 or statutory changes affecting data practices statutes and the Open Meeting Law.

Upcoming Data Practices Trainings

Personnel Data 201: Complaints and Disciplinary Data

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on WebEx

Interested in a deeper dive into personnel data related to complaints and discipline? Then this three-hour workshop is for you!

This workshop offers:

• Information about personnel complaints and discipline data
• Discussion of requirements for providing data and redaction under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, Chapter 13
• A hands-on redaction exercise to apply personnel data classifications under Minnesota Statutes section 13.43
• Opportunities to connect with other employees performing personnel redactions and share approaches and techniques.

This workshop is an advanced workshop designed for government employees with training or experience in personnel data classifications. If you would like to register for this workshop but are unfamiliar with personnel data requirements, it will be helpful to first review our personnel data webinar series on YouTube.

Note: This workshop is interactive and will require group participation. Please ensure that you have audio and video technology available to participate in the group discussions.

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.

Data Challenges and Appeals Free Webinar

The Data Practices Office will be hosting a free Data Challenges and Appeals webinar on Thursday, May 19 from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

This webinar will provide a brief overview of the data challenge and appeal process set out in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.04, subd. 4, with 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.

Advisory Opinion Updates

Classification of personnel data

In Advisory Opinion 26-004, a city asked about the classification of data regarding its former police chief. The data involved comments received in response to an employee survey that raised concerns about the chief, who ultimately resigned after the city placed him on administrative leave in response to the survey comments. The city argued that the data were private personnel data under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.43. The Commissioner determined that the data received in response to an employee survey were complaints and charges against the police chief and were public government data under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.43, subd. 2(f) because the chief resigned while the complaints and charges were pending. 

Body camera data

In Advisory Opinion 26-005, an individual asked whether a city responded appropriately to a request for nonpublic body camera data documenting a search of the individual's property. The Commissioner determined that the city did not respond appropriately because the individual was the subject of nonpublic data in the limited portions of the body camera video that depicted only the individual's home and personal property.

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!