Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to update the existing Minnesota open meeting law to give local government bodies more flexibility in conducting meetings via remote or interactive technology, allowing for remote participation under certain conditions.

Main Provisions

• Remote Participation: The bill modifies the conditions under which government meetings can include members participating remotely using interactive technology. This means members can join a meeting from different locations as long as they can all see and hear each other and all discussions and testimonies.
• Public Participation and Access: It is required that members of the public present at the regular meeting location are able to see and hear the proceedings and all votes must be recorded with a roll call.
• Physical Presence: There must be at least one member of the body physically present at the usual meeting location, ensuring some in-person accountability and public access.
• Voting Procedures: All votes during meetings conducted with remote participation should be done by roll call to clearly record each member's vote.
• Exceptions for Remote Participation: Members can participate from a non-public or private location without usually required public access under specific conditions:
  1. If the member is serving in the military and is involved in duties such as drills or deployment.
  2. If a healthcare professional advises a member to avoid public places for medical reasons.

Significant Changes

• Frequency of Remote Participation from Non-Public Locations: Members are allowed to use a private, non-public location for participation up to three times per calendar year unless specific exceptions apply (i.e., military commitments or medical advice).

Relevant Terms

interactive technology, open meeting law, remote participation, public access, roll call voting, military service, medical reasons, government operations, local government meetings.