HF3736

Purpose

• Allow certain state government bodies to hold meetings by interactive technology to speed up work or address security threats.
• Ensure all members can hear each other and the discussion, regardless of location, and require live public broadcasts of the meetings for transparency.
• Update how three specific boards operate to reflect modern meeting options while preserving their core leadership and duties.

Main Provisions

• Executive Council (Minnesota Statutes 9.021)

  • May conduct meetings by interactive technology to expedite work or handle security threats.
  • All participating members must be able to hear one another and hear all discussion and testimony.
  • Require live broadcasting of the meeting for public viewing.
  • Overrides certain open-meeting requirements in limited circumstances (as specified by the bill).

• State Board Membership and Organization (Minnesota Statutes 11A.03)

  • The state board is composed of the governor, state auditor, secretary of state, and attorney general, with the governor serving as ex officio chair.
  • May conduct meetings by interactive technology to expedite work or address a security threat.
  • Ensure all members can hear one another and hear all discussion and testimony.
  • Require live broadcasting of the meeting for public viewing.

• Minnesota Land Exchange Board (Minnesota Statutes 94.341)

  • Reaffirms the board’s composition as created by the Minnesota Constitution (governor, attorney general, and state auditor), and notes the governor is chair while the state auditor serves as secretary and records proceedings.
  • Official acts and land exchange approvals may be evidenced by the certificate of the state auditor as secretary under official seal.
  • When a land exchange is approved, it is presumed that all other relevant legal requirements have been met, and a defect or omission in those requirements does not invalidate the exchange.
  • May conduct meetings by interactive technology to expedite work or address security threats.
  • Ensure all participants can hear one another and hear all discussion and testimony.
  • Require live broadcasting of the meeting for public viewing.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expanded use of interactive technology for three statutory bodies (Executive Council, State Board, and Minnesota Land Exchange Board), including exceptions to certain open-meeting provisions to allow remote participation when speeding up work or addressing security threats.
• Standardized requirement across these bodies that remote participants can hear each other and that meetings are broadcast live to the public.
• Restated and clarified the leadership and recordkeeping framework for the Minnesota Land Exchange Board, including the roles of governor (chair) and state auditor (secretary), and the use of the auditor’s certificate under seal to evidences official acts.
• Although the composition of the State Board and its ex officio chair status are restated, the bill consolidates the use of modern meeting technology within these constitutional and statutory structures.

Impact on Public Access and Government Transparency

• Live public broadcasts aim to enhance transparency and public oversight for meetings held via interactive technology.
• Remote attendance is explicitly permitted in specific high-level state bodies, with safeguards to maintain full discussion and testimony visibility for all participants.

Relevant Terms - interactive technology - meetings by interactive technology - Executive Council - Minnesota State Board / state board - governor - state auditor - secretary of state - attorney general - security threat - live broadcast / broadcast live / public viewing - hearing / discussion / testimony - Minnesota Land Exchange Board - constitutional board / Article XI (Constitution) - official acts / certificate of the state auditor / official seal - land exchanges - presumption of compliance - 13D.01 / 13D.015 (open meeting law references)