HF4676
Recipients of legacy money required to include alternative text on websites to describe legacy logo.
Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026)
Related bill: SF5083
AI Generated Summary
Purpose
The bill strengthens accountability and public reporting for four Minnesota legacy funds by requiring grant recipients to publicly describe the legacy logo, provide accessibility details, and report how projects reach diverse communities and achieve measurable outcomes. It also tightens oversight and eligibility for future funding by tying compliance to continued access to legacy money and by outlining reporting and transparency requirements.
Main Provisions by Fund
Parks and Trails Fund (Sec. 1)
- Require projects to meet constitutional goals for regional/state significance.
- Mandate measurable outcomes, a plan to measure results, and an assessment of whether funding reaches diverse communities including low- and moderate-income households.
- Ensure funding uses current science and state-of-the-art technology, except for portrayals/restorations of historical significance.
- Distribute funding to balance benefits across regions/residents.
- Direct recipients must compile and submit project information and outcomes to the Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC) by January 15 or as practicable; LCC must post this information on the required website.
- Grants must follow established procedures and be accounted for; regranting processes must be specified; priority goes to competitively awarded grants.
- Funds may only be spent on Minnesota projects.
- Direct recipients must prominently display the legacy logo on their homepage with alt text and a link labeled “Click here for more information,” which directs users to contact information and the LCC page; alt text must describe the logo when hovered.
- Future eligibility for Parks and Trails Fund money requires ongoing compliance; noncompliance reported by the Legislative Auditor can lead to public listing, removal only after compliance, and temporary ineligibility for future funding until compliance is demonstrated.
- Recipients requesting funding must disclose whether the request supplants or substitutes for prior funding not from a legacy fund.
Outdoor Heritage Fund (Sec. 2)
- Mirror the recipient reporting, logo-display, alt-text, and accessibility requirements found for the Parks and Trails Fund.
- Require an assessment of whether funding reaches diverse communities, including low- and moderate-income households.
- Future funding eligibility and auditor oversight apply as described above.
- Include similar reporting and transparency requirements to the LCC.
Clean Water Fund (Sec. 3)
- Expenditures must meet constitutional aims to protect, enhance, restore water quality, and protect groundwater and drinking water; priority to multi-issue projects is allowed.
- Require measurable outcomes, a measurement plan, and an assessment of diversity reach (including low/moderate-income households).
- Use current science and state-of-the-art technology; ensure geographic balance across regions.
- Direct recipients must submit project information to the LCC; the LCC must post this information; some information may be not public if protected by law.
- Grants must follow the 16B.98 process and be accounted for; competition is encouraged.
- Funds must be spent on projects that benefit Minnesota waters; may leverage federal funds via project partnership agreements.
- Direct recipients must prominently display the legacy logo with alt text and “Click here for more information”; the click-through must provide contact information and a link to the LCC page.
- Future eligibility depends on compliance; noncompliance can lead to public listing and ineligibility until compliance is demonstrated.
- Recipients must inform whether funding requests supersede or substitute for previous funding not from a legacy fund.
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (Sec. 4)
- Fund spending limited to arts, arts education, arts access, and preserving Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.
- Require measurable outcomes and a plan for measuring results; use current scholarship or best practices and state-of-the-art technology when appropriate.
- Grants may cover whole projects or parts of projects if the applicant shows a complete project description and sufficient resources to finish the project.
- Funds must benefit all regions and residents of Minnesota.
- Direct recipients must report project information to the LCC; the LCC must post this information.
- Grants must follow the 16B.98 process; competitive awarding is preferred.
- All funds must be used for Minnesota-based projects.
- When feasible, recipients must display the legacy logo with alt text and provide a Click here for more information link to the LCC page.
- Future funding eligibility hinges on compliance; noncompliance can lead to listing and ineligibility until compliance is demonstrated.
- Requesting organizations must inform committees about whether funding replaces prior funding and provide the most recent IRS Form 990.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- The bill amends four Minnesota Statutes (2024-2025 supplements) to add:
- Expanded accountability and reporting requirements for recipients of legacy funds.
- A standardized requirement to display a legacy logo with accessible alt text and a specific informational link.
- Requirements to post recipient information and outcomes on the Legislative Coordinating Commission website.
- Provisions linking future eligibility to compliance findings by the Legislative Auditor.
- Provisions to ensure funds benefit Minnesota and reach diverse populations, including low- and moderate-income households.
- Provisions to allow competitive grant processes and, where applicable, lever with federal funds.
Oversight, Accessibility, and Public Transparency
- The Legislative Coordinating Commission must post recipient information and outcomes; some data may be restricted from public release.
- The Legislative Auditor’s findings can trigger publicly available lists of noncompliant recipients, affecting future funding.
- The bill emphasizes accessibility by requiring alt text for the legacy logo and a clearly labeled information link to improve user access.
Notable Compliance and Public Information Features
- Alt text for legacy logos to aid screen readers and hover descriptions.
- A public-facing “Click here for more information” workflow directing users to contact information and the LCC page.
- Annual public reporting of noncompliance by the Legislative Auditor and a public list of affected recipients until compliance is demonstrated.
Relevant Terms - legacy funds - parks and trails fund - outdoor heritage fund - clean water fund - arts and cultural heritage fund - measurable outcomes - Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC) - 3.303 subdivision 10 - alt text / alternative text - legacy logo - Click here for more information - public reporting - Legislative Auditor - annual report - supplanting / substitution - direct appropriation - grants (competitive) - Minnesota-based projects - diversity outreach (including low- and moderate-income households) - 16B.98 - IRS Form 990 - project partnership agreements with federal agencies - statewide regional equity - accessibility requirements
Bill text versions
- Introduction PDF PDF file
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 25, 2026 | House | Action | Introduction and first reading, referred to | Legacy Finance |
Citations
[
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Measurable outcomes and plan for measuring and evaluating results",
"Assessment of whether funding celebrates cultural diversity or reaches diverse communities including low and moderate-income households",
"Public posting of funded project information by the Legislative Coordinating Commission",
"Grants to be implemented with competitive processes and explicit reporting on expenditures",
"Requirement for direct recipients to prominently display the legacy logo with accessible alt text on their websites",
"Link from the legacy logo to additional information and contact details"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 85.53, subdivision 2 (Parks and Trails Fund) to enhance expenditures accountability for funded projects, including outcomes measurement, diversity considerations, and public reporting requirements; it also imposes logo display and accessibility obligations on recipients, and establishes audit- and compliance-related triggers for future funding.",
"modified": [
"Consolidates and expands existing accountability provisions for parks and trails funding, including new transparency and accessibility requirements"
]
},
"citation": "85.53",
"subdivision": "subdivision 2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Measurable outcomes and plan for measuring and evaluating results",
"Public posting of information by the Legislative Coordinating Commission",
"Prominent display of the legacy logo with accessible alt text on recipient websites",
"Auditor-identified noncompliance leading to a public list and potential loss of future funding",
"Future funding ineligibility until compliance is demonstrated"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 97A.056, subdivision 11 (Outdoor Heritage Fund) to establish similar accountability and transparency requirements as in 85.53, including reporting, logo display, and public accessibility requirements for recipients.",
"modified": [
"Adopts uniform accountability framework for legacy-funded programs across funds (Outdoor Heritage Fund)"
]
},
"citation": "97A.056",
"subdivision": "subdivision 11"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Measurable outcomes and plan for measuring and evaluating results",
"A requirement to post information to the Legislative Coordinating Commission website",
"Alt text for the legacy logo and links for more information",
"Future eligibility conditions tied to compliance and potential removal from funding lists"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 114D.50, subdivision 4 (Clean Water Fund) to require expenditures accountability similar to other legacy funds, including measurable outcomes, posting requirements, and logo accessibility.",
"modified": [
"Harmonizes accountability provisions across legacy funds (parks and trails, outdoor heritage, clean water)"
]
},
"citation": "114D.50",
"subdivision": "subdivision 4"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Measurable outcomes and plan for measuring and evaluating results",
"Public posting of information to the Legislative Coordinating Commission website",
"Prominent display of the legacy logo with alt text on recipient websites",
"Future eligibility restrictions and listing for noncompliant recipients"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement section 129D.17, subdivision 2 (Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund) to include expenditures accountability provisions parallel to other legacy funds, including measurable outcomes, posting requirements, and accessibility features on recipient websites.",
"modified": [
"Creates uniform accountability framework across legacy funds for arts and cultural heritage funding"
]
},
"citation": "129D.17",
"subdivision": "subdivision 2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Explicit reliance on and reiteration of posting requirements under 3.303(10)"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "The bill references Minnesota Statutes section 3.303, subdivision 10 as the source of required reporting and information posting for funded legacy projects; the modification relies on this existing statutory framework rather than creating new reporting mechanisms.",
"modified": [
"Consistent use of 3.303(10) as the reporting standard across funds"
]
},
"citation": "3.303",
"subdivision": "subdivision 10"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Exemption clarifying that certain non-public information need not be posted online"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "The bill includes a provision related to data privacy under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, stating that information classified as not public under 13D.05(3)(b) or (d) is not required to be posted on the website.",
"modified": [
"Integrates existing data privacy exemptions into the website posting requirements"
]
},
"citation": "13D.05",
"subdivision": "subdivision 3 paragraph d"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Reference ensuring grant administration complies with 16B.98"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "The bill requires grants funded by the Parks and Trails Fund (and related funds) to be implemented in accordance with Minnesota Statutes section 16B.98.",
"modified": [
"Aligns grant management practices with the general grant administration framework of 16B.98"
]
},
"citation": "16B.98",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adopts the legacy logo display obligation for funding recipients"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "The bill incorporates the legacy logo requirement established by Laws 2009, chapter 172, article 5, section 10 (as amended by Laws 2010, chapter 361, article 3, section 5).",
"modified": [
"References to the legacy logo obligation are preserved and updated by cross-references to amendments"
]
},
"citation": "Laws 2009 chapter 172 article 5 section 10",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Incorporates changes to the legacy logo text and accessibility provisions"
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "The bill acknowledges amendments to the legacy logo requirements originally established in Laws 2009, chapter 172, article 5, section 10, as amended by Laws 2010, chapter 361, article 3, section 5.",
"modified": [
"Maintains interoperability with the updated legacy logo requirements"
]
},
"citation": "Laws 2010 chapter 361 article 3 section 5",
"subdivision": ""
}
]Progress through the legislative process
In Committee