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HF3799 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Provision on accommodation discrimination added to the human rights act.

AI Generated Summary

Purpose

  • Add a new provision on accommodation discrimination to Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.
  • Establish a framework to protect people from discrimination and to ensure access and participation for people with disabilities through accommodations.
  • Preserve and clarify that the state’s anti-discrimination laws do not prevent positive action (affirmative) programs to combat discrimination.

Main Provisions

  • Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 363A.02, subdivision 1, to state the public policy to secure freedom from discrimination in five areas:
    • Employment
    • Housing and real property
    • Public accommodations
    • Public services
    • Education
  • For these areas, it lists protected characteristics, including: race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, marital status, disability status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, familial status, and age.
  • Adds “accommodations” as a key concept: accommodations allow persons with disabilities to participate fully in these protected areas.
  • Establishes that failing to engage in the process to determine an accommodation may itself be discriminatory.
  • Explicitly states that nothing in the chapter should be read as restricting the use of positive action programs to combat discrimination.

Significant Changes to Law

  • Introduces a formal concept of accommodation discrimination within the Human Rights Act.
  • Requires consideration and determination of accommodations for individuals with disabilities to enable participation in employment, housing, public accommodations, public services, and education.
  • Reinforces protections against discrimination while affirming the legitimacy of affirmative action-type measures to address disparities.
  • Broadens the scope of protected classes to include gender identity and disability-related considerations tied to public assistance.

Implications and Practical Effects

  • Agencies and employers would need to assess and determine reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to access protected areas.
  • Organizations must avoid discriminatory practices by failing to engage in the accommodation determination process.
  • The bill preserves opportunities to implement positive action programs while expanding disability-related protections.

Terminology and Phrases to Note

  • accommodation discrimination
  • accommodations
  • accommodations process
  • persons with disabilities
  • public policy to secure freedom from discrimination
  • unfounded charges of discrimination
  • positive action programs
  • protected areas: employment, housing and real property, public accommodations, public services, education
  • protected classes: race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, marital status, disability status (with regard to public assistance), sexual orientation, familial status, age
  • Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 363A.02 subdivision 1

Relevant Terms accommodation discrimination; accommodations; accommodations process; persons with disabilities; disability status; public assistance; positive action programs; protected areas; protected classes; race; color; creed; religion; national origin; sex; gender identity; marital status; sexual orientation; familial status; age; Minnesota Human Rights Act; 363A.02 subdivision 1

Bill text versions

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
February 26, 2026HouseActionIntroduction and first reading, referred toJudiciary Finance and Civil Law

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Adds language recognizing accommodations to enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in employment, housing, public accommodations, public services, and education, and indicates that failure to engage in the process to determine an accommodation may be discriminatory."
      ],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 363A.02 subdivision 1 to add a provision on accommodation discrimination to the Human Rights Act.",
      "modified": [
        "Amends existing text of section 363A.02 subdivision 1 to incorporate an accommodation discrimination provision and to establish that consideration of accommodations is part of nondiscrimination protections."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "363A.02",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 1"
  }
]

Progress through the legislative process

17%
In Committee

Sponsors

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