HF3870 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))
Research data protection for data on individuals provided, and terminology and reference updates for domestic abuse programs and battered women provided.
Related bill: SF3872
AI Generated Summary
Purpose
- Strengthen protections around government data held by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
- Add dedicated offices to address missing and murdered Indigenous relatives and missing and murdered Black women and girls.
- Update procedures and terminology for domestic abuse programs and victims.
- Expand and adjust access to services and housing programs, residency rules, and voting procedures to better support people in shelters, DV programs, and residential facilities.
- Improve school violence prevention and parenting/child support services.
- Create new funding and grant programs for targeted youth and community facilities.
Key Provisions and Objectives
Data privacy and research protections (public safety data)
- Some DPS data remain private or confidential, with limited releases allowed to law enforcement or for enforcement purposes.
- Social Security numbers have restricted uses and cannot be sold; last four digits may be shared with certain agencies for specific purposes.
- Defines research data, and allows data collection through surveys or interviews to advance knowledge.
- Adds rules about which DPS data are confidential (including certain personal data) and when they can be released.
New offices for victims and missing persons
- Office for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives: data related to victim and family support handled under existing victim-service rules.
- Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls: same type of data governance for victim support.
Improved victim and domestic abuse data handling
- Updates and clarifies how data about crime victims, battered women, and domestic abuse victims are stored and shared.
- Keeps certain victim-related data confidential, with clear references to existing statutes governing those data.
Grants and services for at-risk youth and facilities (116L.362)
- Commissioner will grant funds to organizations to provide education and training to targeted youth who aren’t being served well by the current system.
- Programs must include work experiences tied to housing or community projects (like homeless housing, energy/green projects, or community facilities).
- Eligible facilities include shelters, youth/ senior centers, health centers, and community gardens; two or more organizations can apply together.
- The grant program is administered by the commissioner.
Services at parenting time centers
- Centers can offer parenting and child development classes and support groups for custodial parents, including classes to assist children who have experienced domestic violence.
- Centers must have access to staff with knowledge about battered women and domestic abuse.
Violence prevention in schools
- State education officials will help districts implement violence prevention programs for students in K-12.
- Programs should cover nonviolent conflict resolution, harassment prevention (sexual, racial, cultural), self-protection, hazing prevention, and inclusive, respectful behavior.
- Emphasizes parent, clergy, law enforcement, and community involvement; supports cross-district collaboration and staff training.
Residency and housing-related changes for benefits
- Adds a 30-day residency requirement for eligibility for general assistance; time spent in shelters for battered women or domestic abuse victims counts toward meeting this requirement.
- Allows waivers for unusual hardship (e.g., if the person is without shelter or food resources) and outlines verification methods.
- Defines “shelter” and “residency” to include shelters for DV victims and certain housing facilities in the residency calculation.
- Expands exceptions and rules for migrant workers and interstate migrants; some residents may gain residency while in shelter if they meet requirements and provide verification.
Excluded time for residency calculations
- Defines periods when a person is not considered a resident (e.g., time in hospitals, nursing homes, shelters other than emergency shelters, certain care facilities, and some training programs).
- Lists specific facilities and programs that count as excluded time.
- Ensures no durational test is required to gain county or state residence, with some exceptions for specific programs.
Family violence waiver criteria
- Establishes criteria for documenting family violence to qualify for certain employment-related activities waivers.
- Acceptable documentation includes police records, shelter staff statements, advocacy professional statements, or sworn statements with supporting credible evidence.
Elections and absentee voting protections for people in facilities
- Absentee ballots: rules for mailing or delivering ballots to voters on the permanent absentee list; corrections facilities must follow specific procedures.
- Ballots for voters in health care facilities, shelters for DV victims, veterans homes, and certain residential facilities may be delivered by two election judges from different major parties.
- Judges must be present when voters mark ballots, and ballots must be returned in sealed containers the same day.
- Shelter residents and residents of DV shelters, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and similar housing may receive ballot delivery at the discretion of local clerks.
- Election officials must track and record proof of residence and can require vouched paternity or residency information under secure procedures.
- Secretary of State will publish guidance for residential facilities and employees about the vouching process.
Voter registration on Election Day
- Allows eligible voters to register or update registration on Election Day by presenting proof of residence and completing a form at the polling place.
- Acceptable forms include driver’s license, state ID, voter registration card, current student fee statement with address, or vouching by a resident or facility employee (subject to oath and limits).
- Rules limit the number of proofof residence oaths a voter can sign in one day, with higher limits for residents of certain facilities.
Paternity education
- The commissioners will prepare educational materials for new and prospective parents.
Additional statutory cleanups and references
- Various cross-references and updates to reflect the above changes and to align with other sections of Minnesota law.
Notable Changes to Existing Law
- Creation of two new offices focused on missing and murdered women and relatives (Indigenous and Black women/girls) to coordinate victim support and data handling.
- Expanded data privacy and restricted sharing for sensitive victim and law enforcement information.
- New grant program supporting homeless and at-risk youth through housing-related work projects and community facilities.
- Expanded on-site services at DV shelters and parenting centers, including staff expertise in battering and domestic abuse.
- System-wide updates to violence prevention education in schools and community collaboration.
- Expanded and clarified residency rules for general assistance, including shelter time counting toward residency and explicit excluded time definitions.
- Expanded election access for voters in facilities (DV shelters, nursing homes, shelters, etc.) with specialized ballot delivery procedures and guidance for facilities.
Potential Impacts
- Victims of domestic violence may gain clearer protections for their data and access to targeted services and programs.
- Victims and families may receive more coordinated support through new offices and improved data sharing rules.
- People living in shelters or DV-related housing could have easier access to voter registration and absentee ballots, while still maintaining safeguards against misuse.
- Schools and communities will have stronger, more consistent violence prevention education.
- Residency rules for benefits may become more predictable for shelter residents, with specific waivers where needed.
Relevant Terms - private data, confidential data, data release, Social Security numbers, research data - Department of Public Safety (DPS), Office for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls - battered women, domestic abuse, family violence, DV shelters, emergency shelter - per diem payments, emergency general assistance - residency, 30-day residency requirement, excluded time, unusual hardship - shelter, transitional housing, residential facility, housing facilities - migrant workers, interstate migrants - proof of residence oath, vouched for, Election Day registration - absentee ballots, two election judges, different major political parties - residential facility employees, DV victims in facilities, health care facilities, veterans homes - violence prevention curriculum, nonviolent conflict resolution, harassment prevention, hazing - paternity educational materials
Bill text versions
- Introduction PDF PDF file
Upcoming committee meetings
- Judiciary Finance and Civil Law on: March 24, 2026 10:15
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 02, 2026 | House | Action | Introduction and first reading, referred to | Judiciary Finance and Civil Law |
Citations
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"summary": "Cites Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 629.72 subdivision 2a.",
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"summary": "Cites Code of Federal Regulations, title 28, section 22.2(c) referenced in the bill.",
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"citation": "28 CFR 22.2c",
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"summary": "Cites Code of Federal Regulations, title 28, section 46.102(d) referenced in the bill.",
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"citation": "28 CFR 46.102d",
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]Progress through the legislative process
In Committee