HF4478 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))
Direct Care and Treatment data requirements modified.
Related bill: SF4691
AI Generated Summary
Purpose
- Clarify and expand how data held by state agencies that run or fund welfare and mental health programs can be collected, stored, shared, and used.
- Create a formal process for challenging the accuracy or completeness of certain data (specifically, sex offender program data for civilly committed offenders) and require a written response from the data practices official.
- Update definitions to distinguish what counts as welfare data, medical data, and related records, and to set rules for when and with whom data can be shared to improve coordination, program administration, fraud prevention, and service delivery.
Main Provisions
Data challenges for sex offender program data
- If there are challenges to the accuracy or completeness of data about a civilly committed sex offender, the challenge must be submitted in writing to the data practices compliance official at Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) or a designee, who must respond.
Definitions related to data and services
- Directory information: includes the patient’s name, date admitted, and general condition.
- Medical data: data collected because someone is a patient at various health facilities or providers operated or funded by government entities, but excluding data maintained by Direct Care and Treatment.
- Welfare system: broad definition covering many state agencies and contractors involved in public assistance and social services.
- Mental health data: data about individuals receiving mental health services.
- Fugitive felon: someone convicted of a felony who is fleeing confinement or violating probation/parole.
- Private licensing agency: a licensing body for child welfare-related services.
Data sharing and privacy framework (Subdivisions under Sec. 4)
- Data on individuals in the welfare system are private data, with many specific exceptions allowing disclosure.
- Permitted disclosures include, among others:
- Court orders, statutes, or authorizations.
- Sharing with agencies and personnel within the welfare system to verify identity, determine eligibility, and coordinate services across programs.
- Administering federal funds and programs and evaluating program effectiveness and fraud.
- Data matching and coordination with departments such as Revenue, Education, Health, Employment and Economic Development, and others.
- Coordination of services across public assistance programs (e.g., MFIP, SNAP, general assistance, child care, medical programs).
- Interagency data exchanges for program monitoring, eligibility, cost effectiveness, and outcomes (including Ticket to Work and related Acts).
- Coordination of health care services and emergency responses when needed to protect health or safety.
- Data sharing with guardianship processes and protection/advocacy systems when appropriate.
- Data exchanges to support special transportation services and school coordination, as well as for child support and education-related purposes.
- Health records and protected health information (PHI) remain governed by health privacy rules (e.g., HIPAA-related provisions) and are not to be exchanged indiscriminately; certain health data sharing is carved out or restricted to specific purposes.
- Mental health data have special handling: they are treated with particular care, but may be disclosed under defined circumstances within the welfare system framework.
- In some cases, disclosures may be made to law enforcement, health authorities, or state and federal partners, including for fugitive felon cases, or when a request is in writing and within official duties.
Consent and guardianship coordination
- Direct Care and Treatment may disclose welfare system data to support guardianship coordination, but must obtain the client’s consent unless the client lacks capacity or has an unavailable/current guardian.
Additional cross-agency coordination
- The statute envisions data sharing to:
- Coordinate and evaluate public assistance programs (MFIP, SNAP, energy assistance, etc.).
- Monitor unemployment benefits, rehabilitation services, and child care assistance.
- Align services with education, health, and social service agencies.
- Facilitate protecting the health and safety of individuals in emergency situations.
- Support guardianship, investigations, and legal proceedings as authorized.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds and clarifies a formal process for challenging sex offender program data accuracy (writing to a compliance official with a required response).
- Broadly redefines and classifies data within the welfare system, including explicit definitions of directory information and medical data, and clarifies what data is considered “private.”
- Significantly expands permissible data disclosures across multiple state agencies and programs to improve coordination, oversight, fraud prevention, and program evaluation.
- Introduces extensive enumerated disclosure authorities, including to:
- Departments of Revenue, Education, Health, Employment and Economic Development, and others.
- Guardianship and protection/advocacy entities.
- Law enforcement, counties, and interstate information networks (under specific conditions).
- Education programs for purposes like determining eligibility for free/reduced-price meals and energy assistance verification.
- Health providers and school officials for coordinated care and services.
- Maintains privacy protections for health data, but establishes circumstances under which mental health data and certain welfare data may be shared to support program administration, emergency responses, or guardianship coordination.
- Allows sharing of certain participant information (names, birth dates, addresses, program status) to specific agencies and officials to coordinate services, monitor eligibility, and ensure program integrity, with explicit restrictions on the scope of disclosed data.
Practical Implications
- Public program agencies will be able to coordinate more easily across welfare, health, education, and law enforcement to deliver services, detect fraud, and monitor outcomes.
- Privacy protections remain in place, but there are numerous defined exceptions that allow data to flow between agencies to support program administration and safety.
- Individuals’ data care and handling will be more complex, with new processes (e.g., data challenges) and consent considerations for guardianship-related disclosures.
Relevant Terms - Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) - welfare system - private data - data practices compliance official - data challenges - sex offender program data - civilly committed sex offender - directory information - medical data - mental health data - fugitive felon - private licensing agency - data sharing - court order - government agencies (DHS, CYF, Education, Revenue, Health, DOE, etc.) - MFIP, SNAP, TANF, medical assistance, general assistance, child care assistance - health insurance/PHI (HIPAA-related rules) - guardianship coordination - protection and advocacy system - emergency data disclosures - unemployment benefits - Ticket to Work and related acts - interagency data exchanges - data privacy and data accuracy - data sharing for crime/fraud investigations
Bill text versions
- Introduction PDF PDF file
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18, 2026 | House | Action | Introduction and first reading, referred to | Human Services Finance and Policy |
Citations
[
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"New subdivision 4a establishing a process for challenging data accuracy/completeness."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Adds a new data-challenge provision to 13.04 allowing challenges to Direct Care and Treatment sex offender program data about civilly committed offenders; requires written submission to the data practices compliance official and a required response.",
"modified": [
"Amends 13.04 to add a data-challenge mechanism for the sex offender program data."
]
},
"citation": "13.04",
"subdivision": "subd. 4a"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Definitions for Directory information and Medical data."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends the definitions related to patient data under 13.384 to include directory information and medical data definitions.",
"modified": [
"Recasts or clarifies definitions for patient data in 13.384."
]
},
"citation": "13.384",
"subdivision": "subd. 1"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Definitions for Individual, Program, Welfare system, Mental health data, Fugitive felon, Private licensing agency."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Adds definitions related to welfare-system data in section 13.46, including terms like Individual, Program, Welfare system, and Mental health data.",
"modified": [
"Expands definitional framework in 13.46 to cover welfare-system data."
]
},
"citation": "13.46",
"subdivision": "subd. 1"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Extensive list of permissible disclosures to various agencies and purposes (e.g., verify identity, determine eligibility, coordinate services, monitor programs, evaluate outcomes, administer federal funds, etc.)."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Adds a general data-disclosure framework for welfare-system data, enumerating permissible disclosures and purposes.",
"modified": [
"Introduces or expands the data-disclosure rules for welfare-system data in 13.46, subd. 2."
]
},
"citation": "13.46",
"subdivision": "subd. 2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References the definition of a civilly committed sex offender from 246B.01, subd. 1a.",
"modified": [
"Cites 246B.01, subd. 1a for civilly committed sex offender definitions used elsewhere in the bill."
]
},
"citation": "246B.01",
"subdivision": "subd. 1a"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Uses the 13.02, subd. 8 definition to define 'Individual' in the welfare-data provisions.",
"modified": [
"No substantive change to 13.02; cross-reference to existing definition."
]
},
"citation": "13.02",
"subdivision": "subd. 8"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cross-reference to section 13.05 within the data-sharing context; not a direct amendment to 13.05 itself.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "13.05",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cites data-sharing provisions related to child support and welfare-system data; no standalone substantive amendment to 270B.14 is shown.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "270B.14",
"subdivision": "subd. 1"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References 270C.13 concerning the monitoring/evaluation of certain benefits and cross-agency data exchanges.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "270C.13",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References the dependent care credit under 290.067; appears in context of related tax-related data sharing.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "290.067",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References the Minnesota Working Family Credit under 290.0671; part of cross-referenced tax credits within data-sharing discussions.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "290.0671",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References the Property Tax Refund under 290A.04 in the context of data sharing.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "290A.04",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References the Minnesota Education Credit under 290.0674; included among tax-related data exchanges.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "290.0674",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cross-reference to 136A.121, subd. 2, clause 5 within welfare-system data sharing.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "136A.121",
"subdivision": "subd. 2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References MFIP data disclosure provisions related to unemployment benefits and coordination of services.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "237.70",
"subdivision": "subd. 4a"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cross-reference to child support-related records; used in the context of data sharing.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "243.166",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References data related to public assistance and the child support system that may be disclosed to all obligees.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "518A.74",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References to data regarding public assistance programs and access to the child support system database for program administration.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "518A.81",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References to coordinating special transportation services between DHS and the Metropolitan Council; data-sharing scope limited to essential identifiers.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "473.386",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cross-reference to child support and welfare-system data sharing that may involve 145A.02, subd. 5.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "145A.02",
"subdivision": "subd. 5"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Part of the health records reference: 144.291 to 144.298; health information protections.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "144.291",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Clarified in context of health data sharing; health data protections apply.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "144.2925",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Health information privacy references under Code of Federal Regulations, including 160.103 and related parts 160-164.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "CFR Title 45",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Reference to protected health information and privacy standards under 45 CFR 160.103.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "CFR Title 45, section 160.103",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Scope of health information privacy protections under 45 CFR parts 160-164.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "CFR Title 45, parts 160-164",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References to federal health/benefit programs via 42 U.S.C. sections related to the cited HIPAA-like or public health data exchanges (e.g., health programs and related data sharing).",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "CFR Title 42",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cited as part of the list of federal provisions governing nutrition, energy assistance, and related funding streams linked to data sharing for public programs.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "42 U.S.C. sections 1758, 1761, 1766, 1766a, 1772, 1773",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cross-reference to federal nutrition program data-sharing rules (SNAP) under 7 CFR 272.1(c).",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "7 CFR 272.1c",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References the Protection and Advocacy System established under Public Law 98-527 (federal protections for individuals with developmental disabilities).",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "Public Law 98-527",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cites a preexisting Minnesota law from Laws 2008 (chapter 366, article 3.17, section 6) related to cross-agency data sharing or privacy.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "Laws 2008 chapter 366 article 3.17 section 6",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References federal Social Security Act provisions (Titles IV-B and IV-E) governing child support and public assistance data sharing.",
"modified": []
},
"citation": "Social Security Act, Titles IV-B and IV-E",
"subdivision": ""
}
]Progress through the legislative process
In Committee