Purpose

• The bill adds transparency requirements for complaints filed with certain professional boards when the executive director of the board initiates or submits the complaint. It changes how information about those complaints is handled, making some data public and ensuring affected individuals receive documents.

Main Provisions

• Creates Subd. 15 within Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 214.10 for the Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design.
• In cases where the executive director of that board initiates or submits a complaint, the fact that the complaint was initiated or submitted by the executive director is public data.
• This fact must be affirmatively disclosed to both:
  • the board, and
  • the subject of the complaint.
• Any documents given to the board related to the complaint must also be provided to the person who is the subject of the complaint.
• The disclosures apply notwithstanding section 13.41 or other applicable law, meaning these data disclosures override some privacy/data practices provisions for these cases.

Significance and What It Seeks to Accomplish

• Aims to increase transparency in how complaints are started by the executive director and who is involved.
• Ensures the subject of the complaint and the board have access to the initiation information and related documents.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds a new subdivision (Subd. 15) to 214.10, altering the data status of complaints initiated by the executive director from potentially non-public to public data.
• Requires affirmative disclosure of the initiation fact and sharing of related documents with the complaint’s subject, overriding certain privacy rules.

Relevant Terms - public data - affirmatively disclosed - Notwithstanding - section 13.41 - complaint - executive director - Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design - Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 214.10 - Subd. 15 - subject of the complaint - documents provided to the board - initiated or submitted by the executive director