Purpose

This bill would create new rules for air transport involving detained individuals in Minnesota. It aims to improve safety, information sharing, and oversight by requiring forms, reporting, and certain restrictions on how detainees are handled during air operations and refueling.

Key Provisions

• Detained individuals defined

  • A detained individual means an aircraft passenger traveling involuntarily or held in any kind of restraint other than a seat belt.

• Passenger form and information collection

  • The state must develop a passenger form to collect information about the detained individual.
  • Required form fields include: name, date of birth, address; medical history (allergies, other conditions, current medications); contact information for spouse/next of kin or other primary contact; legal circumstances (attorney contact, any pending legal proceedings); whether the person is a minor and, if so, guardian/parent contact if a parent/guardian isn’t on board; a statement that the form will be reviewed by a fixed base operator and shared with emergency responders; a note that completion is voluntary; and a space for the individual to affirm they were informed and may choose not to fill out parts of the form.
  • The form must be available in the state’s most commonly spoken non-English languages and in areas with regular transport of detained individuals.

• Form collection, use, and retention

  • The pilot or commander must ensure detained individuals can complete the form and keep the form on the aircraft while the person is on board.
  • When a detained individual leaves the aircraft, the form may be given to the appropriate custody authority or disposed of, as allowed.
  • Fixed base operators (FBOs) must confirm a passenger form is maintained for each detained individual on board before providing commercial services.
  • In emergencies, the crew must provide the form to emergency responders or hospitals.

• Refueling rules

  • An aircraft must not be refueled if someone on board is in any kind of restraint other than a seat belt.
  • If a detained individual is removed from the aircraft for refueling, they must be placed in a climate-controlled enclosure and have regular access to a restroom and water.

• Documentation and reporting by fixed base operators

  • FBOs must maintain documentation for each aircraft used to transport detained individuals, including:
  • Identification of the firm or organization providing air services and the governmental agency performing the detention.
  • A copy of the detention confirmation, including the number of detained individuals on board.
  • A review of compliance with refueling requirements.
  • The signature of a crew member.
  • FBOs must submit a monthly report to the commissioner with the required documentation.
  • The documentation must be kept for at least two years.

• Contract limitations with airlines

  • State entities, political subdivisions, or individuals cannot enter into an agreement with an airline that transports a detained individual unless the airline provides evidence of one of the following:
  • A warrant issued by a federal or state court.
  • A court order.
  • An authorization issued by the governor for extradition of the detained individual to another state.
  • An exception applies to agreements entered into on or before October 1, 2026.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Establishes a new statutory definition and process for “detained individuals” on aircraft and creates a mandatory “passenger form.”
• Introduces standardized information collection, storage, and sharing with emergency responders.
• Requires training and compliance checks by fixed base operators and notes that forms must be maintained on board and accompanying documentation kept for two years.
• Adds explicit refueling restrictions tied to the presence of detained individuals.
• Imposes new contracting restrictions on government entities and airlines regarding transportation of detained individuals, with a grandfathering date for pre-existing agreements.

Implementation Considerations

• Who is affected: airlines, fixed base operators, pilots/crews, emergency responders, and Minnesota state or local government entities involved in air transport contracts.
• Privacy and consent: the form includes voluntary completion language and sensitive information (medical, legal status) that may require careful handling and data protection.
• Language access: requires availability in commonly spoken non-English languages to ensure compliance and understanding.

Relevant Terms - detained individual - aircraft passenger - fixed base operator (FBO) - passenger form - voluntary completion - emergency responders - climate-controlled enclosure - refueling - medical history - pending legal proceedings - guardian/parent contact - warrant - court order - extradition - governor authorization - transportation contracts - monthly report - documentation retention (two years) - non-English languages - emergency medical transfer