Today the Senate Judiciary Committee heard legislation chief authored by Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine) that brings much-needed transparency to cases handled by the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.
The Minnesota Data Practices Act exists to protect “the right of the public to know what the government is doing.” Prior to 2022, all Minnesota Attorneys General operated under the practice that all data not related to specific individuals was publicly accessible unless otherwise protected by a separate classification. That changed drastically when Attorney General Ellison refused to produce data that had previously been routinely produced by his predecessors for over 40 years. As a result of the ensuing litigation, the court in Energy Policy Advocates v. Ellison came to the absurd conclusion that the word “individuals” in the Act could be applied broadly to all data, including non-individuals, like corporations and other entities. As a result, the Attorney General has continued to refuse to make information regarding corporations and other entities accessible to the public.
“Minnesotans expect full transparency within the Attorney General’s office so they can understand how their government is operating and using their tax dollars,” said Kreun. “Because of the lack of transparency in the current AG’s office, information has been hidden by the AG on a variety of issues and policies of great importance to the public. In a time where fraud is running rampant in our state, it’s important that Minnesotans have trust that our Attorney General is using his resources wisely to mitigate further abuse of the system and is operating in a transparent way that builds trust with Minnesotans.
“Minnesotans have a right to this information so they can hold their government officials accountable. This bill restores transparency to the Attorney General’s Office.”
Kreun’s bill generated bipartisan interest and was laid over to allow further bipartisan discussions and work to provide more transparency to the Attorney General’s office.