Minnesota Senate Republicans announced today that Senator Andrew Mathews (R-Princeton) will serve as the chair of the new Civil Law and Data Practices Committee. The committee will focus on addressing the rapidly developing impact of technology, how it impacts data we generate on ourselves, our families, and our businesses, as well as upholding a fair set of laws for issues such as liability and family law.

“I am grateful and honored by this opportunity to serve as chair of the Civil Law and Data Practices Committee,”  said Sen. Mathews. “We have a responsibility to strike a just and fair balance between protecting private information as much as possible, but also making sure data access is transparent and accountable when circumstances warrant. 

“In addition, I look forward to overseeing other areas of the committee in civil law jurisdictions, to make sure that our legal system provides a good framework for resolving civil disputes in our society,” Sen. Mathews added.

The priority for the session will be balancing the budget in light of an economy recovering from covid. The Senate Finance Committee is the only committee with hearing time available three days a week, all others are limited to one or two hearings a week, or as needed. Less meeting time will help focus the agendas and ensure public participation can be done safely. There are more committees, 29 in total, from 2020, but with fewer members to accommodate for social distancing. The new committee areas are focused on: data practices and civil law, property taxes, mining and forestry, labor and industry, health and human services licensing, metropolitan governance, and redistricting.