Friends and neighbors,
Media reports recently revealed that a significant data breach has occurred at the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board, exposing the identities of every undercover peace officer in the state.
Last year, in response to a public records request, the Board shared the identities of 257 undercover officers to an independent journalist. This sensitive information was subsequently shared with several news outlets and a nonprofit. It was also discovered that the data had been publicly available online for the past five months, but the information was taken down when the breach was identified.
The POST Board Executive Director position is appointed by Governor Tim Walz, and there are civil, criminal, and disciplinary penalties for state agencies that violate state laws that keep some data private.
This is completely unacceptable. It puts the safety of these Minnesota officers and their families at risk, while also endangering years of vital law enforcement efforts. I believe the Minnesota Legislature needs to take action to ensure this does not happen again, and I will continue to share updates as session progresses.
Senate Republicans lead effort to listen to school concerns regarding education mandate
On Wednesday, January 22, my Republican colleague chaired the Senate Education Policy Committee as committee members heard testimony from various school representatives regarding the impacts of burdensome education mandates passed last biennium.
Of the more than 60 new mandates passed in 2023, four received the most attention from testifiers: the inclusion of part-time employees under unemployment insurance, Earned Safe and Sick Time, the non-exclusionary discipline policy (which prohibits suspensions for K-3 students), and the READ Act. The most common request was for more local control and flexibility in implementing state requirements.
Following the testimony, the committee took action to pass modifications to the READ Act, making it the first bill to pass out of committee in the 2025 legislative session. This bill would reduce the number of required professional development training hours for teachers, allowing districts more flexibility in the implementation of the READ Act.
Our local school districts are feeling the pressure of the burdensome mandates passed by Democrats in recent years. We need to ensure our schools and educators have the flexibility they need to prioritize their individual concerns. I am hopeful that this is something we will continue to work on this year.
Contact Me
I want to hear from you, my constituents, on issues that are important to you. Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have. You can contact my office at Sen.Bruce.Anderson@mnsenate.gov or 651-296-5981.
Sincerely,
Bruce Anderson