HF 104 Minnesota House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Restorative practices statements and documents made inadmissible in civil and criminal proceedings, status report for restorative practices modified, and data classified.

HF 104 makes statements and documents created during restorative justice practices (like conferences or circles) inadmissible in court. It protects confidentiality for all participants - including those who caused harm, those harmed, and community members - and classifies their personal data as private. The bill prohibits using such statements or data in legal proceedings unless exceptions apply, such as preventing serious harm or crime. This directly affects individuals participating in Minnesota's restorative justice programs by ensuring their discussions remain confidential during the process.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Last action Apr 29, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

1st Engrossment → 2nd Engrossment · 4 edits · Apr 3, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates the legislative version of HF 104 from the 1st to the 2nd Engrossment, incorporating significant substantive changes to how restorative justice data is classified and how program effectiveness is reported. The bill now explicitly defines data on restorative practice participants as 'private data' while allowing specific disclosures, and it mandates annual status reports that must include specific metrics on recidivism and financial investments. Additionally, the confidentiality protections for participants have been strengthened to explicitly bar the use of their statements in civil or criminal proceedings, with only narrow exceptions for preventing harm or proving professional misconduct.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new statutory requirements for reporting program impact and to clarify the legal status of restorative justice data and participant communications.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Office of Restorative Practices to submit an annual status report by February 15 that includes specific data on recidivism, public safety outcomes, and local financial investments provided by grantees.

DEFINITION

Established that data identifying an individual as a restorative practice participant is 'private data' on individuals, though it may be disclosed for specific purposes like law enforcement or victim support.

ENFORCEMENT

Strengthened confidentiality protections by stating that statements and documents from restorative practices are not admissible as evidence in civil or criminal proceedings, with exceptions only for preventing imminent harm or proving professional misconduct.

SCOPE

Added a new statute specifically titled 'Restorative Practice Participant Data' to clarify how such information is governed and protected.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Chief Clerk for comparison with SF2200

lower

Apr 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended

lower

Mar 24, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to Public Safety Finance and Policy

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading, referred to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

lower

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors