HF 3295 Minnesota House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Open Meeting Law; meeting broadcasting through social media authorized.

HF 3295 amends Minnesota's Open Meeting Law (Minnesota Statutes 13D.065) to allow public bodies like city councils and school boards to broadcast meetings via social media. It requires advance notice of the broadcast and how to access it, and clarifies that social media comments during broadcasts are not government records unless the notice specifies otherwise. Public bodies that accept online comments as testimony must establish their own rules for handling them. This directly affects local government bodies holding public meetings in Minnesota.

Issues: ✓ Technology

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

May 2025

Committee Review

May 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced May 5, 2025 Last action May 11, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 4 edits · Apr 9, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to tighten restrictions on social media broadcasting by public bodies. The most significant change is the addition of a ban on offering live comment features during broadcasts, replacing the previous rule that allowed comments only if they were explicitly included in the official meeting record. The amendment also reorganized the statute to clarify that social media broadcasts are permitted only if the platform allows access without an account and all other requirements are met. Additionally, the definition of 'public body' was expanded to explicitly include state agencies and their committees, ensuring they are subject to these new broadcasting rules.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to explicitly include state agencies, boards, commissions, departments, and their committees within the definition of 'public body' that must follow the new social media broadcasting rules.

REQUIREMENT

Added a prohibition requiring public bodies to not offer social media comment features during live broadcasts, removing the previous option to allow comments if they were designated as part of the meeting record.

Replaced the previous requirement for public bodies to provide information on how to submit remote comments with a mandate to simply provide information on how to access the broadcast.

Added a specific condition that the social media platform used for broadcasting must not require an individual to have an account to access the content.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'public body' to explicitly list state agencies, boards, commissions, departments, and their respective committees, ensuring they are covered by the new broadcasting restrictions.

Floor votes · House May 7, 2026

How they voted

124–5

Passed

Total votes 129

May 7, 2026

D Democratic66

62 Yea 4 Nay

93% Yea

R Republican63

62 Yea 1 Nay

98% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 11, 2026

Committee

Referred to State and Local Government

upper

May 11, 2026

Introduced

Introduction and first reading

upper

May 11, 2026

Introduced

Received from House

upper

May 7, 2026

Lower · Passed

Bill was passed

lower

May 7, 2026

Introduced

Amendments offered

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt and re-refer to Elections Finance and Government Operations

lower

May 5, 2025

Introduced

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

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors