SF 1851 Minnesota Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Misrepresentation of campaign authority prohibition

Minnesota Senate File 1851 prohibits individuals or groups from falsely claiming to represent a real, potential, or nonexistent candidate, political party, or organization with the intent to defraud - such as when soliciting money. It creates criminal penalties (a gross misdemeanor) and allows civil lawsuits for damages, including up to $1,000 per violation, for those harmed by such misrepresentations. The law applies to campaign-related activities and takes effect August 1, 2025, targeting deceptive practices that undermine election integrity. It directly affects campaign committees, solicitors, and anyone falsely claiming campaign authority.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 24, 2025 Last action Apr 1, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 3 edits · Mar 3, 2025

MINOR

The bill title was updated to reflect its current status as the '1st Engrossment' rather than the 'Introduction,' and the posting date was changed to April 2, 2025. The most significant substantive change involves the enforcement section, where the right to bring a civil action was expanded to include 'a party injured' in addition to the attorney general and county attorneys, and the language regarding the public interest was altered to state that such actions 'benefit the public.'

Scope change

The scope of who can file a lawsuit for violations was expanded to include any injured party, not just government officials.

ENFORCEMENT

Expanded the list of entities allowed to file civil actions for violations to include 'a party injured' alongside the attorney general and county attorney.

Changed the description of the public interest nature of the lawsuit from 'is in the public interest' to 'benefits the public.'

TECHNICAL

Updated the document title from 'Introduction' to '1st Engrossment' and changed the posting date from February 28, 2025, to April 2, 2025.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

Comm report: To pass and re-referred to Elections

upper

Mar 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

Comm report: To pass as amended and re-refer to Judiciary and Public Safety

upper

Feb 24, 2025

Committee

Referred to Elections

upper

Feb 24, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors