SF 2565 Minnesota Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Civic seal designation establishment for high school students, Minnesota Civic Seal Task Force Establishment and appropriation

Minnesota Senate File 2565 establishes a voluntary "Minnesota Civic Seal" for high school students who meet specific civic engagement criteria. To earn the seal, students must complete approved civics coursework, complete a project-based assessment, participate in at least one civic activity outside class (like voting in student elections or community service), and demonstrate civic dispositions like respect for diverse views. Schools may choose to participate, must provide free access to the program, and will affix the seal to diplomas for qualifying students. The program applies to students graduating in 2027 or later, with the Department of Education developing accessible criteria to ensure equitable access across all communities.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 13, 2025 Last action Mar 23, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

1st Engrossment → 2nd Engrossment · 6 edits · Mar 4, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was revised to clarify its purpose as establishing a civic seal designation and creating a new task force. The eligibility criteria were significantly broadened to focus on diverse civic competencies rather than specific coursework, and the new task force is tasked with ensuring the program remains accessible to all students without requiring personal financial resources. The effective date was delayed from the 2026-2027 school year to the 2027-2028 school year.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly establishes a 'Minnesota Civic Seal Task Force' to oversee implementation, replacing the previous requirement for the commissioner to convene a working group. The scope of eligibility was expanded to include a wider range of civic activities and dispositions.

REQUIREMENT

A new Minnesota Civic Seal Task Force was established, led by the YMCA Center for Youth Voice, to oversee program implementation and development.

New provisions mandate that the criteria must be broad enough for any student to earn the seal without spending personal resources and prohibit naming specific partisan programs or providers.

The requirement for students to affix an insignia to their diploma was removed; the new version only requires recording the designation on the official transcript.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility criteria were changed from completing specific coursework to completing activities across multiple areas of civic competency, including democratic engagement, civic knowledge, media literacy, community service, and bridge building.

TIMELINE

The effective date was moved from the 2026-2027 academic year to the 2027-2028 academic year, applying to students graduating in 2028 and later.

DEFINITION

The section number for the Minnesota Civic Seal was changed from 120B.112 to 120B.091.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Comm report: To pass as amended and re-refer to State and Local Government

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

Withdrawn and re-referred to Education Policy

upper

Mar 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

Comm report: To pass as amended and re-refer to Education Finance

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Committee

Referred to Education Policy

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading

upper

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors