Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

HF 3676 strengthens Minnesota's Safe at Home program, which provides confidential addresses for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill expands eligibility to include emancipated minors, requires court orders for guardianship applications, and clarifies that entities must use the program's confidential address exclusively for mail. It also establishes criminal penalties for knowingly disclosing a participant's real address or violating program confidentiality. This directly affects victims using the Safe at Home program by enhancing their safety protections and legal safeguards.

This bill creates a legal process in Minnesota that allows victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault to remove a perpetrator's ownership interest from a contract for deed on residential property. The law enables unmarried victims who share an interest in such contracts to petition a court to extinguish the perpetrator's claim, provided they submit proof of abuse such as a protection order, law enforcement documentation, or a verified statement from a qualified professional like a healthcare provider or domestic abuse advocate. Once the petition is filed, the perpetrator and property seller have 90 days to contest the request, after which a court may issue an order removing the perpetrator's interest from the property agreement. The legislation directly affects victims of abuse who hold shared ownership in contracts for deed and their abusive partners, offering a streamlined path to secure housing without the perpetrator's involvement.

This bill clarifies how courts publish notices and modifies several legal procedures in Minnesota, including changes to restitution rules, conciliation court jurisdiction, juror data collection, and no-fault arbitration thresholds. It expands the amount eligible for mandatory binding arbitration from $10,000 to $20,000 and updates how certain personal data, such as race and ethnicity information, is shared with the judicial branch for jury selection purposes. The legislation also allows district courts to publish their own notices online and adjusts the conciliation court's monetary limits for handling civil claims. Additionally, it clarifies how Social Security numbers and other sensitive driver data are shared with specific government agencies and modifies the expiration date for the Supreme Court Council on Child Protection.

This Minnesota bill requires large social media platforms to implement specific protections for children under 18, including restrictions on addictive design features like infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and personalized feeds. The law applies to platforms that earn at least $1 billion in annual advertising revenue and defines "addictive interface features" in detail, such as push notifications and metrics showing likes or follower counts. Parents of children under 15 must receive clear notifications about their child's online activity, and platforms must provide tools for parents to manage their child's account settings. The bill also establishes enforcement mechanisms and sets up a new chapter in Minnesota statutes to govern these requirements.

HF 5149 restricts law enforcement from making civil immigration arrests at court facilities and surrounding areas to protect individuals attending legal proceedings. The bill defines 'civil arrest' as taking someone into custody for immigration violations and explicitly prohibits this action within courthouses, parking lots, and nearby sidewalks. It also establishes protections for court companions, such as family members and advocates, by extending these arrest restrictions to anyone accompanying a person to court. Additionally, the legislation modifies laws related to concealing identity and expands investigations into police use of force.