This bill aims to clarify the role of the Attorney General in civil law enforcement actions and the handling of state entity records. It establishes that when the Attorney General acts on behalf of the people of Minnesota, they do so in the public interest and not as a representative of any specific state department or agency. The bill specifies that records from other state entities are not subject to discovery in these actions unless those entities are explicitly named as parties in the litigation. This means that the Attorney General's office will not have access to the records of other state departments unless they are directly involved in the case.

Additionally, the bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 15.17, to state that each agency is the sole custodian of its records. This reinforces the idea that each department, agency, board, commission, or other state entity is responsible for its own records and information, further delineating the boundaries of access and control over these records in the context of civil law enforcement actions. Overall, the bill seeks to protect state entity records from being disclosed during civil enforcement actions unless specifically named, thereby enhancing the confidentiality and integrity of state agency information.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 15.17