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HF4479 • 2026

Elected officials permitted to hold town hall meetings at postsecondary institutions.

Elected officials permitted to hold town hall meetings at postsecondary institutions.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Frederick
Last action
2026-03-18
Official status
Introduction and first reading, referred to Higher Education Finance and Policy
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Elected officials permitted to hold town hall meetings at postsecondary institutions.

Elected officials permitted to hold town hall meetings at postsecondary institutions.

What This Bill Does

  • Elected officials permitted to hold town hall meetings at postsecondary institutions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-18 House

    Introduction and first reading, referred to Higher Education Finance and Policy

Official Summary Text

Elected officials permitted to hold town hall meetings at postsecondary institutions.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A bill for an act

relating to higher education; permitting elected officials to hold town hall meetings

at postsecondary institutions; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,

chapter 135A.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

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[135A.65] ELECTED OFFICIAL TOWN HALL MEETINGS.

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Subdivision 1.

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Definitions.

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(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have

the meanings given.

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(b) "Jurisdiction" means the geographic area of the political subdivision or district

represented by an elected official in the state of Minnesota. The jurisdiction of an official

elected statewide includes the entire state.

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(c) "Town hall meeting" means an official informational event, open to members of the

public and hosted by an elected official, but where no official public business will be

transacted. An event in which a person other than the elected official is a primary host or

speaker is not a town hall meeting under this section.

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Subd. 2.

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Scope; University of Minnesota.

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This section applies to institutions governed

by the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Institutions

governed by the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota are requested to comply

with this section.

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Subd. 3.

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Town hall meeting accommodation requirements.

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Upon request by an elected

official, a public postsecondary institution within the official's jurisdiction must permit the

elected official to hold a town hall meeting in an available and appropriate space on the

institution's campus free of charge. The institution must waive any parking fees it would

otherwise charge to members of the public attending a town hall meeting under this

subdivision.

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Subd. 4.

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Limitations; specifications.

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(a) The following limitations and specifications

apply to subdivision 3.

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(b) An elected official:

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(1) may hold no more than three town hall meetings per calendar year;

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(2) must make a request for space to the public postsecondary institution no later than

30 days prior to the proposed date of the town hall meeting; and

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(3) may direct their request to the nearest public postsecondary institution if the elected

official does not have a public postsecondary institution within their jurisdiction.

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(c) A public postsecondary institution:

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(1) is not required to cancel, alter, or reschedule any preexisting reservation of a space

in order to accommodate an elected official's requested town hall meeting; and

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(2) must provide a space that is appropriate to accommodate the elected official's

requested town hall meeting based on a reasonable estimate of the town hall meeting's

attendance.

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