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A bill for an act
relating to public safety; increasing criminal penalties and expanding the scope of
the doxxing crime; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.5151.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.5151, is amended to read:
609.5151 DISSEMINATION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
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ABOUT LAW
ENFORCEMENT
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PROHIBITED; PENALTY.
Subdivision 1.
Definitions.
As used in this section:
(1) "family or household member" has the meaning given in section
518B.01, subdivision
2;
(2) "law enforcement official" means both peace officers as defined in section
626.84
,
subdivision 1, and persons employed by a law enforcement agency; and
(3) "personal information" means a home telephone number, personal cell number,
personal email address, name of the
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official's
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person's
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minor child, photographs of the
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official's
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person's
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minor child, home address, directions to a home, or photographs of a
home.
Subd. 2.
Crime described.
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(a)
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It is a
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misdemeanor for a person
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crime
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to knowingly and
without consent make publicly available, including but not limited to through the Internet,
personal information about
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a law enforcement official or an official's
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another person or a
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family or household member
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of that person
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, if:
(1) the public availability of information poses an imminent and serious threat to the
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official's
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other person's
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safety or the safety of
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an official's
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that person's
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family or household
member; and
(2) the person making the information publicly available knows or reasonably should
know of the imminent and serious threat.
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Subd. 3.
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Penalty.
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(a) A violation of subdivision 2 is a misdemeanor unless the victim
is a law enforcement official or a family or household member of a law enforcement official,
in which case it is a gross misdemeanor.
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(b) A
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person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if the person violates paragraph (a) and
a law enforcement official or an official's family or household member
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violation of
subdivision 2 is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than two years or to the
payment of a fine of not more than $4,000, or both, if the victim or the victim's family or
household member
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suffers great bodily harm or death as a result of the violation.
(c) A person who is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section is guilty
of a
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gross misdemeanor
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felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than two years or
to the payment of a fine of not more than $4,000, or both
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.
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EFFECTIVE DATE.
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This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to crimes
committed on or after that date.
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