1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to education; repealing the American Indian mascot prohibition; repealing
1.3 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041.
1.4BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.5 Section 1. REPEALER.
1.6 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, is repealed.
1.7 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment for
1.8the 2025-2026 school year and later.
1Section 1.
REVISOR CR/DG 25-0149212/19/24
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 166
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Anderson, P. H.; Davis; Knudsen; Dotseth and Van Binsbergen01/22/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Education Policy 121A.041 AMERICAN INDIAN MASCOTS PROHIBITED.
Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the
meanings given.
(b) "American Indian" means an individual who is:
(1) a member of an Indian Tribe or Band, as membership is defined by the Tribe or Band,
including:
(i) any Tribe or Band terminated since 1940; and
(ii) any Tribe or Band recognized by the state in which the Tribe or Band resides;
(2) a descendant, in the first or second degree, of an individual described in clause (1);
(3) considered by the Secretary of the Interior to be an Indian for any purpose;
(4) an Inuit, Aleut, or other Alaska Native; or
(5) a member of an organized Indian group that received a grant under the Indian Education
Act of 1988 as in effect the day preceding October 20, 1994.
(c) "District" means a district under section 120A.05, subdivision 8.
(d) "Mascot" means any human, nonhuman animal, or object used to represent a school and its
population.
(e) "Public school" or "school" means a public school under section 120A.05, subdivisions 9,
11, 13, and 17, and a charter school under chapter 124E.
Subd. 2.Prohibition on American Indian mascots.(a) Starting September 1, 2026, a public
school may not have or adopt a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian
Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead, or team
name of the school, district, or school within the district, unless the school has obtained an exemption
under subdivision 3.
(b) The prohibition in paragraph (a) does not apply to a public school located within the
reservation of a federally recognized Tribal Nation in Minnesota, where at least 95 percent of
students meet the state definition of American Indian student.
(c) A school district with a prohibited American Indian mascot according to paragraph (a), that
has not received an exemption according to subdivision 3, must report to the chairs and ranking
minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade
12 education policy by February 14, 2025, and again by February 1, 2026, on the district's progress
to comply with this section; and the district must submit copies of the reports to the Legislative
Reference Library. The reports must include the following:
(1) confirmation that the district has removed the American Indian mascot, nickname, logo,
letterhead, or team name from the district website;
(2) confirmation that the board of the district has approved a new mascot, nickname, logo,
letterhead, or team name;
(3) a summary of the district's progress on removing the American Indian mascot, nickname,
logo, letterhead, or team name from uniforms, equipment, signs, elements of facilities, and other
district items; and
(4) a summary of resources necessary to comply with the prohibition in paragraph (a) and the
district's plan to raise and allocate any necessary funds.
Subd. 3.Exemption.A public school may seek an exemption to subdivision 2 by submitting
a request in writing to all 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations in Minnesota and to the Tribal
Nations Education Committee by September 1, 2023. The exemption is denied if any of the 11
Tribal Nations or the Tribal Nations Education Committee oppose the exemption by December 15,
2023. A public school whose request for an exemption is denied must comply with subdivision 2
by September 1, 2026.
1R
APPENDIX
Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 25-01492