Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota House Bill HF3270 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to the legislature; proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution,
3	3	1.3 article IV, sections 3, 5, 6, and 12; article V, section 3; by adding article IV, section
4	4	1.4 27; by adding an article XV; establishing an Independent Redistricting Commission;
5	5	1.5 establishing a Redistricting Commission Applicant Review Panel; establishing
6	6	1.6 principles to be used in adopting legislative and congressional districts; prohibiting
7	7	1.7 members of the legislature from being employed or engaged for compensation as
8	8	1.8 a lobbyist for a period of one year following the end of their legislative service;
9	9	1.9 amending requirements related to the convening and conduct of regular legislative
10	10	1.10 sessions; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 2.031, by adding a
11	11	1.11 subdivision; 2.731; 10A.01, subdivision 35; proposing coding for new law in
12	12	1.12 Minnesota Statutes, chapters 2; 2A; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, section
13	13	1.13 2.91.
14	14	1.14BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
15	15	1.15 ARTICLE 1
16	16	1.16 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS; INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
17	17	1.17 COMMISSION
18	18	1.18 Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS PROPOSED.
19	19	1.19 An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to the people. If the amendment
20	20	1.20is adopted, article IV, section 3, will read:
21	21	1.21 Sec. 3. At its first session after each enumeration of the inhabitants of this state made
22	22	1.22by the authority of the United States, the legislature shall have the power to prescribe the
23	23	1.23bounds of congressional and legislative districts. Senators shall be chosen by single districts
24	24	1.24of convenient contiguous territory. No representative district shall be divided in the formation
25	25	1.25of a senate district. The senate districts shall be numbered in a regular series. A senate
26	26	1.26district must consist of two whole representative districts, labeled "A" and "B," respectively.
27	27	1Article 1 Section 1.
28	28	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25
29	29	State of Minnesota
30	30	This Document can be made available
31	31	in alternative formats upon request
32	32	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
33	33	H. F. No. 3270
34	34	NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
35	35	Authored by Long, Stephenson, Greenman, Frazier, Howard and others04/29/2025
36	36	The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on State Government Finance and Policy 2.1 article IV, section 5, will read:
37	37	2.2 Sec. 5. No senator or representative shall hold any other office under the authority of
38	38	2.3the United States or the state of Minnesota, except that of postmaster or of notary public.
39	39	2.4If elected or appointed to another office, a legislator may resign from the legislature by
40	40	2.5tendering his resignation to the governor.
41	41	2.6 No senator or representative may be employed as a lobbyist, or otherwise receive
42	42	2.7compensation for services as a lobbyist, while seated in the legislature and for a period of
43	43	2.8one year following the end of the senator's or representative's legislative service. "Lobbyist"
44	44	2.9shall be defined by law.
45	45	2.10 article IV, section 6, will read:
46	46	2.11 Sec. 6. Senators and representatives shall be qualified voters of the state, and shall have
47	47	2.12resided one year in the state and six months immediately preceding the election in the district
48	48	2.13from which elected. Each house shall be the judge of the election returns and eligibility of
49	49	2.14its own members, but in entering its judgment may not refuse membership or remove a
50	50	2.15member except upon a majority vote of all members elected to that house. The legislature
51	51	2.16shall prescribe by law the manner for taking evidence in cases of contested seats in either
52	52	2.17house.
53	53	2.18 article IV, section 12, will read:
54	54	2.19 Sec. 12. The legislature shall meet at the seat of government in regular session in each
55	55	2.20biennium at the times prescribed by law for not exceeding a total of 120 legislative days.
56	56	2.21The legislature shall not meet in regular session, nor in any adjournment thereof, after the
57	57	2.22first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year. After meeting at a time
58	58	2.23prescribed by law, the legislature may adjourn to another time. "Legislative day" shall be
59	59	2.24defined by law. A special session of the legislature may be called by the governor on
60	60	2.25extraordinary occasions.
61	61	2.26 Neither house during a session of the legislature shall adjourn for more than three days
62	62	2.27(Sundays excepted) nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be
63	63	2.28assembled without the consent of the other house except upon notice by message to the
64	64	2.29other house.
65	65	2.30 a section shall be added to article IV, to read:
66	66	2.31 Sec. 27. If a house is equally divided on a question, the lieutenant governor may cast a
67	67	2.32vote on the question in the senate, and the secretary of state may cast a vote on the question
68	68	2.33in the house of representatives. These votes must be entered in the journal and counted as
69	69	2Article 1 Section 1.
70	70	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 3.1if they were cast by a member elected to that house. The lieutenant governor and secretary
71	71	3.2of state are not members of either house for any other purpose.
72	72	3.3 article V, section 3, will read:
73	73	3.4 Sec. 3. The governor shall communicate by message to each session of the legislature
74	74	3.5information touching the state and country. He is commander-in-chief of the military and
75	75	3.6naval forces and may call them out to execute the laws, suppress insurrection and repel
76	76	3.7invasion. He may require the opinion in writing of the principal officer in each of the
77	77	3.8executive departments upon any subject relating to his duties. With the advice and consent
78	78	3.9of the senate he may appoint notaries public and other officers provided by law, provided
79	79	3.10that the consent of the senate is not required if the senate has not acted upon an appointment
80	80	3.11within 60 legislative days of its submission, if submitted more than 90 calendar days prior
81	81	3.12to adjournment sine die of a regular session of the legislature, or within 60 legislative days
82	82	3.13after the next legislature is convened, if submitted fewer than 90 calendar days prior to
83	83	3.14adjournment sine die of a regular session of the legislature. He may appoint commissioners
84	84	3.15to take the acknowledgment of deeds or other instruments in writing to be used in the state.
85	85	3.16He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. He shall fill any vacancy that may
86	86	3.17occur in the offices of secretary of state, auditor, attorney general and the other state and
87	87	3.18district offices hereafter created by law until the end of the term for which the person who
88	88	3.19had vacated the office was elected or the first Monday in January following the next general
89	89	3.20election, whichever is sooner, and until a successor is chosen and qualified.
90	90	3.21 article XV shall be added to read:
91	91	3.22 ARTICLE XV
92	92	3.23 INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION
93	93	3.24 Section 1. By December 31, 2031, and each year following a federal decennial census
94	94	3.25thereafter, an Independent Redistricting Commission shall adopt boundaries of congressional
95	95	3.26and legislative districts. The commission is established within the legislative department
96	96	3.27and consists of the following members:
97	97	3.28 (1) five members who support the first political party;
98	98	3.29 (2) five members who support the second political party; and
99	99	3.30 (3) five members who do not affiliate with either the first political party or the second
100	100	3.31political party.
101	101	3Article 1 Section 1.
102	102	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 4.1 For purposes of this constitution and any subsequent enabling law, the "first political
103	103	4.2party" means the political party receiving the highest number of combined votes for state
104	104	4.3constitutional offices and United States Senate during the period since a statewide legislative
105	105	4.4district plan was last ordered or adopted, aggregated across all elections conducted during
106	106	4.5that period; and the "second political party" means the political party receiving the
107	107	4.6second-highest number of combined votes for state constitutional offices and United States
108	108	4.7Senate during the period since a statewide legislative district plan was last ordered or adopted,
109	109	4.8aggregated across all elections conducted during that period.
110	110	4.9 Sec. 2. A commission member must be a resident of Minnesota, have continuously
111	111	4.10resided in Minnesota during the current year and the immediately preceding six years, and
112	112	4.11be eligible to vote in Minnesota.
113	113	4.12 The following individuals are ineligible to serve on the Independent Redistricting
114	114	4.13Commission, on the Redistricting Commission Applicant Screening Panel, or as
115	115	4.14administrative, professional, or technical staff or consultants to either the commission or
116	116	4.15screening panel:
117	117	4.16 (1) current federal, state, or local elected officials, and their immediate family members;
118	118	4.17 (2) current appointed officials who are defined by law as public officials, and their
119	119	4.18immediate family members;
120	120	4.19 (3) individuals who have served in any federal, state, or local elected office or appointed
121	121	4.20position defined by law as a public official in Minnesota during the current year and
122	122	4.21immediately preceding six years, and their immediate family members;
123	123	4.22 (4) individuals who have been a candidate for any federal, state, or local elective office
124	124	4.23in Minnesota during the current year and the immediately preceding six years, and their
125	125	4.24immediate family members;
126	126	4.25 (5) individuals who have served as an officer, paid consultant, or contractor to any
127	127	4.26political party, political action committee, or campaign committee at the federal, state, or
128	128	4.27local level for any period during the current year or the immediately preceding six years,
129	129	4.28and their immediate family members;
130	130	4.29 (6) individuals who have served as a staff member, paid consultant, or contractor for
131	131	4.30any elected official or candidate for any federal, state, or local office for any period during
132	132	4.31the current year and the immediately preceding six years, and their immediate family
133	133	4.32members; and
134	134	4Article 1 Section 1.
135	135	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 5.1 (7) individuals who have been a lobbyist registered with the state of Minnesota or the
136	136	5.2federal government for any period during the current year and the immediately preceding
137	137	5.3six years, and their immediate family members.
138	138	5.4 Sec. 3. No later than January 1 of the year of a decennial census, the chief justice of the
139	139	5.5supreme court must appoint two retired judges who served a federal, state, or Tribal court
140	140	5.6of jurisdiction in Minnesota to a Redistricting Commission Applicant Screening Panel. One
141	141	5.7of these appointees must support the first political party, and one of these appointees must
142	142	5.8support the second political party. The two appointees of the chief justice must mutually
143	143	5.9agree on one additional retired federal, state, or Tribal court judge who is not affiliated with
144	144	5.10either the first political party or the second political party, to serve as the third member of
145	145	5.11the panel and as its chair. Each member of the panel must commit to conduct the work of
146	146	5.12the panel in a fair and impartial manner, and must not attempt to create an advantage in the
147	147	5.13applicant screening process for any political party. The purpose of the Redistricting
148	148	5.14Commission Applicant Screening Panel is to solicit applications from members of the public
149	149	5.15for service on the Independent Redistricting Commission; to review applications to determine
150	150	5.16each applicant's qualifications, conflicts of interest, party affiliation, relevant experiences
151	151	5.17and skills, community ties, and commitment to impartiality, compromise, and fairness; and
152	152	5.18to establish pools of well-qualified candidates to be used in selecting commission members
153	153	5.19by random lot.
154	154	5.20 No later than July 1 of the year of a decennial census, the screening panel must close
155	155	5.21the application period and select, by majority vote of the panel, a pool of 30 qualified
156	156	5.22applicants to serve in the role of a commission member supporting the first political party;
157	157	5.23a pool of 30 qualified applicants to serve in the role of a commission member supporting
158	158	5.24the second political party; and a pool of 30 qualified applicants to serve in the role of a
159	159	5.25commission member who does not affiliate with either the first political party or the second
160	160	5.26political party. To the extent practicable, the screening panel must ensure that each applicant
161	161	5.27pool consists of well-qualified applicants and reflects the gender, socioeconomic, age, racial,
162	162	5.28language, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the state. Each congressional district must be
163	163	5.29represented by at least two applicants in each applicant pool. The panel must make public
164	164	5.30the name, the current place of residence, and the partisan affiliation, if any, of each person
165	165	5.31selected for an applicant pool. The panel must make this information available on its website
166	166	5.32and provide a portal for the submission of public comments on each applicant. Submitted
167	167	5.33comments may only be viewed by the panel's members. The panel must itself, or by contract
168	168	5.34with a professional search firm, conduct and publicly broadcast individual screening
169	169	5.35interviews with the applicants identified in each pool. The purpose of the screening interview
170	170	5Article 1 Section 1.
171	171	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 6.1must be to examine the applicant's qualifications, conflicts of interest, party affiliation,
172	172	6.2relevant experiences and skills, community ties, and commitment to impartiality, compromise,
173	173	6.3and fairness.
174	174	6.4 After reviewing the public comments and conducting interviews, but no later than
175	175	6.5September 15 of the year of a decennial census, the screening panel must select and publish
176	176	6.6a list of finalists who are well qualified and collectively reflect a geographically and
177	177	6.7demographically representative cross section of the state. The list of finalists must include
178	178	6.815 applicants who support the first political party, 15 applicants who support the second
179	179	6.9political party, and 15 applicants who do not affiliate with either the first or second political
180	180	6.10party.
181	181	6.11 No later than October 15 of the year of a decennial census, the chair of the screening
182	182	6.12panel must choose, by random lot in a public meeting, three applicants from the pool of 15
183	183	6.13finalists supporting the first political party, three applicants from the pool of 15 finalists
184	184	6.14supporting the second political party, and three applicants from the pool of 15 finalists that
185	185	6.15do not affiliate with either the first political party or the second political party. The chosen
186	186	6.16applicants shall be seated as members of the Independent Redistricting Commission. The
187	187	6.17chair of the screening panel must convene the first meeting of the commission no later than
188	188	6.1830 days after the members chosen by random lot have been selected. No later than 60 days
189	189	6.19following its first meeting, the seated Independent Redistricting Commission members must
190	190	6.20convene and assess the demographic and geographic diversity of the nine members and
191	191	6.21must review and select, by majority vote, a total of six additional members, two members
192	192	6.22from each of the pools of applicants selected by the Redistricting Commission Applicant
193	193	6.23Screening Panel to be seated. The six additional members shall be chosen to ensure the
194	194	6.24commission reflects this state's diversity, including but not limited to racial, ethnic,
195	195	6.25geographic, and gender diversity. It is not intended that formulas or specific ratios be applied
196	196	6.26for this purpose. At least one member of the commission supporting the first party and one
197	197	6.27member for the commission supporting the second party must vote in favor of each member
198	198	6.28seated from the pool of applicants that do not affiliate with either the first political party or
199	199	6.29the second political party. In the event of an impasse, the chair of the Redistricting
200	200	6.30Commission Applicant Screening Panel must choose any remaining members by lot from
201	201	6.31among the applicable pool of applicants established by the panel. The Independent
202	202	6.32Redistricting Commission may not conduct further business until all commission members
203	203	6.33have been chosen and seated.
204	204	6.34 A member of the commission may be removed, for cause, by a vote of 12 members,
205	205	6.35including the affirmative vote of at least one member supporting the first political party,
206	206	6Article 1 Section 1.
207	207	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 7.1one member supporting the second political party, and one member that is not affiliated
208	208	7.2with either the first or second political party. Standards for removal and the ethical conduct
209	209	7.3of commission members may be further provided by law. The chief justice of the supreme
210	210	7.4court must fill a vacancy on the commission by random lot from among the pool of applicants
211	211	7.5selected by the screening panel that corresponds to the party affiliation of the vacating
212	212	7.6member. The selection process must be open for public viewing.
213	213	7.7 A commission member may not be seated as a member of the house of representatives
214	214	7.8or the senate during any year in which a district map adopted by the commission on which
215	215	7.9the member served is in effect.
216	216	7.10 Sec. 4. The commission must elect a chair, vice-chair, and other officers from among
217	217	7.11its members. A quorum of the commission is nine members.
218	218	7.12 The commission must adopt a schedule of public hearings and other hearing and
219	219	7.13administrative procedures to guide the conduct of its work. The schedule and procedures
220	220	7.14must be designed in favor of transparency and to maximize opportunities for public
221	221	7.15participation and public comment on the commission's work. The commission must solicit
222	222	7.16public comment on the locations to be used for public hearings before a schedule is adopted.
223	223	7.17 The commission must solicit public comment on its map drawing process, its methods
224	224	7.18of applying the required principles, and the maps proposed by commission members. The
225	225	7.19commission must also provide opportunities for members of the public to submit proposed
226	226	7.20maps and proposed methods of applying the required principles and allow opportunities in
227	227	7.21a public meeting for other members of the public to review and comment on those proposed
228	228	7.22maps and methods of applying the required principles.
229	229	7.23 Consistent with available technology, the commission must provide opportunities for
230	230	7.24the public to view and participate in commission meetings by electronic means, and to
231	231	7.25access the work of the commission in multiple languages.
232	232	7.26 A redistricting plan must not be adopted unless the commission has conducted at least
233	233	7.27two public hearings in each congressional district at which an opportunity for public comment
234	234	7.28is provided, including one public hearing before any map is drawn and one public hearing
235	235	7.29after a proposed map is made public. To be adopted, a redistricting plan must be approved
236	236	7.30in a public meeting by at least nine members, including at least two who support the first
237	237	7.31political party, two who support the second political party, and one who does not affiliate
238	238	7.32with either the first or second political parties. A vote on a final redistricting plan may not
239	239	7.33occur unless the final plan has been publicly posted for at least 14 days. At a meeting where
240	240	7.34a redistricting plan is proposed for final adoption, the commission may only amend the plan
241	241	7Article 1 Section 1.
242	242	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 8.1for the purpose of making technical corrections. The meaning of a technical correction, and
243	243	8.2procedures for adopting technical corrections after the commission has expired, may be
244	244	8.3provided by law.
245	245	8.4 The commission must adopt a final redistricting plan no later than December 31 of the
246	246	8.5year following a decennial census. Each adopted plan, along with a report summarizing the
247	247	8.6commission's work on the plan, how the plan responds to public input received by the
248	248	8.7commission, and how the plan adheres to the requirements of this constitution and other
249	249	8.8applicable law, must be filed with the secretary of state no later than seven days following
250	250	8.9its adoption.
251	251	8.10 The commission must hire necessary administrative, professional, and technical staff to
252	252	8.11assist the commission in its work. Any staff employed by the commission must report to
253	253	8.12the commission and owe a duty of care and duty of loyalty to the commission as a whole.
254	254	8.13Staff must be screened for potential biases or conflicts of interest and must demonstrate the
255	255	8.14necessary experience, expertise, and skills in the conduct of redistricting.
256	256	8.15 A redistricting plan adopted by the commission is effective beginning at the state general
257	257	8.16election held the second year following the federal decennial census and thereafter, until
258	258	8.17new district plans are adopted. The commission expires when both legislative and
259	259	8.18congressional redistricting plans have been adopted and filed with the secretary of state,
260	260	8.19but may be reconstituted as required by this constitution.
261	261	8.20 Sec. 5. Congressional and legislative districts must be drawn in accordance with the
262	262	8.21principles listed in this section. If districts cannot be drawn fully in accordance with all
263	263	8.22principles, priority must be given to the principles in the order in which they are listed,
264	264	8.23except when doing so would violate federal law, including requirements of the United States
265	265	8.24Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended.
266	266	8.25 Each congressional district must be as nearly equal in total population as practicable.
267	267	8.26Each legislative district must be substantially equal in total population. The maximum
268	268	8.27permissible deviation for a legislative district is three percent, plus or minus, from the total
269	269	8.28population of the ideal district. The population counts used for purposes of drawing district
270	270	8.29maps must be the block population counts provided to the state under Public Law 94-171,
271	271	8.30or a successor law, after each decennial census, subject to the correction of any errors
272	272	8.31acknowledged by the United States Census Bureau, and as adjusted to allocate each person
273	273	8.32incarcerated in a state or federal correctional facility to the census block of the person's last
274	274	8.33known address, if the person has a last known address in Minnesota, and to exclude
275	275	8.34incarcerated persons whose last known address is not located in Minnesota or who do not
276	276	8Article 1 Section 1.
277	277	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 9.1have a last known address. The legislature may provide procedures by law for the conduct
278	278	9.2of these allocations and exclusions.
279	279	9.3 Districts must provide, at a minimum:
280	280	9.4 (1) the equal opportunity of racial, ethnic, and language minorities to participate in the
281	281	9.5political process and to elect candidates of their choice, whether alone or in coalition with
282	282	9.6others; and
283	283	9.7 (2) sizable racial, ethnic, and language minorities who constitute less than a voting-age
284	284	9.8majority of a district with an opportunity to substantially influence the outcome of an election.
285	285	9.9 Federally recognized American Indian Tribal reservations may only be divided if:
286	286	9.10 (1) the division occurs because a portion of the reservation is not contiguous with another
287	287	9.11portion of the reservation; or
288	288	9.12 (2) despite the division, the known population of the reservation remains wholly located
289	289	9.13within a single district.
290	290	9.14 Districts must minimize the division of identifiable communities of interest. A community
291	291	9.15of interest may include a racial, ethnic, or linguistic group or any group with shared
292	292	9.16experiences or concerns, including but not limited to geographic, regional, social, cultural,
293	293	9.17historic, socioeconomic, occupational, trade, or transportation interests. Communities of
294	294	9.18interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or candidates. A
295	295	9.19political subdivision is not, by itself, a community of interest. Where communities of interest
296	296	9.20overlap, greater consideration must be given to those communities of interest whose
297	297	9.21representational needs would be most benefited from the community's inclusion in a single
298	298	9.22district.
299	299	9.23 Each district must be contiguous. Contiguity by water is sufficient if the water is not a
300	300	9.24serious obstacle to travel within the district. A district with areas that touch only at a point
301	301	9.25is not contiguous.
302	302	9.26 Districts must minimize the division of counties, cities, school districts, and towns to
303	303	9.27the extent practicable.
304	304	9.28 Sec. 6. A redistricting plan must not purposely favor or disfavor a candidate or
305	305	9.29incumbent. The statewide proportion of districts in each redistricting plan that favor a
306	306	9.30political party must correspond closely to the statewide partisan preferences for the voters
307	307	9.31of Minnesota for that party.
308	308	9Article 1 Section 1.
309	309	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 10.1 The statewide proportion of districts in each redistricting plan that favor a political party
310	310	10.2must be determined by:
311	311	10.3 (1) calculating the number of districts in the redistricting plan that would have been won
312	312	10.4by the candidates representing the first political party and the second political party using
313	313	10.5the two-party vote in each statewide partisan general election held in the preceding six years
314	314	10.6for which precinct-level data is available;
315	315	10.7 (2) dividing each of these numbers by the total number of districts in the redistricting
316	316	10.8plan to obtain the proportion of districts in the redistricting plan that would have been won
317	317	10.9by candidates representing the first political party and the second political party in each
318	318	10.10general election; and
319	319	10.11 (3) calculating the median of these proportions for each political party.
320	320	10.12 The statewide partisan preferences of the voters of Minnesota must be determined by:
321	321	10.13 (1) calculating the proportion of the statewide two-party vote received by the candidates
322	322	10.14representing the first political party and the second political party in each statewide partisan
323	323	10.15general election held in the preceding six years for which precinct-level data is available;
324	324	10.16and
325	325	10.17 (2) calculating the median of these proportions for each political party.
326	326	10.18 To "correspond closely" means that the statewide proportion of districts in each
327	327	10.19redistricting plan that favor each political party deviates by no more than three percentage
328	328	10.20points in either direction, or if this is arithmetically impossible, by the smallest possible
329	329	10.21proportion that is larger than three percentage points, from the statewide partisan preferences
330	330	10.22of the voters of Minnesota.
331	331	10.23 Sec. 7. If the Independent Redistricting Commission fails to adopt a final redistricting
332	332	10.24plan by December 31 of the year following a decennial census, each member of the
333	333	10.25commission may submit, within five business days, no more than one proposed redistricting
334	334	10.26plan for each redistricting plan that is the subject of impasse for a total vote runoff process.
335	335	10.27Each commissioner must rank all submitted redistricting plans in decreasing order of
336	336	10.28preference. The submitted redistricting plan that wins a total vote runoff shall be the final
337	337	10.29adopted redistricting plan. The chair of the commission must conduct the total vote runoff
338	338	10.30process and select the final redistricting plan in a public meeting. In the event of a tie, the
339	339	10.31chair must select, by lot, the final redistricting plan from among the tied plans, in the same
340	340	10.32public meeting.
341	341	10Article 1 Section 1.
342	342	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 11.1 Sec. 8. The supreme court shall have exclusive, original jurisdiction in all cases alleging
343	343	11.2that a redistricting plan adopted by the commission fails to comply with this article or other
344	344	11.3applicable law. The commission shall have exclusive standing to defend any action
345	345	11.4challenging the adoption of a redistricting plan, and notwithstanding the commission's
346	346	11.5expiration, may reconstitute itself under its own authority for this purpose.
347	347	11.6 If the supreme court or other court of jurisdiction determines that an adopted redistricting
348	348	11.7plan does not comply with the requirements of this article or other applicable law, the
349	349	11.8commission may be reconstituted by court order, or may reconstitute itself under its own
350	350	11.9authority, for the purpose of adopting a compliant plan. The membership of the reconstituted
351	351	11.10commission must be the same membership that adopted the noncompliant plan, subject to
352	352	11.11the filling of vacancies as provided in this article. If, after the commission has been
353	353	11.12reconstituted, the court finds that a newly adopted redistricting plan does not comply with
354	354	11.13the requirements of this article, the court may order other appropriate relief, including
355	355	11.14drawing and ordering new districts under its own authority. A redistricting plan ordered by
356	356	11.15the supreme court must conform to the requirements of sections 5 and 6.
357	357	11.16 Sec. 9. The legislature must provide appropriations by law to sufficiently fund the work
358	358	11.17of the Independent Redistricting Commission and the Redistricting Commission Applicant
359	359	11.18Screening Panel, including necessary amounts for administrative, professional, and technical
360	360	11.19services; litigation costs; and other reasonable expenses. Notwithstanding article XI, if
361	361	11.20sufficient funds are not appropriated by law, the supreme court may order that money be
362	362	11.21paid out of the state treasury for this purpose.
363	363	11.22 Sec. 10. If any provision of this article, or a subsequent enabling law, is found to be
364	364	11.23unconstitutional and void, the remaining provisions of this article or the subsequent enabling
365	365	11.24law remain valid, unless the court finds the valid provisions are so essentially and inseparably
366	366	11.25connected with, and dependent upon, the void provisions that the court cannot presume the
367	367	11.26remaining valid provisions would have been enacted without the void provisions, or unless
368	368	11.27the court finds that the remaining valid provisions, standing alone, are incomplete and
369	369	11.28incapable of being executed in accordance with their intent.
370	370	11.29Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.
371	371	11.30 (a) The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2026 general election.
372	372	11.31The question submitted must be:
373	373	11.32 "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require an independent redistricting
374	374	11.33commission to adopt boundaries for congressional and legislative districts following a
375	375	11.34decennial census; to prohibit members of the legislature from serving as lobbyists while in
376	376	11Article 1 Sec. 2.
377	377	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 12.1office and for a period of one year after leaving office; to amend requirements related to
378	378	12.2the timing and process for convening regular legislative sessions; to permit the lieutenant
379	379	12.3governor to act as a tie breaking vote in the senate, and the secretary of state to act as a tie
380	380	12.4breaking vote in the house of representatives; to modify the process related to confirmation
381	381	12.5of gubernatorial appointments by the senate; and to require a majority of all members elected
382	382	12.6to a house to judge the election returns and eligibility of a member of that house?
383	383	12.7 Yes ...................
384	384	"12.8 No ....................
385	385	12.9 (b) The ballot question title required under Minnesota Statutes, section 204D.15,
386	386	12.10subdivision 1, must be "Conflict of Interest - Legislative Reform."
387	387	12.11 ARTICLE 2
388	388	12.12 INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION; STATUTORY
389	389	12.13 IMPLEMENTATION
390	390	12.14Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 2.031, is amended by adding a subdivision
391	391	12.15to read:
392	392	12.16 Subd. 3.Numbering.Legislative districts must be numbered in a regular series, beginning
393	393	12.17with House of Representatives District 1A in the northwest corner of the state and proceeding
394	394	12.18across the state from west to east, north to south. In a county that includes more than one
395	395	12.19whole senate district, the districts must be numbered consecutively.
396	396	12.20 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2030, if the constitutional
397	397	12.21amendments in article 1 are adopted.
398	398	12.22Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 2.731, is amended to read:
399	399	12.23 2.731 NUMBER OF DISTRICTS.
400	400	12.24 The state of Minnesota is divided into eight congressional districts, each of which is
401	401	12.25entitled to elect one representative to the Congress of the United States of America.
402	402	12.26Congressional district numbers must begin with the first district in the southeast corner of
403	403	12.27the state and end with the district with the highest number in the northeast corner of the
404	404	12.28state.
405	405	12.29 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2030, if the constitutional
406	406	12.30amendments in article 1 are adopted.
407	407	12Article 2 Sec. 2.
408	408	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 13.1 Sec. 3. [2.94] REDISTRICTING COMMISSION APPLICANT SCREENING PANEL.
409	409	13.2 Subdivision 1.Application.This section establishes and implements the Redistricting
410	410	13.3Applicant Screening Panel consistent with the Minnesota Constitution, article XV. Except
411	411	13.4where otherwise provided, the terms used in this section are defined consistently with those
412	412	13.5as used in the Minnesota Constitution, article XV.
413	413	13.6 Subd. 2.Appointments; first meeting; compensation.(a) No later than January 1 of
414	414	13.7the year of a decennial census, the chief justice of the supreme court must appoint two
415	415	13.8retired federal or state judges to serve on the Redistricting Commission Applicant Screening
416	416	13.9Panel. The chief justice must designate one of the retired judges to convene the panel's first
417	417	13.10meeting. The first meeting must be convened no later than February 15 of the year of a
418	418	13.11decennial census. No later than March 1 of that year, the two appointees must agree on a
419	419	13.12third retired federal or state judge to complete the panel's membership.
420	420	13.13 (b) Members of the panel may be compensated and receive expense reimbursement as
421	421	13.14provided by section 15.0575, subdivision 3.
422	422	13.15 Subd. 3.Ethics; conflicts of interest; ex parte communications.(a) Members of the
423	423	13.16panel are public officials for purposes of chapter 10A. In addition to the prohibitions in
424	424	13.17section 10A.071, a member of the panel may not accept a gift as defined in that section
425	425	13.18from a member of the legislature, a member of Congress, or a staff member to a member
426	426	13.19of the legislature or Congress.
427	427	13.20 (b) Members of the panel may not communicate with a member of the legislature, a
428	428	13.21member of Congress, or a staff member to a member of the legislature or Congress about
429	429	13.22the panel's work.
430	430	13.23 (c) The prohibitions in this subdivision apply during the period beginning at the time of
431	431	13.24the panel member's appointment and until the panel member has completed the panel
432	432	13.25member's work. A member of the legislature, a member of Congress, or a staff member to
433	433	13.26a member of the legislature or Congress must not give a gift, promise a future gift, or engage
434	434	13.27in communication that a panel member is prohibited from receiving under this subdivision,
435	435	13.28and must not request another person to give a gift, promise a future gift, or engage in
436	436	13.29communication with a panel member, directly or indirectly, in an attempt to circumvent the
437	437	13.30prohibitions of this subdivision.
438	438	13.31 Subd. 4.Outreach and solicitation of applications.The panel must develop and
439	439	13.32implement an outreach plan to inform the public about the work of the Independent
440	440	13.33Redistricting Commission and to encourage interested persons to apply for appointment.
441	441	13.34The panel must make an application form available for this purpose. The panel must make
442	442	13Article 2 Sec. 3.
443	443	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 14.1reasonable efforts to ensure the application process is widely publicized and distributed
444	444	14.2through media and other available channels, with a goal of facilitating a large application
445	445	14.3pool consisting of well-qualified individuals who reflect a geographically and
446	446	14.4demographically representative cross section of the state. Information about the work of
447	447	14.5the commission and the application process must be made available in multiple languages.
448	448	14.6The panel must consult with the state demographer for the purpose of ensuring that materials
449	449	14.7in accessible languages are targeted to appropriate regions of the state.
450	450	14.8 Subd. 5.Application contents; required disclosures.In addition to other information
451	451	14.9as determined by the panel, the application for membership on the Independent Redistricting
452	452	14.10Commission must require each applicant to disclose the information required by section
453	453	14.1110A.09 and the following:
454	454	14.12 (1) contributions made by the applicant to federal, state, or local candidates for elective
455	455	14.13office, political parties, and political committees, including direct and in-kind contributions
456	456	14.14during the current year and immediately preceding six years;
457	457	14.15 (2) the applicant's history of partisan affiliations, including primary ballots voted,
458	458	14.16nonmonetary contributions to political campaigns, and any other political engagement,
459	459	14.17including but not limited to involvement in political campaigns or other political organizations
460	460	14.18whether paid or volunteer;
461	461	14.19 (3) the identity of any family members who would be ineligible to serve on the
462	462	14.20commission according to the requirements of this constitution;
463	463	14.21 (4) personal or professional relationships with persons during the current year or the
464	464	14.22immediately preceding six years who would be ineligible to serve on the commission
465	465	14.23according to the requirements of this constitution; and
466	466	14.24 (5) any financial or other information that may be required by law.
467	467	14.25These disclosures must be posted on the panel's website.
468	468	14.26 Subd. 6.Open meetings; data practices.The panel is subject to chapters 13 and 13D.
469	469	14.27Data on applicants for appointment to the commission are governed by section 13.601,
470	470	14.28subdivision 3, except that data required to be disclosed under this section or the Minnesota
471	471	14.29Constitution, article XV, is also public. Comments submitted by members of the public
472	472	14.30about applicants for appointment to the commission are private data, as defined in section
473	473	14.3113.02, subdivision 12, on the member of the public who submitted the comment.
474	474	14.32 Subd. 7.General powers; staffing and professional services.(a) The panel has the
475	475	14.33powers necessary to carry out its responsibilities as required by the constitution and this
476	476	14Article 2 Sec. 3.
477	477	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 15.1chapter. The panel may employ nonpartisan staff and enter other agreements to secure
478	478	15.2necessary administrative, professional, and technical services as it deems necessary. Staff
479	479	15.3employed by the panel serve in the unclassified service and owe a duty of care and duty of
480	480	15.4loyalty to the panel as a whole. Staff, and any other person retained by the panel for the
481	481	15.5purpose of providing professional support, must be screened for potential biases and conflicts
482	482	15.6of interest and must demonstrate the experience, expertise, and skills necessary to assist the
483	483	15.7panel in its work.
484	484	15.8 (b) Prior to January 1 in the year of the decennial census, the director of the Legislative
485	485	15.9Coordinating Commission must contract with a consultant who will provide the panel with
486	486	15.10operational and logistical support. The Legislative Coordinating Commission must assist
487	487	15.11the panel in hiring additional staff and securing adequate office and meeting space.
488	488	15.12 Subd. 8.Expiration.The panel expires upon its certification to the chief justice of the
489	489	15.13supreme court that it has established and transmitted to the chief justice and to the
490	490	15.14Independent Redistricting Commission its pools of applicants for appointment to the
491	491	15.15commission consistent with the requirements of this section and the Minnesota Constitution,
492	492	15.16article XV, except that the panel chair must continue to perform any duties required by the
493	493	15.17Minnesota Constitution, this section, and section 2.95, as applicable.
494	494	15.18 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2030, and applies to the 2030
495	495	15.19redistricting cycle and thereafter, if the constitutional amendments in article 1 are adopted.
496	496	15.20Sec. 4. [2.95] INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
497	497	15.21 Subdivision 1.Application.This section establishes and implements the Independent
498	498	15.22Redistricting Commission consistent with the Minnesota Constitution, article XV. Except
499	499	15.23where otherwise provided:
500	500	15.24 (1) the terms used in this section are defined consistently with those as used in the
501	501	15.25Minnesota Constitution, article XV; and
502	502	15.26 (2) the dates referenced in this section refer to those dates in the year following a federal
503	503	15.27decennial census.
504	504	15.28 Subd. 2.Appointments; first meeting; compensation and removal.(a) No later than
505	505	15.29October 15 of the year of a decennial census, the chief justice of the supreme court must
506	506	15.30select by random lot the members of the Independent Redistricting Commission from among
507	507	15.31the applicant pools established by the Redistricting Commission Applicant Screening Panel,
508	508	15.32consistent with the requirements of the Minnesota Constitution, article XV.
509	509	15Article 2 Sec. 4.
510	510	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 16.1 (b) No later than November 15 of the year of a decennial census, the chair of the
511	511	16.2Redistricting Commission Applicant Screening Panel must convene the first meeting of the
512	512	16.3commission. The panel chair must preside at commission meetings until a commission chair
513	513	16.4is elected, but the panel chair is not a commission member and, except for ministerial
514	514	16.5functions required by law and necessary to facilitate its organization, must not otherwise
515	515	16.6participate in the commission's work. The commission must be fully seated and must elect
516	516	16.7a chair and other officers from among all appointed members no later than 60 days following
517	517	16.8its first meeting.
518	518	16.9 (c) Members of the commission are entitled to compensation and expense reimbursement,
519	519	16.10consistent with the amounts provided by section 15.0575, subdivision 3.
520	520	16.11 (d) A member of the commission may only be removed for cause by a vote of 12
521	521	16.12members, including the vote of at least one member supporting the first political party, one
522	522	16.13member supporting the second political party, and one member that is not affiliated with
523	523	16.14either the first or second political party. Prior to a vote to remove a member, the commission
524	524	16.15must provide notice, a public hearing, and an opportunity for members of the public to
525	525	16.16comment on the proposed removal. Cause for removal includes but is not limited to the
526	526	16.17following:
527	527	16.18 (1) knowing failure to disclose information required by law;
528	528	16.19 (2) willful disregard for the requirements governing the conduct of redistricting provided
529	529	16.20by the constitution or applicable law;
530	530	16.21 (3) wanton and willful neglect of duty or gross misconduct or malfeasance in office;
531	531	16.22 (4) a member's incapacity or inability to perform required duties;
532	532	16.23 (5) any action that undermines the public's trust in the commission or in the conduct of
533	533	16.24a fair redistricting process;
534	534	16.25 (6) engaging in ex parte communication about the work of the commission with a member
535	535	16.26of the legislature, a member of Congress, or a staff member to a member of the legislature
536	536	16.27or Congress, in violation of this section; and
537	537	16.28 (7) missing three consecutive commission meetings.
538	538	16.29 Subd. 3.Ethics; conflicts of interest; ex parte communications.(a) Members of the
539	539	16.30commission are public officials for purposes of chapter 10A. In addition to the prohibitions
540	540	16.31in section 10A.071, a member of the commission may not accept a gift as defined in that
541	541	16.32section from a member of the legislature, a member of Congress, or a staff member to a
542	542	16.33member of the legislature or Congress.
543	543	16Article 2 Sec. 4.
544	544	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 17.1 (b) Members of the commission may not communicate with a member of the legislature,
545	545	17.2a member of Congress, or a staff member to a member of the legislature or Congress about
546	546	17.3the commission's work. A staff member to a member of the legislature may communicate
547	547	17.4with a staff member to the commission to the extent required to fulfill a duty of the
548	548	17.5constitution or this chapter.
549	549	17.6 (c) The prohibitions in this subdivision apply during the period beginning at the time of
550	550	17.7the member's appointment and until the commission has adopted and filed its redistricting
551	551	17.8plans with the secretary of state, and during any period in which the commission is
552	552	17.9reconstituted pursuant to its own authority or by court order. A member of the legislature,
553	553	17.10a member of Congress, or a staff member to a member of the legislature or Congress may
554	554	17.11not give a gift, promise a future gift, or engage in communication that a commission member
555	555	17.12is prohibited from receiving under this subdivision, and may not request another person to
556	556	17.13give a gift, promise a future gift, or engage in communication with a commission member,
557	557	17.14directly or indirectly, in an attempt to circumvent the prohibitions of this subdivision.
558	558	17.15 Subd. 4.Open meetings; data practices; language access.(a) The commission is
559	559	17.16subject to chapters 13 and 13D. A map proposal that is created by the commission or its
560	560	17.17staff, and any communications or supporting data associated with a map proposal, are
561	561	17.18nonpublic data as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 9, until the map proposal is presented
562	562	17.19to the commission in a public meeting. Supporting data do not include preliminary drafts
563	563	17.20of a map proposal or communications related to a preliminary draft. The commission may
564	564	17.21disclose any of its data at any time if disclosure would aid the commission in considering
565	565	17.22and preparing its proposals.
566	566	17.23 (b) Consistent with section 13D.015, the commission may permit its members to
567	567	17.24participate in a congressional district hearing by interactive technology, provided that at
568	568	17.25least one member of the commission is physically present at a meeting location in the
569	569	17.26designated congressional district. Notwithstanding section 13D.015, a commission member
570	570	17.27need not be present at the commission's regular meeting location during a congressional
571	571	17.28district hearing.
572	572	17.29 (c) At a minimum, commission materials must be made available in all languages in
573	573	17.30which voting materials in any jurisdiction of the state are required to be distributed under
574	574	17.31section 204B.295 or other applicable federal or state law.
575	575	17.32 Subd. 5.Schedule of hearings; public hearing and administrative procedures.The
576	576	17.33commission must adopt a schedule of public hearings and necessary hearing and
577	577	17.34administrative procedures to guide the conduct of its work. The schedule and procedures
578	578	17Article 2 Sec. 4.
579	579	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 18.1must be posted on the commission's website. The schedule and procedures are not rules for
580	580	18.2purposes of chapter 14, and section 14.386 does not apply.
581	581	18.3 Subd. 6.General powers; staffing and professional services.(a) The commission has
582	582	18.4the powers necessary to carry out its responsibilities as required by the constitution and this
583	583	18.5chapter. The commission may employ nonpartisan staff and enter other agreements to secure
584	584	18.6necessary legal counsel, information technology, geographic information systems, and other
585	585	18.7administrative, professional, and technical services as it deems necessary. Staff employed
586	586	18.8by the commission serve in the unclassified service and owe a duty of care and duty of
587	587	18.9loyalty to the commission as a whole. Commission staff, and any other person retained by
588	588	18.10the commission for the purpose of providing professional support, must be screened for
589	589	18.11potential biases and conflicts of interest and must demonstrate the experience, expertise,
590	590	18.12and skills necessary to assist the commission in its work.
591	591	18.13 (b) Prior to January 1 in the year of the decennial census, the director of the Legislative
592	592	18.14Coordinating Commission must contract with a consultant who will provide the commission
593	593	18.15with operational and logistical support. The Legislative Coordinating Commission must
594	594	18.16assist the commission in hiring additional staff and securing adequate office and meeting
595	595	18.17space.
596	596	18.18 Subd. 7.Data to be used.(a) The geographic areas and population counts used in maps,
597	597	18.19tables, and legal descriptions of legislative and congressional districts must be those used
598	598	18.20by the Geographic Information Services (GIS) Office of the Legislative Coordinating
599	599	18.21Commission. The population counts must be the block population counts provided to the
600	600	18.22state under Public Law 94-171 after each decennial census, subject to correction of any
601	601	18.23errors acknowledged by the United States Census Bureau, and subject to any other
602	602	18.24adjustments and exclusions required by law. Both the commission and the GIS Office must
603	603	18.25make this data available to the public on their websites.
604	604	18.26 (b) A redistricting plan must not be considered for adoption until the plan's block
605	605	18.27equivalency file has been submitted to the GIS Office in a form prescribed by the GIS
606	606	18.28Office. The block equivalency file must show the district to which each census block has
607	607	18.29been assigned.
608	608	18.30 Subd. 8.Technical review and corrections.(a) Prior to final adoption of a redistricting
609	609	18.31plan, the commission must engage in a technical review of the plan. A technical review
610	610	18.32includes ensuring that the plan encompasses all the territory of this state and that no territory
611	611	18.33is omitted or duplicated. At a meeting where a redistricting plan is proposed for final
612	612	18Article 2 Sec. 4.
613	613	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 19.1adoption, the commission may amend the plan for the purpose of making technical corrections
614	614	19.2as necessary to meet the following principles:
615	615	19.3 (1) if a territory in this state is not named in the redistricting plan but lies within the
616	616	19.4boundaries of a district, it is a part of the district within which it lies;
617	617	19.5 (2) if a territory in this state is not named in the redistricting plan but lies between the
618	618	19.6boundaries of two or more districts, it is a part of the contiguous district having the smallest
619	619	19.7population;
620	620	19.8 (3) if a territory in this state is assigned in the redistricting plan to two or more districts,
621	621	19.9it is a part of the district having the smallest population;
622	622	19.10 (4) if a territory in this state is assigned to a district that consists of other territory
623	623	19.11containing a majority of the population of the district but with which it is not contiguous,
624	624	19.12the territory is a part of the contiguous district having the smallest population; and
625	625	19.13 (5) if the description of a district boundary line that divides a political subdivision is
626	626	19.14ambiguous because a highway, street, railroad track, power transmission line, river, creek,
627	627	19.15or other physical feature or census block boundary that forms part of the district boundary
628	628	19.16is omitted or is not properly named or has been changed, or because a compass direction
629	629	19.17for the boundary line is wrong, the commission may add or correct the name or compass
630	630	19.18direction and resolve the ambiguity in favor of creating districts of contiguous territory of
631	631	19.19substantially equal population that do not divide political subdivisions more than is necessary
632	632	19.20to meet constitutional requirements.
633	633	19.21 (b) In addition to meeting the principles described in paragraph (a), at a meeting where
634	634	19.22a redistricting plan is proposed for final adoption, the commission may adopt amendments
635	635	19.23to the plan for the purpose of incorporating any technical corrections that may be
636	636	19.24recommended by the secretary of state.
637	637	19.25 (c) If a technical error in a redistricting plan is discovered after the commission has
638	638	19.26dissolved, the chief administrative law judge, after notifying the secretary of state, the
639	639	19.27Legislative Coordinating Commission, and the chief justice of the supreme court, may order
640	640	19.28a correction consistent with the principles listed in this subdivision. The chief administrative
641	641	19.29law judge must provide a copy of each correction order to each affected county auditor and
642	642	19.30municipal clerk.
643	643	19.31 Subd. 9.Duty of secretary of state.The secretary of state shall provide copies of the
644	644	19.32relevant portions of a filed redistricting plan to each county auditor, who shall provide a
645	645	19.33copy of the relevant portions of the plan to each municipal clerk within the county. The
646	646	19Article 2 Sec. 4.
647	647	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 20.1secretary of state, with the cooperation of the commissioner of administration, shall make
648	648	20.2copies of the plan file, maps, and tables available to the public for the cost of publication.
649	649	20.3 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2030, and applies to the 2030
650	650	20.4redistricting cycle and thereafter, if the constitutional amendments in article 1 are adopted.
651	651	20.5 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 10A.01, subdivision 35, is amended to read:
652	652	20.6 Subd. 35.Public official."Public official" means any:
653	653	20.7 (1) member of the legislature;
654	654	20.8 (2) individual employed by the legislature as secretary of the senate, legislative auditor,
655	655	20.9director of the Legislative Budget Office, chief clerk of the house of representatives, revisor
656	656	20.10of statutes, or researcher, legislative analyst, fiscal analyst, or attorney in the Office of
657	657	20.11Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis, House Research, or the House Fiscal Analysis
658	658	20.12Department;
659	659	20.13 (3) constitutional officer in the executive branch and the officer's chief administrative
660	660	20.14deputy;
661	661	20.15 (4) solicitor general or deputy, assistant, or special assistant attorney general;
662	662	20.16 (5) commissioner, deputy commissioner, or assistant commissioner of any state
663	663	20.17department or agency as listed in section 15.01 or 15.06, or the state chief information
664	664	20.18officer;
665	665	20.19 (6) member, chief administrative officer, or deputy chief administrative officer of a state
666	666	20.20board or commission that has either the power to adopt, amend, or repeal rules under chapter
667	667	20.2114, or the power to adjudicate contested cases or appeals under chapter 14;
668	668	20.22 (7) individual employed in the executive branch who is authorized to adopt, amend, or
669	669	20.23repeal rules under chapter 14 or adjudicate contested cases under chapter 14;
670	670	20.24 (8) executive director of the State Board of Investment;
671	671	20.25 (9) deputy of any official listed in clauses (7) and (8);
672	672	20.26 (10) judge of the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals;
673	673	20.27 (11) administrative law judge or compensation judge in the State Office of Administrative
674	674	20.28Hearings or unemployment law judge in the Department of Employment and Economic
675	675	20.29Development;
676	676	20.30 (12) member, regional administrator, division director, general counsel, or operations
677	677	20.31manager of the Metropolitan Council;
678	678	20Article 2 Sec. 5.
679	679	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 21.1 (13) member or chief administrator of a metropolitan agency;
680	680	21.2 (14) director of the Division of Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement in the Department
681	681	21.3of Public Safety;
682	682	21.4 (15) member or executive director of the Higher Education Facilities Authority;
683	683	21.5 (16) member of the board of directors or president of Enterprise Minnesota, Inc.;
684	684	21.6 (17) member of the board of directors or executive director of the Minnesota State High
685	685	21.7School League;
686	686	21.8 (18) member of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority established in section 473.755;
687	687	21.9 (19) citizen member of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources;
688	688	21.10 (20) manager of a watershed district, or member of a watershed management organization
689	689	21.11as defined under section 103B.205, subdivision 13;
690	690	21.12 (21) supervisor of a soil and water conservation district;
691	691	21.13 (22) director of Explore Minnesota Tourism;
692	692	21.14 (23) citizen member of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council established in section
693	693	21.1597A.056;
694	694	21.16 (24) citizen member of the Clean Water Council established in section 114D.30;
695	695	21.17 (25) member or chief executive of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority established
696	696	21.18in section 473J.07;
697	697	21.19 (26) district court judge, appeals court judge, or supreme court justice;
698	698	21.20 (27) county commissioner;
699	699	21.21 (28) member of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission;
700	700	21.22 (29) member of the Destination Medical Center Corporation established in section
701	701	21.23469.41; or
702	702	21.24 (30) chancellor or member of the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges
703	703	21.25and Universities; or
704	704	21.26 (31) member of the Redistricting Commission Applicant Screening Panel, or member
705	705	21.27of the Independent Redistricting Commission.
706	706	21.28 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2030, and applies to the 2030
707	707	21.29redistricting cycle and thereafter, if the constitutional amendments in article 1 are adopted.
708	708	21Article 2 Sec. 5.
709	709	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 22.1 Sec. 6. REPEALER.
710	710	22.2 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 2.91, is repealed.
711	711	22.3 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2030, and applies to the 2030
712	712	22.4redistricting cycle and thereafter, if the constitutional amendments in article 1 are adopted.
713	713	22.5 ARTICLE 3
714	714	22.6 CITIZENS ADVISORY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
715	715	22.7 Section 1. [2A.30] REDISTRICTING; DEFINITIONS; ADJUSTMENT OF DATES.
716	716	22.8 Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For purposes of this section and sections 2A.31 to 2A.33,
717	717	22.9the following terms have the meanings given.
718	718	22.10 (b) "Applicant pools" means the lists of applicants described in section 2A.31, subdivision
719	719	22.112, paragraph (i).
720	720	22.12 (c) "Executive director" means the executive director of the Legislative Coordinating
721	721	22.13Commission.
722	722	22.14 (d) "GIS office" means the Geographic Information Services Office of the Legislative
723	723	22.15Coordinating Commission.
724	724	22.16 (e) "Largest political party in the state" means the political party whose candidate received
725	725	22.17the greatest number of votes for legislative seats in the state in the most recent general
726	726	22.18election.
727	727	22.19 (f) "Legislative Coordinating Commission" is the entity established in section 3.303.
728	728	22.20 (g) "Second largest political party in the state" means the political party whose candidate
729	729	22.21received the second greatest number of votes for legislative seats in the state in the most
730	730	22.22recent general election.
731	731	22.23 Subd. 2.Adjustment of dates.If any date prescribed in this chapter falls on a Saturday,
732	732	22.24Sunday, or legal holiday, then the date is extended to the next day that is not a Saturday,
733	733	22.25Sunday, or legal holiday.
734	734	22.26Sec. 2. [2A.31] REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
735	735	22.27 Subdivision 1.Membership.In each year ending in zero, a Citizens Advisory
736	736	22.28Redistricting Commission is created to draw the boundaries of legislative and congressional
737	737	22.29districts in accordance with the principles established in section 2A.32. The redistricting
738	738	22.30commission consists of 15 members of the public.
739	739	22Article 3 Sec. 2.
740	740	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 23.1 Subd. 2.Appointment.(a) The application and appointment process for members of
741	741	23.2the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission shall be the process described in section
742	742	23.315.0597, except as otherwise provided by this section.
743	743	23.4 (b) By January 1 of each year ending in zero, the secretary of state shall open a widely
744	744	23.5publicized process and circulate applications in a manner that encourages wide public
745	745	23.6participation of eligible residents from different regions of the state to apply for membership
746	746	23.7on the commission. Applications are public data under chapter 13 and shall be made available
747	747	23.8on the secretary of state's website or a comparable means of communicating with the public.
748	748	23.9Applications must be received by March 1 of the year ending in zero.
749	749	23.10 (c) The secretary of state shall design and provide an application form that must clearly
750	750	23.11state the legal obligations and expectations of potential appointees. Information required of
751	751	23.12applicants must include but is not limited to:
752	752	23.13 (1) a statement from applicants affirming they meet the requirements of subdivision 3;
753	753	23.14 (2) an oath affirming the applicant submits the application declaring the truthfulness of
754	754	23.15its contents under penalty of perjury;
755	755	23.16 (3) the applicant's demographic information, including but not limited to gender, race,
756	756	23.17ethnicity, and year of birth;
757	757	23.18 (4) the applicant's professional background;
758	758	23.19 (5) the applicant's past experience working with others to build consensus;
759	759	23.20 (6) the applicant's level of understanding about Minnesota communities, neighborhoods,
760	760	23.21geographic regions, or demographics across the state;
761	761	23.22 (7) a description of the applicant's past political activity;
762	762	23.23 (8) a list of all political and civic organizations to which the applicant has belonged
763	763	23.24within the five years prior to the application;
764	764	23.25 (9) a statement indicating with which political party the applicant identifies or that the
765	765	23.26applicant identifies with no party. For purposes of this clause, identifying with a political
766	766	23.27party means that the applicant is in general agreement with the principles of the party; and
767	767	23.28 (10) any other information required to determine eligibility to serve on the commission.
768	768	23.29 (d) The secretary of state must review applications as they are received to ensure that
769	769	23.30each application is complete and each applicant has signed the oath attesting to the
770	770	23.31truthfulness of the information contained in the application. No later than March 15 of the
771	771	23.32year ending in zero, the secretary of state must forward the completed application of each
772	772	23Article 3 Sec. 2.
773	773	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 24.1eligible person to the executive director. The secretary of state must not forward any
774	774	24.2application that is incomplete or any application by a person who has not signed off on the
775	775	24.3oath attesting to the accuracy of the information contained in the application. If the secretary
776	776	24.4of state does not forward an application, the secretary of state must notify the applicant that
777	777	24.5the applicant's application was not forwarded and the reason why.
778	778	24.6 (e) The Legislative Coordinating Commission executive director shall remove from the
779	779	24.7applicant pool individuals who do not qualify including:
780	780	24.8 (1) a person who has not resided in Minnesota for at least one year prior to their
781	781	24.9application submission or is not eligible to vote;
782	782	24.10 (2) a current member of the legislature or Congress;
783	783	24.11 (3) a person under contract with, who serves as a consultant or staff to, or who has or
784	784	24.12has had an immediate family relationship with the governor, a member of the legislature,
785	785	24.13or a member of Congress during the ten years immediately preceding the date of application;
786	786	24.14 (4) a person who serves or has served during the ten years immediately preceding the
787	787	24.15date of application as a public official, as defined in section 10A.01, subdivision 35, clauses
788	788	24.16(1) to (5), (12), (13), (16), (26), and (27); and
789	789	24.17 (5) a person, or member of the person's immediate family, who is or during the ten years
790	790	24.18immediately preceding the date of application has:
791	791	24.19 (i) been appointed to, elected to, or a candidate for state office;
792	792	24.20 (ii) served as an officer, employee, contractor, or paid consultant of a political party or
793	793	24.21of the campaign committee of a candidate for elective federal or state office;
794	794	24.22 (iii) served as an elected or appointed member of a political party state committee, as
795	795	24.23defined by section 10A.01, subdivision 36, or a delegate to a national convention of a
796	796	24.24political party;
797	797	24.25 (iv) registered as a lobbyist, registrant, or client with the federal government under the
798	798	24.26Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 as amended or as a state lobbyist or principal with the
799	799	24.27Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board under chapter 10A;
800	800	24.28 (v) served as paid congressional or legislative staff; or
801	801	24.29 (vi) been found by the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board to have violated
802	802	24.30section 10A.27.
803	803	24.31For the purposes of this subdivision, a member of a person's immediate family means a
804	804	24.32sibling, spouse, or parent, including half, step, and in-law relationships. While serving on
805	805	24Article 3 Sec. 2.
806	806	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 25.1the commission, commissioners must not campaign for elective office or actively participate
807	807	25.2in or contribute to a political campaign nor run for federal, state, or local political office for
808	808	25.3a period of up to ten years after the commission expires.
809	809	25.4 (f) By February 15 in the year ending in zero the executive director of the Legislative
810	810	25.5Coordinating Commission shall appoint a Redistricting Advisory Group consisting of, at a
811	811	25.6minimum, the executive directors of the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, the Council
812	812	25.7for Minnesotans of African Heritage, the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Council on
813	813	25.8Asian Pacific Minnesotans, the Council on LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans, the Minnesota
814	814	25.9Youth Council, the Minnesota Council on Disability, and the Minnesota Commission of
815	815	25.10the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing.
816	816	25.11 (g) The Redistricting Advisory Group shall serve as advisors to the executive director
817	817	25.12and must work within the process described in paragraph (i), and subdivision 5, clause (8),
818	818	25.13to ensure diversity of applicants throughout the process.
819	819	25.14 (h) Members of the Redistricting Advisory Group must participate in a nonpartisan
820	820	25.15manner and serve without predisposition or bias on issues related to the state's representation
821	821	25.16for redistricting boundaries. The Redistricting Advisory Group must work with the executive
822	822	25.17director as outlined to foster diversity of applicant pools throughout the process and in their
823	823	25.18role as experts on matters pertaining to their respective communities. It is not intended that
824	824	25.19formulas or specific ratios be applied for this purpose.
825	825	25.20 (i) By April 1 of the year ending in zero, the executive director, in consultation with the
826	826	25.21Redistricting Advisory Group, shall jointly screen and sort the applicants into three applicant
827	827	25.22pools: one pool for applicants identifying with the largest political party in this state; one
828	828	25.23pool for applicants identifying with the second largest political party in the state; and one
829	829	25.24pool for applicants identifying with no political party or a political party that is not the
830	830	25.25largest or second largest political party in the state. The executive director must review the
831	831	25.26applicants in each applicant pool and narrow each pool down to 40 applicants based on a
832	832	25.27review of each applicant's relevant analytical skills, the ability to be impartial, and the ability
833	833	25.28to promote consensus on the commission and appreciation for Minnesota's diverse
834	834	25.29demographics, communities, and geography as documented in the application. To the extent
835	835	25.30practicable, the executive director must ensure that each applicant pool reflects the gender,
836	836	25.31socioeconomic, age, racial, language, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the state. Each
837	837	25.32congressional district must be represented by at least two applicants in each applicant pool.
838	838	25.33 (j) If there is an insufficient number of available applicants to select a 40-applicant pool,
839	839	25.34then the pool consists of only those applicants who did meet the requirements.
840	840	25Article 3 Sec. 2.
841	841	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 26.1 (k) By April 1 in each year ending in zero, the executive director must provide each
842	842	26.2applicant pool list to the majority leaders and minority leaders of the house of representatives
843	843	26.3and the senate. By April 15 of each year ending in zero, the majority leaders and minority
844	844	26.4leaders of the house of representatives and the senate must each select five applicants from
845	845	26.5their party's list and forward the names of the applicants to the Legislative Coordinating
846	846	26.6Commission's executive director. The executive director must make the list and applications
847	847	26.7available to all legislative leaders. In selecting applicants, the executive director or a leader
848	848	26.8must not select more than one applicant from any congressional district.
849	849	26.9 (l) By April 29 of each year ending in zero, 12 names must be stricken from the list as
850	850	26.10follows:
851	851	26.11 (1) the senate majority leader must strike three applicants from the applicants selected
852	852	26.12by the senate minority leader;
853	853	26.13 (2) the senate minority leader must strike three applicants from the applicants selected
854	854	26.14by the senate majority leader;
855	855	26.15 (3) the house majority leader must strike three applicants from the applicants selected
856	856	26.16by the house minority leader; and
857	857	26.17 (4) the house minority leader must strike three applicants from the applicants selected
858	858	26.18by the house majority leader.
859	859	26.19 (m) The legislative leaders must forward the eight remaining names consisting of four
860	860	26.20applicants identifying with the largest political party in the state and four applicants
861	861	26.21identifying with the second largest political party in the state to the executive director. These
862	862	26.22eight individuals shall serve on the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission.
863	863	26.23 (n) By April 29 of each year ending in zero, the executive director must, by lottery,
864	864	26.24select four applicants from the pool of 40 applicants who do not identify with a party or
865	865	26.25identify with a party other than the first or second largest political party described in
866	866	26.26paragraph (i). Together with the eight individuals selected by the legislative leaders, these
867	867	26.27twelve individuals shall serve on the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission.
868	868	26.28 (o) No later than May 15 in each year ending in the number zero, the twelve advisory
869	869	26.29commissioners shall convene and assess the commission's demographic diversity within
870	870	26.30the twelve members and must review and select six more applicants from the remaining
871	871	26.31applicants from the pool of 40 applicants originally selected by legislative leadership and
872	872	26.32appoint six applicants to the commission as follows: two from the remaining pool of
873	873	26.33applicants identifying with the largest political party in Minnesota, two from the remaining
874	874	26Article 3 Sec. 2.
875	875	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 27.1pool of applicants identifying with the second largest political party in Minnesota, and two
876	876	27.2from the remaining pool of applicants identifying with no political party or with a political
877	877	27.3party that is not the largest or second largest political party in Minnesota. The six individuals
878	878	27.4must be approved by at least two-thirds affirmative votes which must include at least two
879	879	27.5votes of commissioners registered from each of the two largest parties and two votes from
880	880	27.6commissioners who are not affiliated with either of the two largest political parties in
881	881	27.7Minnesota. These six new appointees shall be chosen to ensure the Citizens Advisory
882	882	27.8Redistricting Commission reflects this state's diversity, including but not limited to racial,
883	883	27.9ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity. However, it is not intended that formulas or specific
884	884	27.10ratios be applied for this purpose.
885	885	27.11 (p) The executive director of the Legislative Coordinating Commission shall report the
886	886	27.1215 names selected to the secretary of state. These 15 individuals shall serve as members of
887	887	27.13the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission and shall not include more than two
888	888	27.14commissioners from any one congressional district.
889	889	27.15 (q) The secretary of state's actions under this subdivision are not subject to chapter 14.
890	890	27.16 (r) Before serving on the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission, every person
891	891	27.17shall take and subscribe an oath to faithfully perform the duties of that office. The oath must
892	892	27.18be filed with the secretary of state.
893	893	27.19 Subd. 3.Eligibility of public members.(a) A person is eligible to serve if the person
894	894	27.20has been a resident of Minnesota for at least a year at the time of the submission of the
895	895	27.21application and is not an elected official.
896	896	27.22 (b) The following persons are not eligible to serve as a commissioner:
897	897	27.23 (1) a person who is not eligible to vote in the state of Minnesota;
898	898	27.24 (2) a current member of the legislature or Congress;
899	899	27.25 (3) a person under contract with, who serves as a consultant or staff to, or who has or
900	900	27.26has had an immediate family relationship with the governor, a member of the legislature,
901	901	27.27or a member of Congress during the ten years immediately preceding the date of application;
902	902	27.28 (4) a person who serves or has served during the ten years immediately preceding the
903	903	27.29date of application as a public official, as defined in section 10A.01, subdivision 35, clauses
904	904	27.30(1) to (5), (12), (13), (16), (26), and (27); and
905	905	27.31 (5) a person, or member of the person's immediate family, who is or during the ten years
906	906	27.32immediately preceding the date of application has:
907	907	27Article 3 Sec. 2.
908	908	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 28.1 (i) been appointed to, elected to, or a candidate for federal or state office;
909	909	28.2 (ii) served as an officer, employee, contractor, or paid consultant of a political party or
910	910	28.3of the campaign committee of a candidate for elective federal or state office;
911	911	28.4 (iii) served as an elected or appointed member of a political party state committee, as
912	912	28.5defined by section 10A.01, subdivision 36, or a delegate to a national convention of a
913	913	28.6political party;
914	914	28.7 (iv) registered as a lobbyist, registrant, or client with the federal government under the
915	915	28.8Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 as amended or as a state lobbyist or principal with the
916	916	28.9Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board under chapter 10A;
917	917	28.10 (v) served as paid congressional or legislative staff; or
918	918	28.11 (vi) been found by the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board to have violated
919	919	28.12section 10A.27.
920	920	28.13 (c) While serving on the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission, commissioners
921	921	28.14must not campaign for elective office or actively participate in or contribute to a political
922	922	28.15campaign nor run for state or local political office for a period of up to ten years after the
923	923	28.16Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission expires.
924	924	28.17 (d) For the purposes of this subdivision, a member of a person's immediate family means
925	925	28.18a sibling, spouse, or parent, including half, step, and in-law relationships.
926	926	28.19 Subd. 4.Removal; filling vacancies.(a) Each commissioner shall serve for the entire
927	927	28.20term of the commission unless the commissioner is removed or otherwise vacates the office.
928	928	28.21 (b) A commissioner's position on the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission is
929	929	28.22deemed vacant if the commissioner, having been appointed as a registered elector who is
930	930	28.23not affiliated with a political party, affiliates with a political party before the Minnesota
931	931	28.24Legislature has approved a plan pursuant to subdivision 25. A commissioner's position on
932	932	28.25the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission is also deemed vacant if the commissioner,
933	933	28.26having been affiliated with one of the state's two largest political parties at the time of
934	934	28.27appointment, affiliates with a different political party or becomes unaffiliated with any
935	935	28.28political party before the Minnesota Legislature has approved a plan pursuant to subdivision
936	936	28.2925.
937	937	28.30 (c) The removal of an officer from an officer position requires a two-thirds affirmative
938	938	28.31vote with at least one commissioner identifying with the largest political party in the state,
939	939	28.32one commissioner identifying with the second largest political party in the state, and one
940	940	28Article 3 Sec. 2.
941	941	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 29.1commissioner identifying with no political party or with a political party that is not the
942	942	29.2largest or second largest in the state.
943	943	29.3 (d) If the basis for the commissioner's removal is the commissioner's refusal to vote as
944	944	29.4part of a collective effort to disrupt the process or vote of the commission, the member or
945	945	29.5members may be removed after a finding by the chair as described in this section and a
946	946	29.6two-thirds vote of those commissioners present.
947	947	29.7 (e) Removal of a member takes place immediately after a finding by the chair and must
948	948	29.8be by a two-thirds vote of all members of the advisory commission, including at least one
949	949	29.9member identifying with the largest political party in the state, one member identifying with
950	950	29.10the second largest political party in the state, and one member identifying with no political
951	951	29.11party or with a political party that is not the largest or second largest in the state.
952	952	29.12 (f) After notice and a hearing, the advisory commission may also remove a commissioner
953	953	29.13for malfeasance or nonfeasance during the term of service in the performance of the duties
954	954	29.14of the advisory commission or for missing three consecutive meetings. After the second
955	955	29.15consecutive missed meeting and before the next meeting, the chair or a designee must notify
956	956	29.16the commissioner in writing that the member may be removed for missing the next meeting.
957	957	29.17The definitions in section 211C.01 apply to this subdivision.
958	958	29.18 (g) The chair must submit a written notice to the Legislative Coordinating Commission
959	959	29.19executive director stating the grounds that another member's office should be declared vacant
960	960	29.20under this subdivision. This written notice shall: (1) be dated and signed; and (2) provide
961	961	29.21a detailed factual basis in support of the allegations causing the removal of another member.
962	962	29.22The factual basis shall include the specific facts and factual foundation on which the removal
963	963	29.23is based. Supporting documentation, if any, shall be included.
964	964	29.24 (h) Any vacancy on the advisory commission, including one that occurs due to death,
965	965	29.25mental incapacity, resignation, criminal conviction of a serious crime, removal, failure to
966	966	29.26meet the qualifications of appointment, refusal or inability to accept an appointment, or
967	967	29.27having been found to have participated in a communication prohibited by subdivision 20
968	968	29.28or 21 or conduct prohibited by subdivision 22, or otherwise, must be filled as soon as
969	969	29.29possible, but no later than seven days after the vacancy occurred, by the executive director
970	970	29.30from the designated pool of eligible applicants for that commissioner's position and in the
971	971	29.31same manner as the originally chosen commissioner, except that no commissioner chosen
972	972	29.32to fill a vacancy would be bypassed for appointment if all congressional districts are
973	973	29.33represented by at least one commissioner. If no remaining finalists described in the same
974	974	29.34pool under subdivision 2, paragraph (i), are available for service, the secretary of state shall
975	975	29Article 3 Sec. 2.
976	976	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 30.1open the application process again and the executive director shall establish a new list of
977	977	30.2applicants, as provided in subdivision 2.
978	978	30.3 Subd. 5.Duties.Each commissioner shall perform their duties in a manner that is
979	979	30.4impartial and reinforces public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process.
980	980	30.5Commissioners must disclose the presence of a conflict of interest, or raise a potential
981	981	30.6conflict of interest when the agenda item is called, prior to the start of discussion or
982	982	30.7deliberation. In addition to other duties prescribed by law, the advisory commission shall:
983	983	30.8 (1) attend nonpartisan redistricting training held by a nationally recognized nonpartisan
984	984	30.9organization or the Legislative Coordinating Commission;
985	985	30.10 (2) attend training on the Minnesota Data Practices Act and Open Meetings Act;
986	986	30.11 (3) determine its own rules and order. Within ten weeks of being established, the Citizens
987	987	30.12Advisory Redistricting Commission must adopt administrative rules to govern the
988	988	30.13commission's process. The rules must be adopted at an open meeting, with advance notice
989	989	30.14of the meeting, and members of the public must be provided with an opportunity to provide
990	990	30.15comment on the rules. The procedures and rules referenced in this subdivision are not subject
991	991	30.16to chapter 14 or section 14.386.
992	992	30.17A member who has a conflict between a personal interest and the public interest in the
993	993	30.18procurement process of securing staff, consultants, general counsel, or any other professional
994	994	30.19services, shall fully disclose to the commission in writing as soon as they learn of the
995	995	30.20potential conflict of interest the nature of the conflict. A member shall not participate in the
996	996	30.21discussion or deliberation or vote upon any matter if a conflict exists;
997	997	30.22 (4) adopt procedures and rules to carry out the provisions of this section and any laws
998	998	30.23enacted by the legislature, including the procurement of professional services such as GIS,
999	999	30.24general counsel, and other subject matter expert staff. These procedures and rules are not
1000	1000	30.25subject to chapter 14 or section 14.386;
1001	1001	30.26 (5) act as the legislature's recipient of the final redistricting data and other files relevant
1002	1002	30.27to redistricting from the United States Census Bureau;
1003	1003	30.28 (6) comply with requirements to disclose and preserve public records, as specified in
1004	1004	30.29the Data Practices Act, chapter 13, and section 138.17;
1005	1005	30.30 (7) hold open meetings and public hearings throughout the state pursuant to the Open
1006	1006	30.31Meetings Law, chapter 13D;
1007	1007	30.32 (8) work with the Redistricting Advisory Group to host a minimum of eight statewide
1008	1008	30.33informational town halls at community locations most likely to be known by individuals
1009	1009	30Article 3 Sec. 2.
1010	1010	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 31.1living in the community and at a time most likely to reasonably yield the highest attendance,
1011	1011	31.2allowing for basic information regarding the role of the advisory commission, how
1012	1012	31.3commission members were selected, and why community member participation matters in
1013	1013	31.4the redistricting process;
1014	1014	31.5 (9) provide public notice at least seven days in advance of any public meeting or public
1015	1015	31.6hearing. The notice and agenda must be posted on the commission's website and published
1016	1016	31.7in local news sources. The public notice shall also be disseminated leveraging social media,
1017	1017	31.8media frequently used by disenfranchised Minnesotans, or other community-based
1018	1018	31.9communication channels. The advisory commission may also partner with community-based
1019	1019	31.10nonpartisan organizations in an effort to more widely disseminate the notice to directly
1020	1020	31.11impacted communities. The notice and agenda must be provided in all languages required
1021	1021	31.12for voting materials under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, United States Code, title
1022	1022	31.1352, section 10503, in the congressional district in which the public meeting is scheduled;
1023	1023	31.14 (10) publish a draft agenda at least 72 hours before each public meeting or hearing;
1024	1024	31.15 (11) prepare and publish a report before any public meeting or hearing and no later than
1025	1025	31.16ten weeks after all members of the advisory commission are appointed that describes the
1026	1026	31.17commission's general priorities and intentions for utilizing redistricting criteria in its
1027	1027	31.18decision-making process, including a discussion on how the commission will balance
1028	1028	31.19competing requirements;
1029	1029	31.20 (12) adopt a schedule for interested persons to submit proposed plans and to respond to
1030	1030	31.21plans proposed by others. The redistricting commission shall also adopt standards to govern
1031	1031	31.22the format of plans submitted. Adoption of the schedule and standards under this subdivision
1032	1032	31.23is not subject to chapter 14 or section 14.386. The advisory commission must post submitted
1033	1033	31.24plans to its website as soon as practicable;
1034	1034	31.25 (13) subject to subdivisions 20 and 21, provide direction to commission staff on drawing
1035	1035	31.26maps;
1036	1036	31.27 (14) subject to subdivisions 20 and 21, review and direct modifications of maps to
1037	1037	31.28commission staff;
1038	1038	31.29 (15) prepare and publish reports on the following:
1039	1039	31.30 (i) all plans discussed by the full advisory commission, including all publicly submitted
1040	1040	31.31plans and draft plans;
1041	1041	31.32 (ii) a summary of all public input received in each comment period;
1042	1042	31.33 (iii) a summary of the data the advisory commission used to create those plans;
1043	1043	31Article 3 Sec. 2.
1044	1044	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 32.1 (iv) analysis of the maps using redistricting metrics; and
1045	1045	32.2 (v) any other information that provides the basis on which the advisory commission
1046	1046	32.3made decisions to achieve compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements;
1047	1047	32.4 (16) make reasonable efforts to schedule hearings in the evenings, on weekends, and at
1048	1048	32.5other times that most residents in that region are able to attend;
1049	1049	32.6 (17) whenever possible, use technology that allows for real-time virtual participation
1050	1050	32.7and feedback for all hearings. All audiovisual recordings of the advisory commission public
1051	1051	32.8meetings and public hearings must be maintained on the commission's website indefinitely;
1052	1052	32.9 (18) make reasonable efforts to make available translation and interpreter services for
1053	1053	32.10limited English-speaking individuals and those needing accommodations in compliance
1054	1054	32.11with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The redistricting commission may contract with
1055	1055	32.12an entity that provides interpreter services through telephonic and video remote technologies;
1056	1056	32.13and
1057	1057	32.14 (19) provide notices of the availability of both plans and reports in all languages required
1058	1058	32.15for voting materials under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1964, United States Code, title
1059	1059	32.1652, section 10503, and as required for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
1060	1060	32.17for each congressional district.
1061	1061	32.18 Subd. 6.Rules of order.Advisory commission meetings shall be conducted according
1062	1062	32.19to the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, subject to any procedures to the contrary
1063	1063	32.20set forth in these rules, applicable law, or such other rules adopted by the commission.
1064	1064	32.21 Subd. 7.Quorum.(a) A quorum must be present to conduct the business of the advisory
1065	1065	32.22commission meetings and hold public hearings. The quorum shall consist of twelve members,
1066	1066	32.23including at least one member affiliated with each of the major parties and one nonaffiliated
1067	1067	32.24member.
1068	1068	32.25 (b) If there is not a quorum due to a collective effort by one or more commissioners to
1069	1069	32.26disrupt the work, process, or vote of the commission, a quorum consists of the majority of
1070	1070	32.27commissioners. The requirement for at least one member from each majority party and one
1071	1071	32.28nonaffiliated member is not applicable under this circumstance.
1072	1072	32.29 Subd. 8.Minutes.Minutes of all meetings, including votes on all official actions taken
1073	1073	32.30at those meetings, shall be kept by the Legislative Coordinating Commission. All decisions
1074	1074	32.31of the advisory commission shall be recorded, and the record of its decisions shall be readily
1075	1075	32.32available to any member of the public as required by law and shall be provided without
1076	1076	32.33charge.
1077	1077	32Article 3 Sec. 2.
1078	1078	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 33.1 Subd. 9.Journal of proceedings.An account of all proceedings and the public record
1079	1079	33.2of the advisory commission shall be kept by the Legislative Coordinating Commission and
1080	1080	33.3shall constitute the official record of the advisory commission and be posted to the
1081	1081	33.4commission's website.
1082	1082	33.5 Subd. 10.Right of floor.Any member desiring to speak shall be recognized by the
1083	1083	33.6chair, or vice-chair when the chair is not present, and shall confine their remarks to one
1084	1084	33.7subject under consideration or to be considered.
1085	1085	33.8 Subd. 11.Right to general counsel.The Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission
1086	1086	33.9has a right to retain general counsel. The general counsel of the advisory commission shall
1087	1087	33.10be experienced and knowledgeable in the area of election law and voting rights and attend
1088	1088	33.11all meetings of the commission unless excused. The general counsel shall, upon request,
1089	1089	33.12give an opinion, either written or oral, on questions of law. The general counsel may make
1090	1090	33.13recommendations to the commission and shall have the right to take part in all public
1091	1091	33.14discussions of the commission but shall have no vote. General counsel shall act as
1092	1092	33.15parliamentarian of the commission and serve as its designated data practices act responsible
1093	1093	33.16authority in lieu of the executive director.
1094	1094	33.17 Subd. 12.Voting.(a) Except as otherwise provided in these rules or by law,
1095	1095	33.18administrative actions including calling to order, adjourning, scheduling hearings, and other
1096	1096	33.19such actions shall require the approval of a majority of commissioners entitled to vote. The
1097	1097	33.20vote is required for the following actions.
1098	1098	33.21 (b) A majority of the appointed commissioners must approve rules and procedural
1099	1099	33.22decisions.
1100	1100	33.23 (c) Election of the chair and vice-chair requires a two-thirds affirmative vote with at
1101	1101	33.24least one commissioner identifying with the largest political party in the state, one
1102	1102	33.25commissioner identifying with the second largest political party in the state, and one
1103	1103	33.26commissioner identifying with no political party or with a political party that is not the
1104	1104	33.27largest or second largest in the state.
1105	1105	33.28 (d) Adoption of the final plan for submission to the Minnesota Legislature and the
1106	1106	33.29adoption of a revised plan after a plan is returned to the advisory commission from the
1107	1107	33.30Minnesota Legislature require the affirmative vote of two-thirds of commissioners with at
1108	1108	33.31least one commissioner identifying with the largest political party in the state, one
1109	1109	33.32commissioner identifying with the second largest political party in the state, and one
1110	1110	33.33commissioner identifying with no political party or with a political party that is not the
1111	1111	33.34largest or second largest in the state.
1112	1112	33Article 3 Sec. 2.
1113	1113	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 34.1 Subd. 13.Duty to vote; abstaining.(a) Commissioners present at a meeting shall vote
1114	1114	34.2on every matter before the commission, unless otherwise excused or prohibited from voting
1115	1115	34.3as follows:
1116	1116	34.4 (1) a commissioner may abstain from voting if the commissioner:
1117	1117	34.5 (i) has a conflict of interest, as set forth in subdivision 5, or as defined by law. An
1118	1118	34.6individual commissioner shall disclose the presence of a conflict of interest or raise a potential
1119	1119	34.7conflict of interest when the agenda item is called, prior to the start of discussion or
1120	1120	34.8deliberation. Should a conflict of interest become clear during the discussion, the
1121	1121	34.9commissioner shall raise the existence of an actual or potential conflict at that time. An
1122	1122	34.10individual commissioner may seek the opinion of the general counsel with experience and
1123	1123	34.11expertise in the area of election law and voting rights on whether a conflict exists. This
1124	1124	34.12opinion shall not be binding on the commission. The Citizens Advisory Redistricting
1125	1125	34.13Commission shall decide, by majority vote of commissioners present, whether a conflict of
1126	1126	34.14interest exists. A vote may be tabled, if necessary, to obtain the opinion of the general
1127	1127	34.15counsel. A commissioner with a conflict of interest is prohibited from participating in any
1128	1128	34.16discussion, debate, or decision on that issue; or
1129	1129	34.17 (ii) lacks sufficient information about the issue to be decided. If a commissioner abstains
1130	1130	34.18for this reason, they shall state for the record their intention to abstain and the reasons for
1131	1131	34.19doing so prior to the vote. The abstaining commissioner shall not be restricted or prohibited
1132	1132	34.20from participating in any discussion or debate on the issue; and
1133	1133	34.21 (2) if any commissioner abstains from voting, a roll call vote shall be required on that
1134	1134	34.22issue. The reasons for the abstention shall be entered into the minutes of the meeting at
1135	1135	34.23which the vote is taken and be part of the official record.
1136	1136	34.24 (b) The right to vote is limited to the commissioners present at the time the vote is taken.
1137	1137	34.25Voting by proxy is prohibited.
1138	1138	34.26 (c) All votes must be held and determined in public. Secret ballots are prohibited.
1139	1139	34.27 (d) Prior to calling for a vote, the chair shall state the question being voted upon.
1140	1140	34.28 Subd. 14.Manner of voting.Except as otherwise provided in these rules or by law,
1141	1141	34.29voting shall be by a two-thirds affirmative vote using voice vote, roll call, or show of hands.
1142	1142	34.30Roll call votes shall be taken when required in this section or by law, at the request of any
1143	1143	34.31commissioner, or when the chair cannot determine the results of a voice vote.
1144	1144	34.32 Subd. 15.Chair and vice-chair.(a) The Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission
1145	1145	34.33must elect a chair and vice-chair from among its members by a vote under subdivision 12,
1146	1146	34Article 3 Sec. 2.
1147	1147	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 35.1paragraph (c). The chair and vice-chair shall not self-identify as belonging to the same
1148	1148	35.2political party.
1149	1149	35.3 (b) The nomination and election of the chair occurs first and the vice-chair occurs second.
1150	1150	35.4 (c) All candidates must be given an equal amount of time to speak in support of their
1151	1151	35.5candidacy, to be followed by a period of questions and answers.
1152	1152	35.6 (d) The chair shall:
1153	1153	35.7 (1) call to order and preside at all meetings;
1154	1154	35.8 (2) preserve order and decorum and may speak to points of order in preference to other
1155	1155	35.9commissioners;
1156	1156	35.10 (3) decide all questions arising under this parliamentary authority in consultation with
1157	1157	35.11the general counsel, subject to appeal and reversal by a majority of the commissioners
1158	1158	35.12present;
1159	1159	35.13 (4) enforce rules of procedure;
1160	1160	35.14 (5) perform any other administrative or agenda duties as directed by the advisory
1161	1161	35.15commission;
1162	1162	35.16 (6) have all the same rights as other commissioners with respect to procedural matters,
1163	1163	35.17debate, and voting except that the chair shall not vote on the appeal of a parliamentary ruling
1164	1164	35.18by the chair;
1165	1165	35.19 (7) approve expenditures associated with the commission for any individual expenditure
1166	1166	35.20in excess of $5,000;
1167	1167	35.21 (8) when both the chair and vice-chair are absent, designate another of its commissioners
1168	1168	35.22to serve as acting chair during such absence or disability; and
1169	1169	35.23 (9) establish committees and subcommittees by a majority vote of the commission with
1170	1170	35.24the support of at least one vote from a member identifying with the largest political party
1171	1171	35.25in the state, one vote from a member identifying with the second largest political party in
1172	1172	35.26the state, and one vote from a member identifying with no political party or with a political
1173	1173	35.27party that is not the largest or second largest in the state.
1174	1174	35.28 (e) The vice-chair shall perform the duties of the chair when the chair is unavailable,
1175	1175	35.29except as otherwise provided by law. The vice-chair shall act in the capacity of the chair in
1176	1176	35.30the chair's absence. The vice-chair shall help facilitate group discussion on items before the
1177	1177	35.31advisory commission. The vice-chair is also responsible for other duties as designated by
1178	1178	35.32the chair.
1179	1179	35Article 3 Sec. 2.
1180	1180	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 36.1 Subd. 16.Secretary.The executive director, or their designee, is secretary to the advisory
1181	1181	36.2commission without vote and, in that capacity, shall keep the official record of all proceedings
1182	1182	36.3of the commission and furnish, under the direction of the commission, all technical services
1183	1183	36.4that the commission deems necessary. The duties of the secretary shall also include:
1184	1184	36.5 (1) facilitating the process for the selection of commissioners pursuant to subdivision
1185	1185	36.62, paragraphs (e) to (p), and replacement of commissioners pursuant to subdivision 4,
1186	1186	36.7paragraph (h);
1187	1187	36.8 (2) issuing a call convening the advisory commission by January 1 in the year of the
1188	1188	36.9federal decennial census;
1189	1189	36.10 (3) publishing the redistricting plan for each type of district adopted under subdivision
1190	1190	36.1125 within 30 days of the adoption of the plan. This publication shall include the plan and
1191	1191	36.12the material reports, reference materials, and data used in drawing it, including any
1192	1192	36.13programming information used to produce and test the plan. The published materials shall
1193	1193	36.14be such that an independent person is able to replicate the conclusion without any
1194	1194	36.15modification of any of the published materials;
1195	1195	36.16 (4) maintaining a public record of all proceedings of the advisory commission and
1196	1196	36.17publishing and distributing each plan and required documentation. An adopted redistricting
1197	1197	36.18plan shall become law upon submission to the secretary of state absent any legal action
1198	1198	36.19resulting in a court finding constitutional violations and ordering new maps be drawn; and
1199	1199	36.20 (5) taking and maintaining minutes of all advisory commission meetings including votes
1200	1200	36.21on all official actions taken at those meetings. All decisions of the commission shall be
1201	1201	36.22recorded, and the record of its decisions shall be readily available to any member of the
1202	1202	36.23public as required by law and shall be provided without charge.
1203	1203	36.24 Subd. 17.Orientation and training.(a) Orientation for members of the advisory
1204	1204	36.25commission shall be coordinated by the Legislative Coordinating Commission.
1205	1205	36.26 (b) Commissioners shall receive nonpartisan orientation, ongoing education, and training
1206	1206	36.27on the purposes and activities of the advisory commission. Information may be presented
1207	1207	36.28in a manner most convenient or useful to the commission including the use of interactive
1208	1208	36.29or subject-matter expert presentations. Training should include insights from other states
1209	1209	36.30operating under advisory citizens commissions.
1210	1210	36.31 (c) Orientation shall be coordinated by nonpartisan Legislative Coordinating Commission
1211	1211	36.32staff and must be completed within four weeks of the commission being formed.
1212	1212	36Article 3 Sec. 2.
1213	1213	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 37.1 Subd. 18.Employment of personnel.The advisory commission shall be compensated
1214	1214	37.2as prescribed in law. The Legislative Coordination Commission must provide the commission
1215	1215	37.3with the services of nonpartisan experts, consultants, and support staff, as necessary to carry
1216	1216	37.4out its duties pursuant to this section.
1217	1217	37.5 Subd. 19.Public hearings in diverse state regions.(a) Prior to adopting a legislative
1218	1218	37.6or congressional districting plan, the advisory commission must hold a minimum of 16
1219	1219	37.7public hearings throughout the state, with at least eight hearings held before adopting
1220	1220	37.8preliminary drafts of legislative or congressional district plans. The primary purpose of the
1221	1221	37.9first eight public hearings is to request public input on how to define communities of interest
1222	1222	37.10and to provide an opportunity for public comment from residents of that part of the state.
1223	1223	37.11The commission must make reasonable efforts to schedule hearings in the evenings, on
1224	1224	37.12weekends, and at other times that most residents of that region are able to attend.
1225	1225	37.13 (b) By February 15 of each year ending in one, the advisory commission must hold at
1226	1226	37.14least eight public hearings in diverse regions of the state, including southern Minnesota,
1227	1227	37.15central Minnesota, Northern Minnesota, and the Twin Cities Metro Area, before adopting
1228	1228	37.16preliminary drafts of legislative or congressional district plans. The primary purpose of
1229	1229	37.17these first public hearings in each location is to request advice on how to define communities
1230	1230	37.18of interest and to provide an opportunity for public testimony from residents of that
1231	1231	37.19community. The commission must make reasonable efforts to schedule hearings in the
1232	1232	37.20evenings, on weekends, and at other times that most residents from that region are able to
1233	1233	37.21attend.
1234	1234	37.22 (c) After completing the first round of public hearings to get public input on communities
1235	1235	37.23of interest, the advisory commission must publish on its website preliminary drafts of the
1236	1236	37.24legislative and congressional district plans. The commission also must publish the reports
1237	1237	37.25for each preliminary draft prior to hearings discussing that draft. The advisory commission
1238	1238	37.26must allow the public at least 14 days to submit comments to the commission after
1239	1239	37.27publication. After those 14 days, the commission must then hold at least one additional
1240	1240	37.28public hearing to allow for open public input and comment. Nonpartisan GIS experts,
1241	1241	37.29consultants, and support staff shall be present to hear and consider public comment on the
1242	1242	37.30proposed plans. The commission may require its general counsel to attend.
1243	1243	37.31 (d) The advisory commission must make reasonable efforts to allow the public to submit
1244	1244	37.32written testimony prior to a hearing and make copies of that testimony available to all
1245	1245	37.33commissioners and the public prior to and at the hearings.
1246	1246	37Article 3 Sec. 2.
1247	1247	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 38.1 Subd. 20.Internal communications.(a) The advisory commission may designate one
1248	1248	38.2or more commission staff to communicate with commissioners regarding administrative
1249	1249	38.3matters and may define the scope of the permitted communication. The designation must
1250	1250	38.4be announced at the next public hearing following the designation.
1251	1251	38.5 (b) A commissioner must not direct, request, suggest, or recommend to staff an
1252	1252	38.6interpretation of a districting principle or a change to a district boundary, except during an
1253	1253	38.7open meeting of the commission. Communication between retained counsel and members
1254	1254	38.8of the commission or the designated commission staff does not violate the provisions of
1255	1255	38.9this section.
1256	1256	38.10 Subd. 21.External communications.(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b),
1257	1257	38.11commissioners and staff must not communicate with anyone outside the commission
1258	1258	38.12regarding the content of a plan, except at an open meeting of the commission or when
1259	1259	38.13soliciting or receiving written communications regarding a plan that is the subject of a public
1260	1260	38.14hearing.
1261	1261	38.15 (b) The following external communications are expressly permitted:
1262	1262	38.16 (1) a communication of general information about the commission, proceedings of the
1263	1263	38.17commission, or redistricting, including questions or requests for information and responses
1264	1264	38.18to or from commission staff;
1265	1265	38.19 (2) testimony or documents submitted by a person for use at a public hearing;
1266	1266	38.20 (3) a report submitted under subdivision 5, clause (11); and
1267	1267	38.21 (4) a communication required by chapter 13 or 13D.
1268	1268	38.22 Subd. 22.Prohibitions on gifts and gratuities.The advisory commission, individual
1269	1269	38.23commissioners, staff, attorneys, experts, and consultants may not directly or indirectly solicit
1270	1270	38.24or accept any gift or loan of money, goods, services, or other thing of value greater than $5
1271	1271	38.25for the benefit of any person or organization, which may influence the manner in which the
1272	1272	38.26individual commissioner, staff, attorney, expert, or consultant performs their duties.
1273	1273	38.27 Subd. 23.Reports of improper activity.(a) Advisory commission staff shall report to
1274	1274	38.28the commission any attempt to exert improper influence over the staff in drafting plans.
1275	1275	38.29 (b) A commissioner or commission staff shall report to the advisory commission chair
1276	1276	38.30and vice-chair any prohibited communication. The report must include a copy of a written
1277	1277	38.31communication or a written summary of an oral communication.
1278	1278	38Article 3 Sec. 2.
1279	1279	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 39.1 (c) A report under this subdivision must be made no later than three business days after
1280	1280	39.2the attempt to exert improper influence or the prohibited communication, or before the next
1281	1281	39.3meeting of the commission, whichever is earlier. If special circumstances make this
1282	1282	39.4requirement impracticable, the report must be made at the following meeting of the
1283	1283	39.5commission.
1284	1284	39.6 Subd. 24.Data used.(a) The advisory commission shall use census data representing
1285	1285	39.7the entire population of this state to draw congressional and legislative districts. Except
1286	1286	39.8when required by law or for the purposes of drawing districts in compliance with provisions
1287	1287	39.9of state or federal law, citizen voting age or citizen population must not be used as the
1288	1288	39.10method to calculate population equality. The commission may also consider demographic
1289	1289	39.11trend data provided by the Minnesota state demographer and relevant election data.
1290	1290	39.12 (b) The advisory commission shall use population data that reflects incarcerated persons
1291	1291	39.13at their last known residence before incarceration.
1292	1292	39.14 Subd. 25.Deadlines.(a) After completing the public hearings required by subdivision
1293	1293	39.1519, but by May 1 of each year ending in one, the advisory commission shall submit plans
1294	1294	39.16and its reports to the legislature for legislative and congressional districts. Each plan must
1295	1295	39.17be accompanied by a report summarizing information and testimony received by the
1296	1296	39.18redistricting commission in the course of the hearings and include any comments and
1297	1297	39.19conclusions the advisory commission deems appropriate on the information and testimony
1298	1298	39.20received at the hearings or otherwise presented. To submit a plan to the legislature, the
1299	1299	39.21advisory commission must approve the plan by an affirmative vote of twelve members or
1300	1300	39.22more, including at least one member identifying with the largest political party in the state,
1301	1301	39.23one member identifying with the second largest political party in the state, and one member
1302	1302	39.24identifying with no political party or with a political party that is not the largest or second
1303	1303	39.25largest in the state. When the advisory commission approves a plan, the plan and its reports
1304	1304	39.26must be published to the advisory commission's website.
1305	1305	39.27 (b) The legislature intends that a bill be introduced to enact each plan received from the
1306	1306	39.28advisory commission and that the bill be brought to a vote within one week in either the
1307	1307	39.29senate or the house of representatives under a procedure or rule permitting no amendment.
1308	1308	39.30The legislature further intends that the bill be brought to a vote in the second house within
1309	1309	39.31one week after final passage in the first house.
1310	1310	39.32 (c) If the secretary of the senate or chief clerk of the house of representatives notifies
1311	1311	39.33the advisory commission that the first plan has failed, or the governor vetoes the first plan,
1312	1312	39.34the commission shall submit a second plan within two weeks after it receives the notice. If
1313	1313	39Article 3 Sec. 2.
1314	1314	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 40.1the legislature has adjourned the regular session in the year ending in one before the
1315	1315	40.2commission submits a second plan, and no special session is called before October 1 to
1316	1316	40.3consider the second plan, then the commission must submit the second plan to the legislature
1317	1317	40.4before October 1 to be considered at the opening of its regular session in the year ending
1318	1318	40.5in two. The legislature intends that the second plan be considered by the legislature under
1319	1319	40.6the same procedure provided for a first plan under paragraph (b).
1320	1320	40.7 (d) If the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the house of representatives notifies
1321	1321	40.8the advisory commission that a second plan has failed, or the governor vetoes a second plan,
1322	1322	40.9the commission shall submit a third plan within two weeks after it receives the notice. If
1323	1323	40.10the legislature has adjourned the regular session in the year ending in one, before the
1324	1324	40.11commission submits a third plan, and there is no special session called before October 1 to
1325	1325	40.12consider the third plan, then the commission must submit the third plan to the legislature
1326	1326	40.13before October 1 to be considered at the opening of its regular session in the year ending
1327	1327	40.14in two. The legislature intends that the third plan be considered by the legislature under the
1328	1328	40.15same procedure provided for the first and second plans under paragraph (b) whether it is
1329	1329	40.16being considered during the regular or a special session with the exception that amendments
1330	1330	40.17by the legislature may be proposed.
1331	1331	40.18 (e) If the advisory commission cannot reach an agreement on a plan for any reason, the
1332	1332	40.19commission shall use the following procedure to adopt a plan for that type of district:
1333	1333	40.20 (1) each commissioner may submit one proposed plan for each type of district to the
1334	1334	40.21full commission for consideration;
1335	1335	40.22 (2) each commissioner shall rank the plans submitted according to preference. Each plan
1336	1336	40.23shall be assigned a point value inverse to its ranking among the number of choices, giving
1337	1337	40.24the lowest ranked plan one point and the highest ranked plan a point value equal to the
1338	1338	40.25number of plans submitted; and
1339	1339	40.26 (3) the advisory commission shall adopt the plan receiving the highest total points, that
1340	1340	40.27is also ranked among the top half of plans by at least two commissioners not affiliated with
1341	1341	40.28the party of the commissioner submitting the plan or, in the case of a plan submitted by
1342	1342	40.29nonaffiliated commissioners, is ranked among the top half of plans by at least two
1343	1343	40.30commissioners affiliated with a major party. If plans are tied for the highest point total, the
1344	1344	40.31executive director shall by lottery select the final plan from those plans.
1345	1345	40.32 (f) If the legislature and governor have not approved a plan by October 1 of the year
1346	1346	40.33ending in one, then the advisory commission must submit a map approved by the commission
1347	1347	40.34to the Minnesota Supreme Court for review for adherence to state constitution and statutes.
1348	1348	40Article 3 Sec. 2.
1349	1349	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 41.1 (g) If the legislature and governor have neither rejected the commission plans three
1350	1350	41.2times, nor approved the commission plans by the statutory required date for plan approval
1351	1351	41.3as provided in section 204B.14, and the court has found the commission plan to meet all
1352	1352	41.4legal requirements, then the court shall order implementation of the commission plan in the
1353	1353	41.5absence of a legislative plan.
1354	1354	41.6 (h) Final approval of all plans, whether enacted by the legislature or as provided by court
1355	1355	41.7order, must take place no later than the date provided in section 204B.14, subdivision 1a.
1356	1356	41.8 (i) Notwithstanding subdivision 30, the established advisory commission must complete
1357	1357	41.9its activity by October 1 in each year ending in one. Upon final approval of the advisory
1358	1358	41.10commission's adopted plan by the legislature and governor, the plan must be communicated
1359	1359	41.11to the secretary of state. The plan becomes effective for the following election upon filing
1360	1360	41.12with the secretary of state. The commission must also publish the adopted plans and the
1361	1361	41.13related reports on the redistricting commission's website.
1362	1362	41.14 Subd. 26.Activity and evaluation report.Within 30 days of the enactment into law
1363	1363	41.15or adoption by court order of both a legislative plan and a congressional plan, the advisory
1364	1364	41.16commission must submit a report to the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the
1365	1365	41.17secretary of the senate, the majority and minority leaders of each house of the legislature,
1366	1366	41.18and the governor. At a minimum, the report must include a summary of the commission's
1367	1367	41.19work, including the information required in subdivision 5, clause (15), and any recommended
1368	1368	41.20changes to laws affecting redistricting. The report must also inform the legislature if the
1369	1369	41.21commission determines that funds or other resources provided for the operation of the
1370	1370	41.22commission were inadequate. A commissioner who voted against a redistricting plan may
1371	1371	41.23submit a dissenting report, which shall be issued with the commission's report. The
1372	1372	41.24commission must publish the report on its website.
1373	1373	41.25 Subd. 27.Criminal liability as public officers.Members of the advisory commission
1374	1374	41.26exercise the functions of a public officer for the purposes of sections 609.415 to 609.4751.
1375	1375	41.27 Subd. 28.Data.The advisory commission is subject to chapter 13, except that a plan is
1376	1376	41.28not public data until it has been submitted to the advisory commission for its consideration.
1377	1377	41.29 Subd. 29.Lobbyist registration.Action by the redistricting commission is administrative
1378	1378	41.30action for the purposes of section 10A.01, subdivisions 2 and 21.
1379	1379	41.31 Subd. 30.Expiration.(a) The advisory commission expires 45 days after:
1380	1380	41.32 (1) both a legislative and a congressional redistricting plan have been enacted into law
1381	1381	41.33or adopted by court order; and
1382	1382	41Article 3 Sec. 2.
1383	1383	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 42.1 (2) any legal challenges to the plans have been resolved.
1384	1384	42.2 (b) If a court enjoins the use of a plan after the advisory commission expires, the court
1385	1385	42.3enjoining the plan may direct a new commission to be appointed under this section to draft
1386	1386	42.4a remedial plan for presentation to the legislature in accordance with deadlines established
1387	1387	42.5by the court's order.
1388	1388	42.6 Sec. 3. [2A.32] REDISTRICTING PRINCIPLES.
1389	1389	42.7 Subdivision 1.Districting principles.The prohibitions and principles in this section
1390	1390	42.8apply to both legislative and congressional districts.
1391	1391	42.9 Subd. 2.Prohibitions(a) Districts must not be drawn to violate the Fourteenth and
1392	1392	42.10Fifteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution or the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
1393	1393	42.11as amended.
1394	1394	42.12 (b) Districts must not be drawn to purposefully favor or disfavor a candidate or incumbent.
1395	1395	42.13 (c) Districts must not be drawn using voter registration, voter turnout, voting history, or
1396	1396	42.14party preference, including participation in the presidential nominating primary, general
1397	1397	42.15election, voting patterns, and primary voting patterns, except for the purposes of verifying
1398	1398	42.16the compliance of maps with the requirements of this section and of issuing the reports
1399	1399	42.17required by section 2A.31.
1400	1400	42.18 (d) Districts must not be drawn using the location of incumbents' or candidates' residences.
1401	1401	42.19 (e) Districts must not be drawn using data subject to reporting or regulation under chapter
1402	1402	42.2010A; section 201.091, subdivision 4a; United States Code, title 52, subtitle III; or United
1403	1403	42.21States Code, title 26, subtitle H.
1404	1404	42.22 (f) Districts must not be drawn with the effect of unduly favoring or disfavoring any
1405	1405	42.23political party. Districts shall be subjected to a test of partisan fairness using the standard
1406	1406	42.24of proportionality as the benchmark for fairness. Using four recent statewide elections, any
1407	1407	42.25proposed Congressional or legislative plan must be close to achieving major-party seat share
1408	1408	42.26proportional to the corresponding share of the popular vote in at least three out of the four
1409	1409	42.27contests. The standard of closeness is one seat for Congressional contests and seven
1410	1410	42.28percentage points for legislative contests. If a plan fails to meet this standard, it triggers a
1411	1411	42.29rebuttable presumption of excessive partisan advantage. This may be rebutted if a court
1412	1412	42.30determines that the degree of disproportionality was necessary in order to reasonably balance
1413	1413	42.31the rules and criteria in effect for redistricting.
1414	1414	42Article 3 Sec. 3.
1415	1415	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 43.1 Subd. 3.Priority of principles.Districts must be drawn in accordance with the principles
1416	1416	43.2in this section. If districts cannot be drawn fully in accordance with the principles, a
1417	1417	43.3districting plan must give priority to those principles in the order in which they are listed,
1418	1418	43.4except when doing so would violate federal or state law.
1419	1419	43.5 Subd. 4.Population equality.(a) Each congressional district must be as nearly equal
1420	1420	43.6in population as practicable.
1421	1421	43.7 (b) Each legislative district must be substantially equal in population. The population
1422	1422	43.8of a legislative district must not deviate by more than plus or minus five percent from the
1423	1423	43.9population of the ideal district.
1424	1424	43.10 Subd. 5.Minority representation.(a) Districts must not dilute or diminish the equal
1425	1425	43.11opportunity of racial, ethnic, and language minorities to participate in the political process
1426	1426	43.12and to elect candidates of their choice, whether alone or in coalition with others.
1427	1427	43.13 (b) Districts must provide racial minorities and language minorities who constitute less
1428	1428	43.14than a voting-age majority of a district with an equal opportunity to substantially influence
1429	1429	43.15the outcome of an election.
1430	1430	43.16 Subd. 6.Preservation of Native Nations.The reservation lands of a federally recognized
1431	1431	43.17Native Nation must be preserved to the extent practicable. Discontiguous portions of a
1432	1432	43.18federally recognized Native Nation's reservation lands must be included in the same district
1433	1433	43.19and must not be divided more than necessary to meet constitutional requirements.
1434	1434	43.20 Subd. 7.Communities of interest.Districts must minimize the division of identifiable
1435	1435	43.21communities of interest. A community of interest may include a racial, ethnic, or linguistic
1436	1436	43.22group or any group with shared experiences and concerns, including but not limited to
1437	1437	43.23geographic, governmental, regional, social, cultural, historic, socioeconomic, occupational,
1438	1438	43.24trade, environmental, or transportation interests. Communities of interest shall not include
1439	1439	43.25relationships with political parties, incumbents, or candidates.
1440	1440	43.26 Subd. 8.Convenience and contiguity.Each district must be convenient and contiguous.
1441	1441	43.27A district is convenient if it allows reasonable ease of travel within the district. Contiguity
1442	1442	43.28by water is sufficient if the water is not a serious obstacle to travel within the district. A
1443	1443	43.29district with areas that touch only at a point is not contiguous.
1444	1444	43.30 Subd. 9.Nesting.A representative district must not be divided in the formation of a
1445	1445	43.31senate district.
1446	1446	43.32 Subd. 10.Political subdivisions.Districts must minimize the division of counties, cities,
1447	1447	43.33and towns except when (1) the division occurs because a portion of a city or town is not
1448	1448	43Article 3 Sec. 3.
1449	1449	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 44.1contiguous with another portion of the same city or town, or (2) despite the division, the
1450	1450	44.2known population of any affected county, city, or town remains wholly located within a
1451	1451	44.3single district.
1452	1452	44.4 Subd. 11.Compactness.Districts must be reasonably compact. More than one measure
1453	1453	44.5must be used to evaluate compactness of districts.
1454	1454	44.6 Subd. 12.Natural geographic boundaries.Districts must be drawn to respect natural
1455	1455	44.7geographic boundaries to the extent possible, including bodies of water, mountain ranges,
1456	1456	44.8and other significant geological and topographic features.
1457	1457	44.9 Subd. 13.Numbering.(a) Congressional district numbers must begin with district one
1458	1458	44.10in the southeast corner of the state and end with the district with the highest number in the
1459	1459	44.11northeast corner of the state.
1460	1460	44.12 (b) Legislative districts must be numbered in a regular series, beginning with house of
1461	1461	44.13representatives district 1A in the northwest corner of the state and proceeding across the
1462	1462	44.14state from west to east, north to south. In a county that includes more than one whole senate
1463	1463	44.15district, the districts must be numbered consecutively.
1464	1464	44.16 Subd. 14.Additional principles.The advisory commission established in section 2A.31
1465	1465	44.17may adopt additional principles by a two-thirds vote, but the additional principles must not
1466	1466	44.18be prioritized above the principles in the Constitution of Minnesota or in this section.
1467	1467	44.19 Subd. 15.Severability.The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision of
1468	1468	44.20this section or its application is held to be invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other
1469	1469	44.21provisions of this section, which shall be given the maximum possible effect in the absence
1470	1470	44.22of the invalid provision.
1471	1471	44.23Sec. 4. [2A.33] LEGISLATIVE COORDINATING COMMISSION;
1472	1472	44.24REDISTRICTING .
1473	1473	44.25 Subdivision 1.Administrative and professional support.The Legislative Coordinating
1474	1474	44.26Commission shall provide administrative, professional, and support services to the
1475	1475	44.27commission established in section 2A.31. The responsibilities assigned to the Legislative
1476	1476	44.28Coordinating Commission executive director may be implemented through a process or
1477	1477	44.29delegation to an individual responsible to the executive director to carry out the assigned
1478	1478	44.30activities.
1479	1479	44.31 Subd. 2.Data used.(a) The geographic areas and population counts used in maps, tables,
1480	1480	44.32and legal descriptions of legislative and congressional districts considered by the legislature
1481	1481	44.33and the redistricting commission must be those used by the GIS Office. The population
1482	1482	44Article 3 Sec. 4.
1483	1483	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 45.1counts shall be the block population counts provided to the state under Public Law 94-171
1484	1484	45.2after each decennial census, subject to correction of any errors acknowledged by the United
1485	1485	45.3States Census Bureau.
1486	1486	45.4 (b) Nothing in this subdivision prohibits the use of additional data, except as provided
1487	1487	45.5by sections 2A.31 and 2A.32.
1488	1488	45.6 (c) The GIS Office must make this data available to the public on the GIS Office's
1489	1489	45.7website.
1490	1490	45.8 Subd. 3.Publication; consideration of plans.A plan must not be finalized until the
1491	1491	45.9plan's block equivalency file has been submitted to the GIS Office in a form prescribed by
1492	1492	45.10the GIS Office. The block equivalency file must show the district to which each census
1493	1493	45.11block has been assigned. The GIS Office shall publish each plan submitted to it on the GIS
1494	1494	45.12Office's website.
1495	1495	45.13 Subd. 4.Reports.Publication of a plan shall include the reports described as follows:
1496	1496	45.14 (1) a population equality report that lists each district in the plan, its population as the
1497	1497	45.15total number of persons, and deviations from the ideal as both the number of persons and
1498	1498	45.16as a percentage of the population. The report must also show the populations of the largest
1499	1499	45.17and smallest districts and the overall range of deviations of districts;
1500	1500	45.18 (2) a minority voting-age population report that lists for each district the voting age
1501	1501	45.19population of each racial, ethnic, or language minority and the total minority voting age
1502	1502	45.20population, according to the categories recommended by the United States Department of
1503	1503	45.21Justice. The report must also specify each district with 30 percent or more total minority
1504	1504	45.22population;
1505	1505	45.23 (3) a contiguity report that lists each district that is noncontiguous either because two
1506	1506	45.24areas of a district do not touch or because they are linked by a point;
1507	1507	45.25 (4) if a plan preserves a community of interest, a communities of interest report that
1508	1508	45.26includes maps of the plan with a layer identifying the census blocks within each preserved
1509	1509	45.27community of interest and includes a description of the research process used to identify
1510	1510	45.28each community of interest. The report must also list each district to which a community
1511	1511	45.29of interest has been assigned, the number of communities of interest that are split, and the
1512	1512	45.30number of times communities of interest were split;
1513	1513	45.31 (5) a political subdivision and Native Nation reservation splits report that lists each split
1514	1514	45.32of a county, city, township, federally recognized Native Nation reservation, unorganized
1515	1515	45.33territory, and precinct, and the district to which each portion of a split division is assigned.
1516	1516	45Article 3 Sec. 4.
1517	1517	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 46.1The report also must show the number of subdivisions split and the number of times a
1518	1518	46.2subdivision is split;
1519	1519	46.3 (6) a plan components report that lists for each district the names and populations of the
1520	1520	46.4counties within it and, if a county is split between or among districts, the names and
1521	1521	46.5populations of the portion of the split county and each of the split county's whole or partial
1522	1522	46.6cities, townships, unorganized territories, and precincts within each district;
1523	1523	46.7 (7) a measures of compactness report that lists for each district the results of the multiple
1524	1524	46.8measures of compactness, including but not limited to Reock, Polsby-Popper, Minimum
1525	1525	46.9Convex Hull, Population Polygon, Population Circle, Ehrenburg, Perimeter, and
1526	1526	46.10Length-Width measures. The report must also state for each district the sum of the district's
1527	1527	46.11perimeter and the mean of the measurements. The report may list additional tests of
1528	1528	46.12compactness that are accepted in political science and statistics literature; and
1529	1529	46.13 (8) a partisanship report that lists multiple measures of partisan symmetry. The report
1530	1530	46.14may list additional tests of partisan bias that are accepted in political science and statistics
1531	1531	46.15literature.
1532	1532	46.16Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
1533	1533	46.17 This article is effective January 1, 2027, if the constitutional amendments proposed in
1534	1534	46.18article 1 are not ratified.
1535	1535	46Article 3 Sec. 5.
1536	1536	REVISOR JFK/LN 25-0541904/16/25 Page.Ln 1.15
1537	1537	CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS; INDEPENDENT
1538	1538	REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.......................................................ARTICLE 1
1539	1539	Page.Ln 12.11
1540	1540	INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION; STATUTORY
1541	1541	IMPLEMENTATION.............................................................................ARTICLE 2
1542	1542	Page.Ln 22.5CITIZENS ADVISORY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION...............ARTICLE 3
1543	1543	1
1544	1544	APPENDIX
1545	1545	Article locations for 25-05419 2.91 REDISTRICTING PLANS.
1546	1546	Subdivision 1.Distribution.Upon enactment of a redistricting plan for the legislature or for
1547	1547	Congress, the Legislative Coordinating Commission shall deposit the plan with the secretary of
1548	1548	state. The secretary of state shall provide copies of the relevant portions of the redistricting plan to
1549	1549	each county auditor, who shall provide a copy of the relevant portions of the plan to each municipal
1550	1550	clerk within the county. The secretary of state, with the cooperation of the commissioner of
1551	1551	administration, shall make copies of the plan file, maps, and tables available to the public for the
1552	1552	cost of publication. The revisor of statutes shall code a metes and bounds description of the districts
1553	1553	in Minnesota Statutes.
1554	1554	Subd. 2.Corrections.The legislature intends that a redistricting plan encompass all the territory
1555	1555	of this state, that no territory be omitted or duplicated, that all districts consist of convenient
1556	1556	contiguous territory substantially equal in population, and that political subdivisions not be divided
1557	1557	more than necessary to meet constitutional requirements. Therefore, in implementing a redistricting
1558	1558	plan for the legislature or for Congress, the secretary of state, after notifying the Legislative
1559	1559	Coordinating Commission and the revisor of statutes, shall order the following corrections:
1560	1560	(a) If a territory in this state is not named in the redistricting plan but lies within the boundaries
1561	1561	of a district, it is a part of the district within which it lies.
1562	1562	(b) If a territory in this state is not named in the redistricting plan but lies between the boundaries
1563	1563	of two or more districts, it is a part of the contiguous district having the smallest population.
1564	1564	(c) If a territory in this state is assigned in the redistricting plan to two or more districts, it is
1565	1565	part of the district having the smallest population.
1566	1566	(d) If a territory in this state is assigned to a district that consists of other territory containing a
1567	1567	majority of the population of the district but with which it is not contiguous, the territory is a part
1568	1568	of the contiguous district having the smallest population.
1569	1569	(e) If the description of a district boundary line that divides a political subdivision is ambiguous
1570	1570	because a highway, street, railroad track, power transmission line, river, creek, or other physical
1571	1571	feature or census block boundary that forms part of the district boundary is omitted or is not properly
1572	1572	named or has been changed, or because a compass direction for the boundary line is wrong, the
1573	1573	secretary of state shall add or correct the name or compass direction and resolve the ambiguity in
1574	1574	favor of creating districts of convenient, contiguous territory of substantially equal population that
1575	1575	do not divide political subdivisions more than is necessary to meet constitutional requirements.
1576	1576	Subd. 3.Notice of corrections.The secretary of state shall provide a copy of each correction
1577	1577	order to each affected county auditor, municipal clerk, and candidate.
1578	1578	Subd. 4.Recommendations to legislature.The secretary of state and the revisor of statutes
1579	1579	shall recommend to the legislature any additional technical corrections to the redistricting plan they
1580	1580	deem necessary or desirable.
1581	1581	1R
1582	1582	APPENDIX
1583	1583	Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 25-05419