| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to state government; requiring plain language in written materials for |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 state-issued professional licensing; requiring a report; proposing coding for new |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4 law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 15. |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Section 1. [15.996] PLAIN LANGUAGE IN LICENSE WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS. |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7 Subdivision 1.Definitions.For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms have |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8the meanings given: |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9 (1) "plain language standards" means the requirements specified in subdivision 2, |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10paragraph (a), and the requirements of the Plain Writing Act, Public Law 111-274, and |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11governor's Executive Order 14-07; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.12 (2) "written examination" means the written portion of an examination in English for a |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13license issued by the state. |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14 Subd. 2.Plain language.(a) By February 1, 2026, each commissioner must implement |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15plain language standards for the written portion of a knowledge examination to ensure the |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16written examination is a fair assessment of the license applicant's knowledge of relevant |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17subject matter. The new written portion of the knowledge examination, to the extent |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1.18practicable, must be organized to serve the reader's needs and written using clear, simplified |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1.19language with the following grammatical standards: |
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| 20 | 20 | | 1.20 (1) "you" and other pronouns address the test-taker directly; |
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| 21 | 21 | | 1.21 (2) utilize the active voice; |
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| 22 | 22 | | 1.22 (3) use short, simple sentences and straightforward questions; |
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| 23 | 23 | | 1Section 1. |
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| 24 | 24 | | 25-02528 as introduced01/29/25 REVISOR SGS/MI |
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| 25 | 25 | | SENATE |
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| 26 | 26 | | STATE OF MINNESOTA |
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| 27 | 27 | | S.F. No. 1258NINETY-FOURTH SESSION |
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| 28 | 28 | | (SENATE AUTHORS: HOWE and Oumou Verbeten) |
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| 29 | 29 | | OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE |
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| 30 | 30 | | Introduction and first reading02/13/2025 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Referred to State and Local Government 2.1 (4) avoid complex and compound sentence structures; |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2.2 (5) utilize commonly used and familiar words; |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2.3 (6) avoid turning verbs into nouns through nominalization; |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2.4 (7) minimize the use of abbreviations; |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2.5 (8) place words carefully to avoid large gaps between the subject, verb, and object in a |
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| 36 | 36 | | 2.6sentence; |
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| 37 | 37 | | 2.7 (9) avoid confusing terms such as "either, or" and "neither, nor"; |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2.8 (10) utilize simple verb tenses, including the simple present verb tense where practicable, |
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| 39 | 39 | | 2.9to explain confusing or complex concepts; |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2.10 (11) omit double negatives and terms like "except for," "unless," and "indicated |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2.11otherwise"; |
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| 42 | 42 | | 2.12 (12) avoid hidden terms and use concrete, familiar words to describe confusing or |
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| 43 | 43 | | 2.13complex concepts or items; |
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| 44 | 44 | | 2.14 (13) omit excess and unnecessary words; |
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| 45 | 45 | | 2.15 (14) use the word "must" to express requirements; |
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| 46 | 46 | | 2.16 (15) put exceptions at the end of a question; |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2.17 (16) place modifying terms in correct locations; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2.18 (17) any other recommended strategies and techniques designed to offer clear |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2.19communication to test-takers. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2.20 (b) Revisions made to the written examination must meet the plain language standards |
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| 51 | 51 | | 2.21of this section. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2.22 (c) A written examination must be reviewed for compliance with the plain language |
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| 53 | 53 | | 2.23standards and approved by the revisor of statutes before implementation. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 2.24 Sec. 2. REPORT; PLAIN LANGUAGE IMPLEMENTATION FOR LICENSING. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 2.25 By February 1, 2027, each commissioner must report to the chairs and ranking minority |
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| 56 | 56 | | 2.26members of the committees in the house of representatives and the senate with primary |
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| 57 | 57 | | 2.27jurisdiction for state government on the implementation of the plain language requirements |
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| 58 | 58 | | 2.28in Minnesota Statutes, section 15.996, for each license type issued by the commissioner. |
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| 59 | 59 | | 2Sec. 2. |
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| 60 | 60 | | 25-02528 as introduced01/29/25 REVISOR SGS/MI |
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