Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF1404 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		1.1 A bill for an act
2	2		1.2 relating to education; modifying American Indian mascot exemption requirements;
3	3		1.3 establishing a process for schools to apply for mascot replacement assistance;
4	4		1.4 appropriating money for mascot replacement assistance; amending Minnesota
5	5		1.5 Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivisions 2, 3.
6	6		1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
7	7		1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
8	8		1.8 Subd. 2.Prohibition on American Indian mascots.(a) Starting September 1, 2026, a
9	9		1.9public school may not have or adopt a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an
10	10		1.10American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot, nickname,
11	11		1.11logo, letterhead, or team name of the school, district, or school within the district, unless
12	12		1.12the school has obtained an exemption under subdivision 3.
13	13		1.13 (b) The prohibition in paragraph (a) does not apply to a public school located within the
14	14		1.14reservation of a federally recognized Tribal Nation in Minnesota, where at least 95 percent
15	15		1.15of students meet the state definition of American Indian student.
16	16		1.16 (c) A school district with a prohibited American Indian mascot according to paragraph
17	17		1.17(a), that has not received an exemption according to subdivision 3, must report to the chairs
18	18		1.18and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over
19		-	1.19kindergarten through grade 12 education policy ~~and education finance~~ by February 14,
20		-	1.~~202025, and again by February 1~~, 2026, on the district's progress to comply with this section;
21		-	1.~~21and the district must submit copies~~ of the reports to the Legislative Reference Library. The
22		-	1.~~22reports must include the following~~:
	19	+	1.19kindergarten through grade 12 education policy by February 14, 2025, and again by February
	20	+	1.201, 2026, on the district's progress to comply with this section; and the district must submit
	21	+	1.21copies of the reports to the Legislative Reference Library. The reports must include the
	22	+	1.22following:
23	23		1Section 1.
24		-	~~S1404-1 1st Engrossment~~~~SF1404~~ REVISOR CR
	24	+	25-03617 as introduced02/07/25 REVISOR CR/CH
25	25		SENATE
26	26		STATE OF MINNESOTA
27	27		S.F. No. 1404NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
28		-	(SENATE AUTHORS: KUNESH~~, Cwodzinski~~ and ~~Abeler~~)
	28	+	(SENATE AUTHORS: KUNESH and Cwodzinski)
29	29		OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
30		-	Introduction and first reading38802/13/2025
31		-	Referred to Education Policy
32		-	Comm report: To pass as amended and re-refer to Education Finance03/06/2025
33		-	Author added Abeler 2.1 (1) confirmation that the district has removed the American Indian mascot, nickname,
	30	+	Introduction and first reading02/13/2025
	31	+	Referred to Education Policy 2.1 (1) confirmation that the district has removed the American Indian mascot, nickname,
34	32		2.2logo, letterhead, or team name from the district website;
35	33		2.3 (2) confirmation that the board of the district has approved a new mascot, nickname,
36	34		2.4logo, letterhead, or team name;
37	35		2.5 (3) a summary of the district's progress on removing the American Indian mascot,
38	36		2.6nickname, logo, letterhead, or team name from uniforms, equipment, signs, elements of
39	37		2.7facilities, and other district items; and
40	38		2.8 (4) a summary of resources necessary to comply with the prohibition in paragraph (a)
41	39		2.9and the district's plan to raise and allocate any necessary funds.
42		-	2.10 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for reports submitted after June 30, 2025.
43		-	2.11 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
44		-	2.12 Subd. 3.Exemption.A public school may seek an exemption to subdivision 2 by
45		-	2.13submitting a request in writing to all 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations in Minnesota
46		-	2.14and to the Tribal Nations Education Committee by September 1, 2023. The exemption is
47		-	2.15denied if any of the 11 Tribal Nations or the Tribal Nations Education Committee oppose
48		-	2.16the exemption by December 15, 2023 requesting a letter of consent from the Tribal Nation
49		-	2.17located nearest to the public school. A public school whose request for an exemption consent
50		-	2.18from a Tribal Nation is denied must comply with subdivision 2 by September 1, 2026.
51		-	2.19 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
52		-	2.20 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION; MASCOT REPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.
53		-	2.21 Subdivision 1.Department of Education.The sum indicated in this section is
54		-	2.22appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal year
55		-	2.23designated.
56		-	2.24 Subd. 2.Mascot replacement assistance.(a) For assistance to public schools seeking
57		-	2.25to comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.041:
58		-	2026............2.26 $
59		-	2.27 (b) The commissioner of education must establish a process for a public school to apply
60		-	2.28to the commissioner for reimbursement of costs incurred to meet the requirements of
61		-	2.29Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.041, subdivision 2, including the costs of replacing a
62		-	2.30prohibited name, symbol, or image on uniforms, signs, paintings, equipment, gym floors,
63		-	2Sec. 3.
64		-	S1404-1 1st EngrossmentSF1404 REVISOR CR 3.1websites, and other school property, including supplies and other building surfaces. The
65		-	3.2application must be in the form and manner determined by the commissioner.
66		-	3.3 (c) For costs incurred after June 30, 2024, but before July 1, 2025, the commissioner
67		-	3.4may reimburse up to 100 percent of the public school's costs.
68		-	3.5 (d) For costs incurred after June 30, 2025, the costs must be included in a work plan and
69		-	3.6budget submitted by the public school to the commissioner and approved by the
70		-	3.7commissioner to be eligible for reimbursement. The commissioner may reimburse up to
71		-	3.8100 percent of the costs under this paragraph.
72		-	3.9 (e) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027.
	40	+	2.10 (d) The commissioner must establish a process for a public school to apply for funding
	41	+	2.11to make changes necessary to replace a prohibited name, symbol, or image on uniforms,
	42	+	2.12signs, paintings, equipment, gym floors, websites, and other school property, including
	43	+	2.13supplies and other building surfaces. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the
	44	+	2.14commissioner may approve an application to reimburse a school for amounts expended to
	45	+	2.15comply with paragraph (a) after July 1, 2023, and for expenses a public school has incurred
	46	+	2.16based on a work plan and budget approved by the commissioner. The commissioner must
	47	+	2.17provide a public school with the funding requested within 30 days of approving the school's
	48	+	2.18work plan and budget. A public school that applies to the commissioner for mascot
	49	+	2.19replacement assistance is not required to comply with the prohibition in paragraph (a) until
	50	+	2.20the commissioner has approved the request.
	51	+	2.21 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
	52	+	2.22 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
	53	+	2.23 Subd. 3.Exemption.A public school may seek an exemption to subdivision 2 by
	54	+	2.24submitting a request in writing to all 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations in Minnesota
	55	+	2.25and to the Tribal Nations Education Committee by September 1, 2023. The exemption is
	56	+	2.26denied if any of the 11 Tribal Nations or the Tribal Nations Education Committee oppose
	57	+	2.27the exemption by December 15, 2023 requesting a letter of consent from the nearest Tribal
	58	+	2.28Nation to the school district. If more than one Tribal Nation is near the school district, all
	59	+	2.29the Tribal Nations must consent, in writing, to the use of an American Indian mascot. A
	60	+	2.30public school whose request for an exemption consent from a Tribal Nation is denied must
	61	+	2.31comply with subdivision 2 by September 1, 2026.
	62	+	2.32 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
	63	+	2Sec. 2.
	64	+	25-03617 as introduced02/07/25 REVISOR CR/CH 3.1 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION; MASCOT REPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.
	65	+	3.2 Subdivision 1.Department of Education.The sum indicated in this section is
	66	+	3.3appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal year
	67	+	3.4designated.
	68	+	3.5 Subd. 2.Mascot replacement assistance.(a) For assistance to public schools seeking
	69	+	3.6to comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.041:
	70	+	2026............3.7 $
	71	+	3.8 (b) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027.
73	72		3Sec. 3.
74		-	~~S1404-1 1st Engrossment~~~~SF1404~~ REVISOR CR
	73	+	25-03617 as introduced02/07/25 REVISOR CR/CH