1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to education; modifying American Indian mascot exemption requirements;
1.3 establishing a process for schools to apply for mascot replacement assistance;
1.4 appropriating money for mascot replacement assistance; amending Minnesota
1.5 Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivisions 2, 3.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.8 Subd. 2.Prohibition on American Indian mascots.(a) Starting September 1, 2026, a
1.9public school may not have or adopt a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an
1.10American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot, nickname,
1.11logo, letterhead, or team name of the school, district, or school within the district, unless
1.12the school has obtained an exemption under subdivision 3.
1.13 (b) The prohibition in paragraph (a) does not apply to a public school located within the
1.14reservation of a federally recognized Tribal Nation in Minnesota, where at least 95 percent
1.15of students meet the state definition of American Indian student.
1.16 (c) A school district with a prohibited American Indian mascot according to paragraph
1.17(a), that has not received an exemption according to subdivision 3, must report to the chairs
1.18and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over
1.19kindergarten through grade 12 education policy and education finance by February 14,
1.202025, and again by February 1, 2026, on the district's progress to comply with this section;
1.21and the district must submit copies of the reports to the Legislative Reference Library. The
1.22reports must include the following:
1Section 1.
S1404-1 1st EngrossmentSF1404 REVISOR CR
SENATE
STATE OF MINNESOTA
S.F. No. 1404NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
(SENATE AUTHORS: KUNESH, Cwodzinski and Abeler)
OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
Introduction and first reading38802/13/2025
Referred to Education Policy
Comm report: To pass as amended and re-refer to Education Finance03/06/2025
Author added Abeler 2.1 (1) confirmation that the district has removed the American Indian mascot, nickname,
2.2logo, letterhead, or team name from the district website;
2.3 (2) confirmation that the board of the district has approved a new mascot, nickname,
2.4logo, letterhead, or team name;
2.5 (3) a summary of the district's progress on removing the American Indian mascot,
2.6nickname, logo, letterhead, or team name from uniforms, equipment, signs, elements of
2.7facilities, and other district items; and
2.8 (4) a summary of resources necessary to comply with the prohibition in paragraph (a)
2.9and the district's plan to raise and allocate any necessary funds.
2.10 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for reports submitted after June 30, 2025.
2.11 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.041, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
2.12 Subd. 3.Exemption.A public school may seek an exemption to subdivision 2 by
2.13submitting a request in writing to all 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations in Minnesota
2.14and to the Tribal Nations Education Committee by September 1, 2023. The exemption is
2.15denied if any of the 11 Tribal Nations or the Tribal Nations Education Committee oppose
2.16the exemption by December 15, 2023 requesting a letter of consent from the Tribal Nation
2.17located nearest to the public school. A public school whose request for an exemption consent
2.18from a Tribal Nation is denied must comply with subdivision 2 by September 1, 2026.
2.19 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
2.20 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION; MASCOT REPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.
2.21 Subdivision 1.Department of Education.The sum indicated in this section is
2.22appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal year
2.23designated.
2.24 Subd. 2.Mascot replacement assistance.(a) For assistance to public schools seeking
2.25to comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.041:
2026............2.26 $
2.27 (b) The commissioner of education must establish a process for a public school to apply
2.28to the commissioner for reimbursement of costs incurred to meet the requirements of
2.29Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.041, subdivision 2, including the costs of replacing a
2.30prohibited name, symbol, or image on uniforms, signs, paintings, equipment, gym floors,
2Sec. 3.
S1404-1 1st EngrossmentSF1404 REVISOR CR 3.1websites, and other school property, including supplies and other building surfaces. The
3.2application must be in the form and manner determined by the commissioner.
3.3 (c) For costs incurred after June 30, 2024, but before July 1, 2025, the commissioner
3.4may reimburse up to 100 percent of the public school's costs.
3.5 (d) For costs incurred after June 30, 2025, the costs must be included in a work plan and
3.6budget submitted by the public school to the commissioner and approved by the
3.7commissioner to be eligible for reimbursement. The commissioner may reimburse up to
3.8100 percent of the costs under this paragraph.
3.9 (e) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027.
3Sec. 3.
S1404-1 1st EngrossmentSF1404 REVISOR CR