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About Search Results
The advisory opinion library currently includes:
- Data practices advisory opinions issued by the Commissioner of Administration from 1993 to the present.
- Open Meeting Law advisory opinions issued by the Commissioner of Administration from 2003 to the present.
The Commissioner's authority is found in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.072. Opinions are nonbinding, but a court may give them deference in a court action. Parties to a court action that act in conformity with an advisory opinion are not liable for certain damages or attorneys fees.
A written, numbered, and published opinion issued by the attorney general shall take precedence over an advisory opinion issued by the Commissioner of Administration.
Results 1 - 4 of 4
Advisory Opinion 25-006
June 30, 2025; Independent School District No. 623, Roseville
This is an opinion of the Commissioner of Administration issued under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.072 (2024). It is based on the facts and information available ...
Description: A member of the public asked whether a school district responded appropriately to a request for public data. The requester asked for data 11 months prior, and had only received portions of the data after inquiries from the Department of Administration and the requester. Additionally, the District indicated it was providing only a subset of the data due to technical difficulties with retrieving all the data requested. The Commissioner determined that the District did not respond appropriately to the request.
Category: Response to data requests, Requests for data
Keywords: Response to data requests, Requests for data, Appropriate response generally, Inappropriate response, generally, Burdensome or harassing
Commissioner: Tamar Gronvall
Advisory Opinion 03-046
November 12, 2003; School District 832 (Mahtomedi)
This is an opinion of the Commissioner of Administration issued pursuant to section 13.072 of Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13 - the Minnesota Government Data ...
Description: Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, is Independent School District 832, Mahtomedi, required to respond to multiple requests for data from an individual who is requesting data of which the individual or his/her child is the subject and public data of which neither the individual nor his/her child is the subject?
Category: Copy costs, Litigation, Requests for data, Standing requests, Tennessen warning
Keywords: Copy costs, Litigation, Requests for data, Standing requests, Tennessen warning, Copy inspection hybrid, Data involved in litigation, Burdensome or harassing, Standing requests for data
Commissioner: Brian J. Lamb
Advisory Opinion 01-034
March 27, 2001; School District 273 (Edina)
This is an opinion of the Commissioner of Administration issued pursuant to section 13.072 of Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13 - the Minnesota Government Data ...
Description: Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, is School District 273, Edina, required to provide access to public data about all past and present District employees, in response to a December 28, 2000, request?
Category: Requests for data, Statutory construction (Ch. 645)
Keywords: Requests for data, Statutory construction (Ch. 645), Burdensome or harassing, Absurd or unreasonable result (645.17)
Commissioner: David F. Fisher
Advisory Opinion 01-031
March 22, 2001; Minnesota Department of Employee Relations
This is an opinion of the Commissioner of Administration issued pursuant to section 13.072 of Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13 - the Minnesota Government Data ...
Description: Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, are the following Minnesota State agencies required to provide access to public data about all past and present employees in response to an individual's requests, under circumstances indicating that the requests are not necessarily motivated by a desire to gain access to data: Employee Relations; Public Safety; Children, Families and Learning; Human Services; and Labor and Industry?
Category: Requests for data
Keywords: Requests for data, Commissioner of Administration, Burdensome or harassing
Commissioner: David F. Fisher