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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 - 7 of 7
Advisory Opinion 10-016
June 1, 2010; City of Saint Paul
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: Did the City of Saint Paul comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in responding to a request for data from the City’s Computer-Aided Dispatch system?
Category: Law enforcement data
Keywords: Law enforcement data, Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1)
Commissioner: Sheila M. Reger
Advisory Opinion 07-015
July 11, 2007; Sherburne County Sheriff
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: In responding to a March 28, 2007, data request, did the Sherburne County Sheriff comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, when it copied the data into a response rather than allowing the requestor the opportunity to inspect the actual physical data?
Did the Sherburne County Sheriff comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in responding to a March 28, 2007, request for daily logs and incident reports submitted by a particular officer?
Category: Inspection, Records management/retention, Response to data requests
Keywords: Inspection, Records management/retention, Response to data requests, Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1), Actual physical data, Official Records Act (15.17) See also: Records management
Commissioner: Dana B. Badgerow
Advisory Opinion 04-033
June 1, 2004; City of Minneapolis
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: Did the City of Minneapolis comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in responding to a February 13, 2004, request for access to and inspection of the Friday, February 6, 2004, Minneapolis Police Department police report regarding Raymond L. Siegler?
Category: Electronic data, Law enforcement data
Keywords: Electronic data, Law enforcement data, Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1), Computer design, Protected identities (13.82, subd. 17 / subd. 10)
Commissioner: Brian J. Lamb
Advisory Opinion 03-025
July 31, 2003; Nobles County
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 components of the Nobles County policy regarding public access to the "feedlot inventory" allowable: a) Requestor must submit a written application; b) There is a five-day waiting period; c) The cost is $250; d) Requestor must pick up copy in person; and e) Copy is available in printed format only?
Category: Commercial value, Copy costs, Requests for data
Keywords: Commercial value, Copy costs, Requests for data, Commercial value, Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1), Reason/justify request and identity not required (13.05, subd. 12), Written requests, procedures may require
Commissioner: Brian J. Lamb
Advisory Opinion 00-067
December 5, 2000; Minnesota Department of Public Safety
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, did the Minnesota Department of Public Safety appropriately respond to a data subject's request to gain access to all e-mails, either generated or received by Department personnel, that contain data about the data subject, including but not limited to e-mail messages generated by Captain Patrick Chase, former manager of Capitol Security?
Has the Minnesota Department of Public Safety appropriately denied a data subject access to data about him/herself based on Minnesota Statutes, section 13.82, subdivision 5?
Category: Electronic data
Keywords: Electronic data, Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1), Computer design
Commissioner: David F. Fisher
Advisory Opinion 95-037
September 7, 1995; Anoka County
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: Is Anoka County required to provide access to original mechanic's lien filings?
Is the County required to provide access to mechanic's lien filings on a timely basis?
Must the County permit members of the public to inspect mechanic's lien data at no charge?
Must the County provide members of the public direct access to the data via a computer terminal, if the County has the capability to do so?
Are the County's charges for computer printouts of mechanic's lien data authorized under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13?
Must the County provide computer printouts of mechanic's lien data to members of the public promptly, upon request?
May the County determine the frequency with which a member of the public requests access to mechanic's lien data?
Category: Inspection
Keywords: Inspection, Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1), Explanation of data, Reasonable time and place (1205.0300, subp. 3), Mechanic’s liens
Commissioner: Elaine S. Hansen
Advisory Opinion 94-032
August 11, 1994; Minnesota Department of Public Safety
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: Do the policies of two state agencies, that of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and that of the Department of Corrections, both of which insist upon a birth date in order to access criminal history information, subvert the Legislature's intent that criminal history data on individuals convicted of crimes (13.87, subd. 2) be classified as public data and that governmental agencies ". . . keep records containing government data in such an arrangement and condition as to make them easily accessible for convenient use." (§13.03, subd. 1.)
Are birth date data in BCA files classified as private data on individuals?
Category: Policies and Procedures, Requests for data
Keywords: Policies and Procedures, Requests for data, Criminal history/justice data (13.87), Easily accessible for convenient use (13.03, subd. 1)
Commissioner: Debra Rae Anderson