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State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
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ATKINS AMENDS DATA PRACTICES BILL, ADDING TRANSPARENCY FOR TAXPAYERS IN LEGAL CASES AGAINST THE STATE
(ST. PAUL) — Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the 2012 Omnibus Data Practices Bill. State Representative Joe Atkins (DFL – Inver Grove Heights) offered two amendments that were adopted with strong bipartisan support.
The first amendment adopted by the House states that any contract or arrangement to retain legal counsel to defend the House or Senate against a claim from a former employee is public.
Atkins says that this amendment was borne out of a lack of disclosure from the Minnesota Senate.
“There was no nefarious purpose," said Atkins. “As a lawyer, legislator and citizen of Minnesota, I was curious to see what the House and Senate were paying legal counsel. After speaking with House staff, I was quickly given the information, but in the Senate, I was repeatedly stonewalled and stiff-armed.”
The second amendment requires that all settlement agreements with current or former legislative employees be made public and that any settlement involving a payment of more than $10,000 in public money must include all of the specific reasons for the agreement.
“The public deserves to know when the legislature is settling with a current and former employee and the reasons why,” said Atkins. “Both of these are common-sense amendments designed to add more sunshine and transparency to our state government. I’m pleased we were able to adopt both of these amendments in a bipartisan fashion.”
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