HF 5484 Minnesota House · 2023-2024 Regular Session

Intellectual Freedom Protection Act regulating public postsecondary institutions created, private right of action created and enforcement by attorney general provided.

This bill, known as the Intellectual Freedom Protection Act, applies to public colleges and universities in Minnesota by prohibiting them from requiring students or faculty to pledge allegiance to or support specific political ideologies, including those related to diversity, equity, inclusion, or patriotism. The law ensures that admissions, hiring, and promotion decisions cannot be based on the viewpoints expressed in any such pledges, while explicitly preserving the ability of institutions to enforce existing laws against discrimination and maintain academic freedom. To increase transparency, the bill mandates that these institutions publicly post all training materials and policies regarding nondiscrimination and bias on their websites. Finally, it creates a private right of action allowing individuals to sue for violations and grants the state attorney general the authority to file lawsuits and impose civil penalties of up to $100,000 per violation.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced May 19, 2024 Last action May 19, 2024
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
May 19, 2024
Introduced
Introduction and first reading, referred to Higher Education Finance and Policy
lower
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors

Sponsors