Privacy Study Commission
Active dates:June 6, 1975 - 1977
Function: Study the collection, storage, and use of data on individuals by public or private entities in Minnesota. Determine what executive orders, attorney general opinions, regulations, laws or judicial decisions govern the activities under study and the extent to which they are consistent with the rights of public access to data on individuals, privacy, due process of law and other guarantees in the Constitution.
The commission was to report its findings and recommendations to the legislature as soon as they were available, and in any case not later than November 15, 1976. Supplements could be made thereafter until January 15. 1977.
History:
The Commission was established nearly one year after the initial "Data Privacy Act" went into effect (1974 Minn. Laws Chap. 479).
A Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy met from 1973 to April 1975. The Subcommittee included a privacy task force, organized by commission member Senator Robert J. Tennessen in December 1976 to prepare a series of papers on the classification of data for use by both the privacy subcommittee and the commission.
The Commission found after several hearings that it did not have the staff or the time to carry out a detailed examination of the information practices of any state agency. Instead, the Commission was forced to narrow its considerations to several key areas which appeared to recur time and time again in the hearing testimony from different agencies.
Membership:
Six members: Senators J. Keefe, Merriam, Tennessen. Representatives Arlandson, Dean, Lindstrom.
Notes:
Library has the Commission's 1976 "Report to the Minnesota Legislature / by the Joint House-Senate Privacy Study Commission".
It is two volumes; call number KFM5597.P7 A25 1976.
The Privacy Study Commission recommended that the MN Legislature establish a joint subcommittee during the 1977 session to examine problems concerning the Data Privacy Act.
Documents/Articles:
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 1976.
Record last updated:
08/21/2012
All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These
materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.