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<br />GENERAL GOVERNMENT
<br />Medical exception to Open Meeting Law
<br />Chapter 74 (HF 4556*/SF 4462) is the omnibus COVID-
<br />19 policy bill. Article 1, section 1 amends the interactive
<br />TV provision of the Open Meeting Law, Minn. Stat. §
<br />13D.02.The new law allows participation in meetings by
<br />interactive TV (such as Skype or Zoom) without making
<br />an elected official's location public when a health care pro-
<br />fessional advises that elected official against being in public
<br />due to personal or family medical reasons. This allowance
<br />is only when a national security or peacetime emergency
<br />has been declared under Minn. Stat. § 12.31 and can be
<br />used up to 60 days after the emergency has been lifted An
<br />elected official may only use this exception and the cur-
<br />rent military exception for a total of three times in a cal-
<br />endar year. Also, whenever the interactive TV exception is
<br />generally used for meetings, votes must be conducted by
<br />roll call and be recorded in the minutes Effective April 16,
<br />2 02 0. (IK)
<br />Charter commission appointments and spending
<br />limit
<br />Chapter 87 (HF 3483/SF 3298*) amends Minn. Stat. §
<br />410.05 to modify the process of appointing new or reap-
<br />pointing existing charter commission members by extend-
<br />ing the timeframe for a chief district court judge to make
<br />an appointment from 30 days to 60 days and removes the
<br />option that a city council fill a vacancy if the chief district
<br />court judge fails to appoint within the 60 days. Minn. Stat.
<br />410.06 is also amended to increase the limit on annual
<br />charter commission expenses required to be reimbursed by
<br />the city, which was last raised for first-class cities in 1961
<br />and for all other cities in 1947. Under current law, the limit
<br />is $10,000 for the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth,
<br />and Rochester and $1,500 for all other cities. Under the
<br />new law, the charter commission reimbursable expense
<br />limit is a sliding schedule calculated as .07% of the city's
<br />current certified general property tax levy with a mini-
<br />mum of $1,500 and a maximum of $20,000. A city retains
<br />the authority to reimburse charter commission expenses in
<br />excess of the calculated limit. Effective Aug. 1, 2020. (GC)
<br />Expanded authority for electronic signatures during
<br />COVID-19
<br />Chapter 92 (HF 4605*/SF 4525) allows cities, counties,
<br />and townships to accept certain documents, signatures,
<br />or filings electronically, by mail, or facsimile during the
<br />COVID-19 health pandemic regardless of any other law,
<br />rule, or ordinance otherwise. This allowance is for:
<br />• Planning and zoning applications and permits under
<br />Minn. Stat. chs. 394 and 462;
<br />• Land use documents under Minn. Stat. ch. 505;
<br />• Documents requiring the signature of a licensed archi-
<br />tect, licensed engineer, licensed land surveyor, licensed
<br />landscape architect, licensed geoscientist, or certified
<br />interior designer under Minn. Stat. § 326.03, subd. 3, and
<br />Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 3;
<br />• Applications for birth and death certificates under Minn.
<br />Stat § 144.225; and
<br />• Recording a notary commission under Minn. Stat. §
<br />359.061.
<br />Effective May 17, 2020, and expires Jan. 6, 2021, or 60 days
<br />after the peacetime public health emergency is terminated, which-
<br />ever is earlier. (IK)
<br />411€1. HEALTH
<br />Prescription drug price transparency act
<br />Chapter 78 (HF 1246/SF 1098*) requires drug manufac-
<br />turers to report specified information on drug prices and
<br />costs to the Commissioner of the Department of Health
<br />for prescription drugs whose price increases exceed cer-
<br />tain limits, and new prescription drugs and newly acquired
<br />prescription drugs whose price exceeds certain dollar
<br />thresholds beginning Oct. 1, 2021.The Commissioner is
<br />also directed to post certain information on drug prices
<br />and report annually by Jan. 15 each year, beginning Jan. 15,
<br />2022, to the legislature on issues related to drug pricing
<br />and spending. Effective July 1, 2020. (AL)
<br />Raising the age for purchasing tobacco to 21
<br />Chapter 88 (HF 331*/SF 463) adds charter schools to the
<br />prohibition of tobacco in schools and increases the tobacco
<br />sale age to 21 to conform to federal law. Penalties are also
<br />modified for selling, providing, or furnishing these items,
<br />and for purchasing or attempting to purchase these items
<br />if under age 21 Alternative penalties are required to be
<br />established for certain violations. Other changes are made
<br />to the Clean Indoor Air Act and statutes governing the sale
<br />of tobacco and related products.
<br />• Tobacco products prohibited in public schools.
<br />Section 1 amends Minn. Stat. § 144.4165 by removing
<br />a reference to the term "tobacco product" and strikes
<br />language that prohibits persons under 18 from possess-.
<br />ing tobacco, tobacco products and electronic delivery
<br />devices at public schools.
<br />• Tobacco products shops. Section 2 amends Minn.
<br />Stat. § 144.4167, subd. 4 to amend the definition of a
<br />tobacco products shop that allows sampling of tobacco
<br />products as a shop that a person under age 21 cannot
<br />enter at any time.
<br />• Suspension; illegal purchase of alcohol or tobacco.
<br />Section 3 amends Minn. Stat. § 171.171 by striking
<br />a clause referring to a petty misdemeanor penalty for
<br />2020 Law Summaries
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