The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Minnesota bill prohibits teaching of specified racial and gender concepts in schools and state colleges, creating resident lawsuits and state funding bans for violations
Last action · February 10, 2025: Introduction and first reading, referred to Education PolicySponsors: Duane Quam and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Minnesota House File 58 prohibits school districts, charter schools, and state colleges and universities from teaching, advocating, or requiring materials that promote specified racist or sexist concepts. The bill establishes a private right of action enabling state residents to file civil lawsuits against institutions that violate the restrictions, resulting in a loss of state funding for the following if a violation is found.
State residents gain legal to sue public educational institutions over curriculum choices, while violating schools face the complete loss of state funding for the subsequent alongside court-mandated attorney fees.
- House File 58 was introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives during the 94th legislative session. context
- The bill targets curriculum and instructional materials across K-12 public schools and state-funded colleges and universities in Minnesota. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
School districts and charter schools
Institutions face new instructional restrictions, limitations on contracted services and speaker events, and potential loss of state funding if found in violation of the act.
Minnesota state colleges and universities
Faculty and institutions are prohibited from teaching specified concepts or requiring related learning materials, and face potential funding cessation for noncompliance.
State residents
Residents receive legal standing and a private cause of action to file civil lawsuits against educational institutions for alleged violations.
Students
Students cannot be penalized or treated adversely for refusing to adopt or express prohibited concepts, nor can they be required to review materials espousing them.
Key Facts
- Defines nine prohibited concepts related to race and sex, including that one race or sex is inherently superior, that individuals are inherently racist or sexist by virtue of race or sex, and that meritocracy is racist or sexist.
- Prohibits school districts and charter schools from teaching, advocating, or encouraging racist or sexist concepts, penalizing students who refuse to express them, hosting speakers who promote them, or requiring learning materials that espouse them.
- Prohibits faculty and institutions at Minnesota state colleges and universities from teaching or advocating prohibited concepts, penalizing objecting students, hosting speakers, or requiring materials promoting those concepts.
- Prohibits educational institutions from contracting with companies, nonprofits, or government entities to perform any of the prohibited actions.
Show all 7 facts
- Grants state residents standing and a private cause of action to file civil complaints in district court against school districts, charter schools, or state colleges and universities alleged to have violated the act.
- Requires courts to enjoin violating institutions from receiving state funding in the following fiscal year and to award costs and attorney fees to complainants upon finding a violation.
- Establishes that the provisions of the act are severable if any part is held invalid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a lawsuit under this bill?
What happens to an educational institution if a court finds it violated the act?
Does the bill apply to private schools?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
1 action- Feb 10, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduction and first reading, referred to Education Policy
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of Resident Standing for Curriculum Disputes
The bill creates a novel private right of action allowing individual residents to sue public educational institutions over instructional content with the penalty of losing state funding.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.revisor.mn.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy90Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz75Current news / social attention level
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