2025 Session Last amended: 1993 session

§ 10.46 — Telephone Records Public

Plain-Language Summary

Long-distance phone bills paid by the state or local governments are public data that anyone can access. This applies to the phone bills of legislators, judges, constitutional officers, agency heads, local officials, and government employees. The law promotes transparency and helps prevent misuse of government phone resources.

Practical Notes
Members of the public, journalists, and researchers can request copies of any state or local government official’s long-distance phone bills as public data under Minnesota’s data practices law. This includes bills for all branches of government and all levels, from state officials to local government employees. Officials who use public phone accounts for personal calls cannot hide those calls from public inspection.