References to statutes governing student attendance provided.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Ben Bakeberg and 9 co-sponsors

Requires commercial sites publishing obscene material online to verify user age; civil liability for damages if a minor gains access due to noncompliance (intermediaries exempt).

Laid on table

#educationandeducationdepartment #students

Summary — HF 62 (Introduced Jan 15, 2025)

Title: References to statutes governing student attendance provided.
Subject areas: Education; Education Department; Students
Status (as provided): Laid on table

Note: Although introduced as HF 62, committee actions show the bill was later renumbered as HF 864 and had additional activity (see Legislative Actions below).

Purpose / Intent

HF 62 creates a state civil-liability regime aimed at reducing minors’ access to obscene material published or distributed on the internet by commercial entities. The bill requires covered commercial actors to employ reasonable age‑and‑identity verification methods before allowing access to obscene content, and authorizes civil suits for damages when minors access such material due to noncompliance.

Key provisions

New statutory section (proposed 554I.1) establishes definitions and obligations:

Definitions:
“Interactive computer service” is defined by reference to 47 U.S.C. §230.
“Obscene material” is defined by reference to Minnesota statute section 728.1.
Duty of verification:
A commercial entity that knowingly or intentionally publishes or distributes obscene material online must verify that an individual attempting to access that material is not a minor.
Acceptable verification methods include:
- Use of a commercially available database regularly used by businesses or governments for age/identity verification; or
- Any other commercially reasonable method of age/identity verification.
Civil liability:
A commercial entity violating the verification requirement is subject to civil liability for damages resulting from a minor’s access, plus reasonable attorney fees and costs.
Limitation:
The section expressly does not impose civil liability on providers or users of “interactive computer services” (preserving immunity for intermediaries under state law and acknowledging 47 U.S.C. §230).

Who is affected

Primary targets: commercial entities that knowingly or intentionally publish or distribute obscene material on the internet (e.g., sites that sell or directly host obscene content).

Protected/exempt: providers and users of interactive computer services are explicitly not made civilly liable under this section.

Secondary impacts: online businesses may need to implement age‑verification technology; parents, minors, and potential plaintiffs could use the civil remedy.

Potential impacts and issues

Compliance costs for commercial sites (implementation of databases or verification systems).

Privacy concerns related to identity/age verification and data handling.

Legal questions about interplay with federal law (47 U.S.C. §230) and First Amendment/expression protections may arise.

The bill ties “obscene” to the state statutory definition (Minn. §728.1), which narrows coverage to material meeting that legal standard.

Legislative actions / timeline (selected)

Introduced: 01/15/2025 (referred to Judiciary)

Subcommittee activity: 01/16–01/29/2025

Committee report (recommend amendment and passage): 03/04/2025 (vote 20–0–1)

Renumbered as HF 864: 03/07/2025

Withdrawn: 03/21/2025

Subsequent actions include being taken from the table and readings in April 2025; status shown as “Laid on table.” Companion bill: SF 1781.

Prepared objectively to summarize the bill’s substance and likely practical effects.