Pretrial Data Transparency Act Moves Forward!

ByPretrial Justice Minnesota
A group of people pose and smile for a photo, holding up "Pretrial Justice Minnesota" signs.
Pictured: Pretrial Justice Minnesota coalition members after Tuesday’s hearing with the bill’s lead author Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL) (front row, far right) and Rep. Athena Hollins (DFL) (back row, far left).

Are you one of the 80% of Minnesotans who support requiring the state to collect pretrial data? We have good news!

On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, Pretrial Justice Minnesota coalition members packed the Minnesota House Public Safety Committee hearing to show support for the Pretrial Data Transparency Act (HF 1775/SF 1908) — a bill that would require data regarding the pretrial system to be collected and made available to research institutions for analysis. After a powerful testimony from Coalition Steering Committee member Anna Hall (Legal Rights Center Staff Attorney and co-lead on MNJRC’s pretrial research), the bill successfully passed out of committee and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee for a hearing at a future date. Stay tuned for ways to support this bill throughout this legislative session and into Minnesota law.

A woman testifies into a microphone in front of legislators during a hearing at the Minnesota Capitol building.
Pictured: Anna Hall, Legal Rights Center Staff Attorney and member of the Pretrial Justice Minnesota Coalition, testifies before the Minnesota House Public Safety Committee during Tuesday’s hearing.

About the Bill:

Minnesota’s current pretrial data system lacks transparency, making it challenging to assess key aspects of pretrial detention, including the impact of bail on detention lengths and case outcomes. The Pretrial Data Transparency Act enhances the transparency of Minnesota’s pretrial system by requiring that pretrial data be reported to the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, which will make it available to research institutions for analysis and reporting. The data can then be used to provide recommendations to the Legislature for system improvements, focusing on community safety and well-being.