Minnesota Senate
Capitol News Coverage
Directory 2024
Published by:
Secretary of the Senate
State Capitol Suite 231
75 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-2344
Members of Capitol News Coverage Organizations are accredited through:
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate
Suite G430
95 University Ave W.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-1119
This publication was developed by the following departments:
Senate Sergeant-at-arms; Senate Information Systems and Senate Media Services
Photography
Andrew J. Olmscheid
Information Supervision
Bryan Pierick
Information Maintenance
Charles Roberts
Information Systems
Anna Moorjani
Senate Rule 16
CREDENTIALS FOR NEWS COVERAGE
16. Credentials for News Coverage
16.1 (a) The Secretary of the Senate shall provide a reasonable number of spaces on
the Senate floor and in the Senate gallery for individuals and organizations with credentials
and passes issued under this rule.
(b) The Sergeant at Arms may not issue credentials or day passes under this rule to political
organizations or to individuals affiliated with a political organization. For the purposes of this
rule, "political organization" means an organization owned or controlled by a registered lobbyist,
a political caucus, a political party, or any party organization and "individuals affiliated with a
political organization" means an individual who, during the preceding 24 months, has been
employed by or received any compensation from a political organization.
(c) Due to the limited space available for organizations or individuals providing news
coverage of the Senate, the Senate finds that there is a compelling public interest in limiting
credentials issued under this rule to organizations or individuals who demonstrate that they
provide regular news coverage of the legislature. For session credentials, an organization or
individual must submit an application to the Sergeant at Arms. The Sergeant at Arms must review
the application and approve or reject it within 14 days after receipt. Upon the request of the
Sergeant at Arms, an applicant for credentials must provide evidence of the applicant's activities
in providing regular news coverage of the legislature. Evidence of regular news coverage must
include examples of news coverage of legislative matters produced by the applicant. The
examples must include written, video, or audio coverage written or recorded in the past year, and
a description of how they were publicly distributed. Any opinion expressed in the examples is not
subject to review under this rule at any time.
(d) If an application is rejected, the Sergeant at Arms must state the reason for the
rejection in writing and notify the applicant, the Secretary of the Senate, the Majority Leader,
and the Minority Leader in writing.
(e) An appeal of a denial of credentials must be made in writing to the Secretary of the
Senate, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader. The Committee on Rules and
Administration shall review and decide the appeal within 14 days after receiving a letter of appeal.
16.2 The Sergeant at Arms may grant a day pass for access authorized under Rule 16.1, paragraph (a) The day pass may be issued for a single day to an individual or organization who has not applied for credentials and who is not prohibited from receiving credentials under Rule 16.1, paragraph (b). The pass may be granted upon the request of a member or the organization or individual, and may be renewed from day to day upon request.
16.3 The Secretary shall compile and distribute to the public a directory of individuals
and organizations who have been issued credentials under Rule 16.1 to provide news coverage
from the Senate floor. The directory must include each individual's picture and organization
and a brief biography.
16.4 The Secretary must issue each individual or organization with credentials an
identification badge showing the individual's name and organization. The individual must wear
the badge when in the Senate Chamber.
16.5 (a) A credential shall be revoked by the Sergeant at Arms if the Sergeant has received
credible information indicating that the individual or organization either was not qualified to
receive the credential when it was given, or no longer qualifies for a credential.
(b) An appeal of a revocation of credentials must be made in writing to the Secretary of the
Senate, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader. The Committee on Rules and
Administration shall review and decide the appeal within 14 days after receiving a letter of appeal.
adopted January 06,2015