The Minnesota Senate passed legislation this week that may bring more transparency to resignations at Minneapolis City Hall.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis, expands the definition of "public official" in state law to accommodate Minneapolis' unique organizational structure.

That definition is important, since government entities must disclose many more details when a public official resigns. A 2012 bill attempted to broaden the law to include more local employees, but governments soon identified several loopholes.

Minneapolis refused to disclose the reasons behind the August 2012 resignation of regulatory services chief Gregory Stubbs, for example, saying he did not fit the law's definition of a public official. A state agency later agreed.

The new bill covers managers, chiefs, heads or directors of departments, divisions, bureaus or boards in cities larger than 7,500 people. Similar legislation is pending in the House.

Eric Roper

@StribRoper