News Room

SAINT PAUL – Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon released the following statement on the passage of H.F. 3249 by the Minnesota Senate and House. H.F. 3249 updates language to improve the operations of Minnesota’s Safe at Home program:    

“Minnesota’s Safe at Home program is a nationwide model for protecting citizens who fear for the safety of themselves and their loved ones. These common-sense updates allow us to continue to offer the highest level of service and protection to those enrolled. We thank our partners in local government for their suggestions to enhance the ways this data is handled.” 

H.F. 3249 offers the following updates to existing Safe at Home statute including: 

• Modifying the definition of mail to clarify that the program will not forward refrigerated medications and will forward packages sent by the federal government. 
• Clarifying the original intent of the statute to ensure all public and private entities accept the assigned Saint Paul Post Office Box address as the enrollee’s true address.
• Adding a section that prohibits landlords or property owners from displaying  a program participant’s name at an address protected by the program.
• Modifying language to improve the process of home purchases for program participants, government data maintenance, and Notices provided to government entities.

Background on Safe at Home:  

Safe at Home is Minnesota’s address confidentiality program that protects citizens who fear for their safety. Most program participants are survivors of domestic violence. However, a growing number of participants are in the program for safety concerns due to their professions. When a person enrolls for the program, they receive a Saint Paul Post Office box that all entities must accept and use as the person’s true address. The program has been in operation since 2007 and has served more than 12,000 Minnesotans. Learn more about Safe at Home.