Senate Rule 16
CREDENTIALS FOR NEWS COVERAGE
16.1 The credentialing process for individuals and organizations who provide news coverage of the legislature will be administered and the provisions of this rule enforced exclusively by the Sergeant at Arms, with the exception of an appeal under Rule 16.4.
16.2 The Sergeant at Arms may not issue credentials or day passes under Rule 16.3 to political organizations. For the purposes of this rule, "political organization" means an organization owned or controlled by a registered lobbyist, a political party, or any party organization. "Political organization" also includes an organization registered with the Campaign Finance Board, the Federal Election Commission, or an organization subject to Minnesota Statutes, chapter 10A or 211A.
16.3 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 to organizations or individuals who demonstrate that they provide frequent news coverage of the legislature. For that reason, the following rules apply:
(a) Organizations or individuals requesting credentials must furnish, upon the request of the Sergeant at Arms, three examples of news coverage of legislative matters produced by the organization or individual. 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. An organization requesting credentials may include only one individual.
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) The Sergeant at Arms may grant day passes upon the request of a member or upon the request of an individual or organization who has not applied for credentials and who is not prohibited from receiving credentials under Rule 16.2.
16.4 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.
16.5 For individuals and organizations with credentials and passes issued under this rule, the Secretary of the Senate shall provide at least six spaces on the Senate floor and at least ten spaces in the Senate gallery. Because of limited space on the floor, at least four spaces must be reserved for credentialed individuals from news organizations with leases in the Capitol press area. At least four seats in the gallery must be reserved for credentialed individuals from television news stations with leases in the Capitol press area. All other gallery access will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis to individuals and organizations with credentials and passes issued under this rule.
The Sergeant at Arms shall ensure that an opportunity to register for access under this rule is publicly available outside the main doors of the Senate Chamber at all times. This procedure will be used to determine floor access priority for individuals with credentials whose organizations do not lease space in the Capitol press area. If the designated floor and gallery space is full, the Sergeant at Arms may limit access for an organization to one individual in order to provide space for individuals from other organizations. Individuals with session credentials have priority for admission over individuals with day passes. All credentialed individuals shall be admitted to the floor when the Senate is not meeting in the same manner provided for credentialed individuals who have been admitted to the floor when the Senate is meeting. The documents provided to credentialed individuals present on the floor when the Senate is meeting shall be made available in the Senate Information Office to other credentialed individuals.
16.6 The Secretary shall compile and distribute to the public a directory of individuals and organizations who thave been issued credentials under Rule 16.3 to provide news coverage from the Senate floor. The directory must include each individual’s picture and organization and a brief biography.
16.7 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.