1. Scope

This policy applies to the use of electronic tools such as computers, facsimile machines, pagers, electronic mail ("e-mail") systems, Internet access, and communications software provided by the Minnesota House of Representatives ("House") to its members and its employees.

2. Appropriate Use
1. Principles for appropriate use. Users of the House’s computers, computer network and system, and communications technology, including e-mail and Internet access:
1. Must respect the privacy of other users and their intellectual property;
2. Must not represent themselves as another person without the consent of the other person;
3. Must comply with copyright and licensing laws for software and data; and
4. Must protect the integrity of the House’s computer systems, including not:
1. intentionally propagating programs that interfere with or disrupt other users or that infiltrate computers or the computer system;
2. intentionally damaging or altering the software or components of the computers or computer system; and
3. installing unauthorized software or hardware peripherals.
2. State and legislative use. Members and employees are encouraged to use House computers and other communications technology to
1. Communicate with members, staff, state agencies, citizens of the state, and others for purposes of state business;
2. Access databases and files to obtain work related materials or to conduct legislative related research or other legislative business;
3. Perform administrative duties relative to legislative business;
4. Prepare information for legislative business;
5. Preserve historical information related to the House; and
6. Communicate with others for professional or job skill development purposes, including professional organizations.
3. Personal use. As with local telephone service, members and employees may use House computers, e-mail, Internet access, and other communication technology for their incidental or occasional personal use, but only if this use results in no incremental cost to the state or the incremental cost is so small to make accounting for it unreasonable or administratively impractical. For members, personal use also includes incidental or occasional use in their trades or businesses or outside employment. During hours the employee records as hours worked for the House, personal use should be limited to incidental use or emergency situations. Personal use should be limited so as to not interfere with the employee’s or member’s duties.
3. Prohibited and Inappropriate Uses
1. Inappropriate use by members and employees. The following are inappropriate and prohibited uses of the House’s communications technology. This is not an exclusive list; it is a list of examples and other similar uses are also inappropriate:
1. Illegal activities, including violating copyright and licensing laws;
2. Wagering or betting;
3. Misrepresenting oneself (including unauthorized use of another’s password or log-on code) without the permission of the other person;
4. Harassment and illegal discrimination;
5. Commercial activities, e.g., operating a trade or business or for outside employment, except as permitted for members as personal use under part 2.c;
6. Campaign activities under the House Policy on Campaign Activity;
7. Intentional receipt, storage, or transmission of patently offensive, racist, obscene or pornographic information, except to report inappropriate use under part b below; and
8. Downloading or installing software unless on a list of authorized software or otherwise approved by the House Information System Director.
2. Inappropriate use by others. Members and employees who receive offensive e-mail messages should report them to the House Information System Director or the employee’s supervisor.
3. Other use. Non-work related e-mail messages can interfere with other’s work and productivity. Members and employees only sparingly may use e-mail mailing lists for informal or non-work messages, such as social announcements, lost and found, charitable fund appeals, and so forth. Frequent or extensive use for these types of purposes is inappropriate.
4. Privacy
1. Monitoring. The House has the right to monitor all use of computers, facsimile machines, pagers, e-mail, and Internet resources.
2. Security. The House discourages members and employees from the use of e-mail to transmit messages containing data that must be kept secure unless the messages are encrypted or encoded, because e-mail and the Internet are not secure methods of communicating.
5. Enforcement

Appendix

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