News Room
Minnesota Business Filing Fraud Prevention Legislation Earns Bipartisan Support
SAINT PAUL — On May 1, 2025, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State's Business Filing Fraud Prevention Act passed the House with broad bipartisan support, 113-21. It passed the Senate with bipartisan support on April 25. This legislation would help protect business owners across the state from criminal activity by empowering the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State to work with business owners to terminate fraudulent filings.
“Minnesota is a great place to do business, and our entrepreneurs need to know that the state is doing everything to protect them from malicious fraud,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. “This is an important and worthwhile reform, which puts Minnesota at the leading edge of combatting fraud, and I'm glad to see lawmakers of both parties agree.”
When bad actors make fraudulent filings, the consequences can be devastating for businesses, potentially leading to unauthorized loans and bank accounts, and misuse of government funds. Currently, victims often discover fraud after receiving unexpected mailings or being contacted about loans or accounts they didn’t authorize. Resolving these cases is burdensome, requiring engagement with law enforcement and court systems.
The new legislation would create new protections for victims of business identity theft by prohibiting actions such as including a person’s name or address in a document without their written consent or filing documents without proper authority.
“Far too often, we hear from small business owners who are stuck unraveling the effects of these fraudulent schemes,” said Adam Hansen, Director of Business Services. “This legislation will let them focus on running their businesses and contributing to their communities and the state’s prosperity.”
If enacted into law, the changes will ease the burden on victims by enabling quicker resolution, saving victims time and money, and better preventing fraud.
The Business Filing Fraud Prevention Act is authored by Senator Matt Klein in the Senate and Representative Liz Reyer in the House.