Minnesota Bills Targeting Automated Decision Systems and Research Data Privacy Defeated -- Would Have Imposed Sweeping New Restrictions on Insights Operations Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 6/8/2026 7:50:00 AM A pair of bills in Minnesota that would have restricted the use of AI-like automated decision systems regarding research subjects who receive incentives, and added a new layer of data privacy restrictions, have been defeated. H.F. 4445 and S.F. 4689 would have been enforced via private litigation, creating significant legal risks for organizations conducting market research, analytics and insights in Minnesota. Read More
Fighting for You: June 2025 Legislative and Regulatory Update Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 6/26/2025 3:16:00 PM June brought lots of sizzling policy developments for the insights industry -- some promising, others challenging. Thankfully, the Insights Association was right in the thick of it. Let’s look at some wins on privacy issues and political polling, a troubling GDPR case in Europe, lots of new guidance on privacy, AI, HR, and email laws, developments on indirect costs in federally-funded research, and more. Read More
New Law Legalizes Exit Polling at Minnesota Voting Places Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 3/31/2010 10:27:00 AM The Governor of Minnesota today signed a bill into law that legalizes exit polling at Minnesota voting places. The Marketing Research Association (MRA) had previously testified in support of the law in the state legislature. Read More
MRA Volunteer Testifies in Defense of Exit Polling at Committee Hearing Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 3/3/2010 10:32:00 AM A volunteer leader of the Marketing Research Association (MRA) testified this morning at a Minnesota committee hearing in defense of exit polling. Gayle Belkengren, President of the MRA Minnesota/Upper Midwest Chapter, spoke in the Minnesota State House in support of legalizing exit pollsters’ access to voting places. Read More
MRA Endorses Legislation in Support of Exit Polling Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 2/16/2010 10:30:00 AM The Marketing Research Association (MRA) endorsed legislation today in the state of Minnesota that would make it legal for researchers to do exit polling near a voting place. The bill, S.F. 2388, is being considered today in a hearing of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Operations and Oversight. Read More
Minnesota Clears the Way for Survey Research with Physician Respondents Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 2/2/2010 5:21:00 PM The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy has revised the language of an important Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) to ensure that payments to Minnesota health care practitioners for participation in bona fide market research are NOT prohibited or restricted. Read More
Research Profession Testifies Before Joint House & Senate Committee Hearing in Minnesota Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 1/24/2010 5:15:00 PM The U.S. survey and research profession testified today before a joint hearing in the Minnesota House and Senate. The Marketing Research Association’s (MRA) Director of Government Affairs, Howard Fienberg, PLC, defended the use of physician incentives in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing. Read More