Senator Michael Holmstrom (R–Buffalo) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve public safety and restore local control to counties across Minnesota. Senate File 4265 would ensure that when a county takes over felony probation services from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), the state, not the county, is responsible for paying out earned benefits to transitioning employees.

“County-administered probation programs deliver better outcomes for probationers, save taxpayers money, and most importantly, improve public safety for our communities,” said Sen. Holmstrom. “This bill removes bureaucratic red tape so counties can focus on keeping Minnesotans safe instead of fighting the state over paperwork.”

Last year, Wright County submitted a comprehensive plan to transition to a county-run probation system but was delayed when the DOC argued that the county pay for benefits employees had earned while working for the state.

Wright County Commissioner Kirby Moynagh spoke out over the issue last year.

“Aside from being ethically questionable, when does a state government department get the authority to try to extort money out of a county?” said Moynagh. “If one of our employees went somewhere else, we wouldn’t expect that person’s new employer to pay our employee’s contractual obligations. Nobody does that because it is absurd at several levels.”