Senate Democrats today brought forward a controversial Judiciary bill that continues the trend of making Minnesota less safe. The $3.84 billion judiciary and public safety package increases state spending by over $106 million.

The bill includes a number of troubling provisions: 

• Removes protections for babies harmed by illicit prenatal drug use: Exempts pregnant women who use illegal drugs from being charged with child neglect or endangerment.
• Protects noncitizens charged with crimes: Grants noncitizens post-conviction relief for stays of adjudication — even for violent crimes – allowing them to avoid deportation or visa revocations.
• Fee increases for Minnesotans: Civil court filing fees will increase by $35 per case, making it more expensive for Minnesotans to seek justice, especially in cases like child support or small business collections.
• Expands eligibility for early release for criminals convicted of Minnesota’s felony murder statute, which releases current inmates and sends fewer violent criminals to prison on the future.

“Any Public Safety bill we pass should have three goals: making communities safer, offering support to law enforcement, and holding violent criminal accountable – this bill fails on all three fronts,” said Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine), who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Two years ago, Democrats gave 92% of inmates a “Get Out of Jail Free” card through the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act. Victims are currently being notified their offender may be released early. Today’s public safety proposal takes another step in the same direction by granting early releases for additional violent offenders, reducing sentences for those involved in felonies that resulted in murder, including drive-by shootings. One hundred inmates convicted of felony murder would be released earlier over the next ten years, and over 170 prisoners could be released early over the next twenty. Kreun offered an amendment to remove this language from the bill, but it failed on a party-line vote.

“It’s bad enough that in 2023 Democrats made 92% of the prison population eligible for earlier release with the MRRA, but now we are adding even more offenders to the early release list,” said Kreun. “We need to stop asking what is fair to the criminals and instead start doing what is right for victims and their families. We should be doing more to get violent offenders off the streets, rather than letting them out of prison early.”

In an attempt to make the bill better, Senate Republicans brought forward additional amendments, three of which were accepted on the bill:

• Restoration of police training funds that are set to expire, giving officers critical skills in de-escalation and autism response.
• Additional funding for violent crime enforcement teams (VCETs) to fight drugs, guns, and trafficking from cartel and gang activity.
• Language that holds nonprofit organizations accountable by requiring public reporting on how $42 million in “violence prevention” grants are spent

Other Republican amendments to improve the bill: 

• Preventing early release of criminals: An amendment sought to remove changes that reduce prison time for people involved in committing violent felonies, especially in cases involving assault and drive-by shootings where someone ends up murdered.
• Funding corrections officers, not bureaucracy: A Republican proposal would have shifted money away from bloated administrative budgets and into pay raises for corrections officers and probation staff.

These amendments were rejected by the Senate Democrat majority. The bill will now go to conference committee with the Minnesota House to resolve differences.