ST. PAUL, MN –  Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) released the following statement in response to the Senate DFL’s last-minute proposal on public safety. The Senate has been in session since January 31, and the first deadline for bills is this Friday: 

“Senate Republicans made public safety our top priority this session. We are already moving bills that will support law enforcement, hold criminals accountable, and shed light on the judicial decisions that affect the daily safety of Minnesotans. 

“You don’t need a press conference to introduce a bill, but it appears that is what the Senate DFL did today. Three of their four proposals were introduced yesterday, just days before the first committee deadline. It’s hard to be an obstructionist to something that didn’t exist for the first seven weeks of session.” 

Senator Limmer is Chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, which heard this session many bills to address crime, support law enforcement, and provide accountability for judges, county attorneys, and the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission.  

Bills to provide hiring and retention bonuses to law enforcement, impose mandatory minimums, and tighten up on violent crime and carjackings have already been heard in Limmer’s Committee. In addition, the Senate Higher Education Committee heard two bills to provide financial aid and scholarships to those pursuing a degree in Law Enforcement.  

The Senate passed $1 million in funding for a public marketing campaign to attract more people to a career in law enforcement. A DFL amendment to add funding to the Pathways for Policing program was adopted on the floor. This Senate bill has not been brought up for a vote in the DFL-led House of Representatives.