On Monday, the Senate passed legislation that would hold cities accountable to pay their mutual aid agreements and prevent Governor Walz from diverting funds away from education and healthcare to cover cities’ public safety costs that defund the police. 

“I am committed to funding what it takes at a state level to keep Minnesotans safe during the upcoming Floyd trials. We are not going to bail out Minneapolis’s City Council, and we are not going to take House language that ties the hands of law enforcement to respond appropriately to violence and riots to keep both themselves and their communities safe,” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-East Gull Lake) said.  

“The Minneapolis City Council’s vote on Friday to reinstate $6.4 million to hire more cops is a welcome step in the right direction ensuring the safety of the city and its residents,” Gazelka continued. “We felt this bill was necessary since the problem presented to us was the concern from other cities not being reimbursed when taking on extraordinary duties. However, no amount of money will fix the failed response that allowed riots and violence this summer. A leadership problem can’t be solved with legislation.”   

Following the bill’s passage, Governor Walz, via his spokesperson, Mr. Tschann, issued a statement accusing Senate Republicans of voting to defund the police. This was after House Democrats failed to pass their own version of the legislation on the same day. 

“Governor Walz’s statement is a blatantly false attempt to rewrite his party’s political position on law enforcement over the last ten months,” Senator Gazelka continued. “Today, Senate Republicans passed legislation that guarantees that public safety obligations are met and ensures that neighboring law enforcement departments can respond moving forward should there be further unrest. We want to avoid another disaster like the one Governor Walz and Mayor Frey allowed to occur this past summer. I encourage Governor Walz to reflect on his own party’s actions and inspire a change there so that together we can work with law enforcement and avoid further destruction this spring.”