On Monday, the Minnesota Senate passed emergency funding for law enforcement, as requested by Governor Walz. The bill, S.F. 2441, secures $2.75 million for the law enforcement response to civil unrest through the Interstate Emergency Management Assistance Compact and $6.3 million for Minnesota State Trooper expenses related to the unrest and Chauvin trial. 

“We are facing an urgent public safety concern,” said Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson). “Thank God, the situation in Brooklyn Center has yet not spiraled into lawlessness the way Minneapolis did last summer, but it is close: a sitting U.S. Congresswoman visited Brooklyn Center this weekend and seemed to encourage violence, and hours later National Guard troops were fired upon. It’s still a tinderbox that could explode at any moment if Gov. Walz and local leaders do not handle it properly. This emergency funding will make sure that law enforcement and the state patrol have the tools they need to protect the public.”

Earlier this session, the Senate passed legislation funding for the Law Enforcement Operations Account (LEO), committing to keep Minnesotans safe by securing resources for emergency law enforcement operations tied to extraordinary and unplanned emergency events. 

House Democrats failed to pass the bill or Governor Walz’s version of the legislation, known as SAFE. Additionally, House Democrats have not introduced any of their own provisions regarding emergency police funding, jeopardizing the safety of residents of the Twin Cities and hindering law enforcement’s ability to respond to emergency events.   

Monday’s legislation is the byproduct of a public safety conversation between legislative leaders and the Governor, the weekend. Legislative leaders all agreed with the importance of getting the bill done at the time of the request.

The bill now goes to the House for consideration.