ST. PAUL – Tuesday, the Minnesota Senate, with bipartisan support, passed the Judiciary and Public Safety budget. The bill provides constitutionally required and critical funding to keep Minnesotans safe. This budget focuses on safety, providing justice to victims of crimes, and providing law enforcement, judiciary, and correctional officers the support they need to do their job. The bill heads to Governor Walz for final approval.
The public safety budget provides significant support for first responders through pay raises for law enforcement officers and investments in training programs to help Minnesotans in the field. To keep Minnesotans safe, there are expansions included for the Violent Crime Enforcement Teams, which investigate serious crimes such as gangs and drug trafficking.
“I am committed to keeping all Minnesotans safe and holding criminals accountable. I am happy this bipartisan legislation will help give survivors the justice that they so rightfully deserve,” said Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake). “It is our duty to protect those most vulnerable and this bill supports what we need to be doing as a state to prioritize safety.”
Additionally, in the final bill, is Senator Rich Draheim’ s provision to add crime alert categories that includes dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The provision will provide grants to develop law enforcement training issues associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“6/10 individuals with dementia will wander at some point and many wander repeatedly”, said Draheim. “As the number of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia grow, we need to put more safeguards in effect to keep our aging population safe.”
Notably, this budget prioritizes the needs of victims to get the justice they deserve by increasing penalties for heinous crimes, provides investigative resources for crimes in the National Guard, and amending statutes that prioritize the criminal over the victim. Crimes against children are particularly terrible, and this bill increases penalties for criminals who traffic children and those who create or distribute child pornography, and also creates a new crime with severe penalties for child torture. As seen in a Supreme Court case earlier this year, Minnesota statute is amended through this bill to close the “voluntary intoxication” loophole, giving sexual assault survivors the full support of the criminal justice system regardless of sobriety.
Other Key Provisions Include:
- Matson Strong: Stiffens penalties for the attempted murder of a public safety official
- Travis’s Law: Requires 911 operators to include social service crisis teams for mental health calls
- Matthew’s Law: Increases safety protections for confidential informants
- Hometown Heroes: Financial support, training and resources for firefighters
- Ignition interlocks for repeat DUI offenders
- Tightening cases where no-knock warrants may be used
- Provides increased support for body cameras for law enforcement agencies
- Database improvements to track officer conduct through the Police Officer Standards and Training Board
- Department of Corrections requirement to provide identification cards and information on how to access public services and prevent homelessness, when releasing convicts at the end of their prison sentence