“Public safety is a core component of our state government, and COVID-19 poses many unique challenges for our first responders and people within the corrections system,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), bill author and chair of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Division. “The solutions in this bill reflect our shared commitment to addressing public safety broadly, even while much of our attention is directed toward the pandemic and saving lives. House DFLers are making these important investments – even when times are tough – and we hope the Senate Republican Majority can recognize Minnesotans are counting on these solutions as well.”
Solutions to address COVID-19 in the bill include expanded public access to correctional facility data, repeal of double-bunking requirements in prisons, and a direction to health care providers to return COVID-19 test results to public safety specialists as soon as possible. The legislation also gives temporary authority to the Department of Corrections to protect the health and welfare of state correctional employees and inmates – including the authority to release low-risk, nonviolent offenders who have 180 days or less in their term, and includes investments in community supervision.
Additionally, the legislation contains a series of bipartisan measures to help deliver justice to sexual assault survivors in Minnesota. To help address a significant backlog of untested sexual assault exam kits throughout the state, the bill requires all unrestricted kits to be tested within 60 days and be stored indefinitely by local law enforcement agencies. It also directs the Department of Public Safety to develop a website and searchable database allowing survivors to track their individual exam kit and receive status information. The legislation invests $3.1 million toward these initiatives. Another $1.386 million is invested under the bill toward training, supplies, and staffing within the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s forensic testing labs – which are currently overwhelmed – to more effectively combat violent crime.
The bill addresses funding deficiencies within the Department of Corrections with an investment of $1 million in fiscal year 2020 and $15.7 million in fiscal year 2021. Without this funding, 125 employees would need to be laid off, making facilities less safe for both staffers and residents.
Finally, the legislation creates a Task Force on Sentencing for Aiding and Abetting Felony Murder. The panel would be directed to collect and analyze data on the charging, conviction, and sentencing of people for aiding and abetting felony murder, assess whether current laws and practices promote public safety in sentencing, and recommend potential changes to the Legislature.
The bill directs Minnesota Management and Budget to determine whether expenditures under the bill are eligible for federal funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Video of the House Floor session is available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube Channel.