Public Safety/Judiciary Conference Committee to hold next public hearing Tuesday

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The joint House/Senate Conference Committee tasked with developing a compromise state Public Safety and Judiciary Budget will hold its next meeting Tuesday morning at noon in Room 120 of the State Capitol. The hearing, to be chaired by Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), will include a side-by-side comparison on each version of the bill, with a focus on funding needs for the Minnesota judicial branch and Department of Corrections.

WHAT: Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Public Safety and Judiciary Budget, SF 802
WHO: Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), committee members
WHERE: Room 120, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
WHEN: noon; Tuesday, May 7

The House DFL Public Safety and Judiciary budget includes strong investments in the courts, greater funding for correctional facilities to improve safety, investments in new offices for the Department of Human Rights, protections against sexual harassment and gender-based violence, bipartisan community-centered reforms to our probation system, and numerous other measures to ensure a safer, more just Minnesota. Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Chair Warren Limmer has admitted the Senate Republican budget is so inadequate, corrections and courts funding may even fall short of constitutional obligations.

The House’s budget also includes two significant measures to prevent gun violence in Minnesota. One would require criminal background checks prior to gun sales and another would provide for Extreme Risk Protection Orders, allowing law enforcement to temporarily restrict access to firearms if a court determines a person may be a threat to themselves or others. Despite widespread public support for these initiatives, Senate Republicans have failed to hold a single public hearing on the topic of gun violence.