Yesterday the Minnesota Senate passed the supplemental budget for Judiciary and Public Safety needs, after nearly six and half hours of debate, and more than a dozen accepted amendments. Republicans were able to get a number of bipartisan amendments added onto the bill, making this bill a true bipartisan effort.
“This bill is better because of the bipartisan work we did on the floor when debating this bill,” said Senator Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake). “I’m particularly glad to see funding increases included for the Department of Corrections. I’ve met numerous times with Correction Officers from the Shakopee Facility for women, and they are doing a phenomenal job, but they paint a grim picture: they are putting their own safety on the line every day, but their pay is not commensurate with the work they’re expected to do. I’m disappointed the funding in this bill is only allocated for one-time spending, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Senate Republicans offered an amendment to prioritize funding for court operations, fund the Department of Corrections staffing budget, and provide more for crime victim services. A properly funded court and corrections system ensures timely trials and safer prisons. Instead, this bill stretched funding for jury reimbursements over three years, all but ensuring a fiscal cliff. It also ignores the overtime currently required to fully staff the state’s prisons, digging a deeper financial hole. The amendment also included $10 million for victim services, in line with Gov. Walz’s proposal from this year. This amendment was defeated on party line vote.
Notably, Sen. Pratt offered two amendments that were accepted. One allows for charges of attempted sexual exploitation, which was explicitly prohibited in current law, and the second excludes criminal sexual conduct and human trafficking from the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA) early release program.
“Many amendments were accepted yesterday, and I’m happy that the two I offered received bipartisan support,” continued Pratt. “I worked with our county attorney on these commonsense amendments so we could keep the public safe from some of the most heinous criminals, and these amendments further that goal.”
Republicans voted for additional key amendments aimed at targeting unlawful behaviors and increasing penalties:
- Increase penalties on highway demonstrations and blocking roadways
- Require the State Patrol to conduct a comprehensive study for the swift and safe removal of highway protests
- Close a loophole and create a specific crime of fleeing police in a car
Democrats last year passed a “Get Out of Jail Free” public safety bill that gave early release to 92% of the prison population and had many vocal critics from law enforcement and victims. The adoption of two amendments in particular indicate the Democrats may have overreached with last year’s bill. Several Democrats voted with Republicans to remove those convicted of human trafficking, criminal sexual conduct, manslaughter, or murder from early release through the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act.
“Though I am happy that there was considerable bipartisan work on this bill, I am concerned with how some of the provisions are being funded. It’s troubling that many ongoing services are being funded with one-time money in this bill. Last year Democrats increased the state budget by 40% and increased taxes by nearly $9 billion. We had the ability to address public safety issues last year in a meaningful way, yet instead we are now funding much of our judiciary with one-time funds. This is going to create a fiscal cliff that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later,” finished Pratt.