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 is a good bipartisan bill and a testament to what we can get done when we work in a bipartisan way,” said Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine), who serves as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “There are many things to celebrate in this bill: funding for the judicial branch, crime victim service funding, and funding for the Department of Corrections. These are all prudent investments with bipartisan support.”
A properly funded court systems fulfills the judiciary branch’s constitutional responsibilities to the citizens of Minnesota and corrections system ensures safer and more secure prisons. Sen. Kreun successfully offered two amendments to the bill.
“We had a robust discussion on this bill, both in committee and on the floor. I was glad to see a willingness to accept and accommodate many amendments such as increasing penalties for protestors blocking highways and scaling back the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA) to ensure criminals stay in prison longer for violent crimes. Yesterday’s efforts improved the bill and made it a true bipartisan effort,” finished Kreun.
Republicans voted for additional key amendments aimed at targeting unlawful behaviors and increasing penalties:
- Increase penalties on highway demonstrations
- 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.