ST. PAUL, MN –  Today the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee heard a bill (S.F. 2672) by its Chair, Warren Limmer (R- Maple Grove) that would require senate confirmation of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission (MSGC) members appointed by the Governor. 

The commission has recently drawn the ire of legislators, victims’ advocates, and law enforcement for establishing a five-year maximum for probation; legislators pressured the Commission to take a position after they postponed a planned vote to reduce sentences for crimes committed while on probation. Minnesota has one of the lowest incarceration rates in the nation, but violent crime has hit record highs in the Twin Cities and has many communities on high alert. 

“We have a commission with members who are moving towards acting as a de facto legislature. When the majority of the board is appointed by the Governor, there is not true accountability to the people of Minnesota,” Limmer said. “My concern is this Commission and its members have increasingly been more interested in writing public safety policy, mainly, reducing penalties and probation for criminals. It’s alarming because the commission was never intended to make wholesale changes to policy. I have long stated that broad changes and sweeping reforms must be thoroughly analyzed by those accountable to the public, not appointed positions.” he concluded.

The Committee heard bill this afternoon and voted to move it along in the process. Senator Limmer and Republicans on the committee all voted in favor of adding confirmation to the MSGC, while Democrats on the committee all voted against this accountability measure. The next stop for the bill will be in the State Government Committee. 

The MSGC includes 11 members, seven of whom are appointed by the Governor. The positions appointed by the Governor include: one public defender, one county attorney, one peace officer, one probation or parole officer, and three members of the public, one of whom must be the victim of a felony crime. The remaining positions are held by the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, or a designee; one judge from the court of appeals, and one district court judge, both of whom are designated by the Chief Justice.

Watch Limmer answer questions from the press before the hearing

Watch the Committee hearing on the bill