Bipartisan public safety policy package clears House

Much of the focus this week has been on multi-million or multi-billion dollar omnibus budget bills, prompting political pundits to opine on the impact the House’s 67-67 tie is having on big budget bills.

But House Floor action Friday proved that a bipartisan policy-only bill can move forward quickly in the current situation.

The House passed HF1354, as amended, by a 133-1 vote after about a 15-minute debate. The amendment deleted two provisions that are also in HF124, which was passed by the House April 22. HF1354 now goes to the Senate.

Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL-Shoreview), who sponsors the bill, said all its provisions were approved on a bipartisan basis by the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee that she co-chairs.

What’s in the bill?

The bill would modify how the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension deals with video footage captured in an officer-involved fatal shooting. Current law states that all video connected in any way to the shooting from all officers responding must be made public on the BCA website within 30 days.

“Now there are so many body cameras and squad car cameras, and a lot of [video] is extraneous,” Moller said.

HF1354 would limit the posting requirement to video of events immediately before the deadly encounter, the shooting itself, and the immediate aftermath.

The bill would establish a gross misdemeanor penalty for a person who either causes a collision that results in substantial bodily harm to another or commits a third offense within 10 years and the person’s license has been suspended, revoked, or cancelled, for several reasons, including DWI, reckless or careless driving, and failing to yield to a school bus.

People with dementia, a traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, or other cognitive impairments would be added to the scope of the missing and endangered persons program.

The bill would require law enforcement agencies to issue alerts if someone with one or more of these conditions goes missing and is thought to be at risk of physical injury or death.

Children’s advocacy centers would be able to receive a portion of criminal fines imposed following a conviction for certain assault and criminal sexual conduct offenses.

Local correctional facilities would be required to provide incarcerated people with the same medications that were prescribed to the person prior to their confinement, except in certain circumstances.

The bill would require schools to report active shooter incidents and active shooter threats to the BCA’s Minnesota Fusion Center.

Friday also saw the House pass HF2432, the omnibus public safety and judiciary budget bill, which also contained a handful of policy provisions.