Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House as we wind down another week in the 2024 session with committee work tapering and more time being spent on the floor acting on omnibus bills. Here’s a look at some of those notes and more:
Public safety bill
Legislation I authored to improve notification requirements on orders for protection in response to a local tragedy was included in a public safety omnibus bill which passed the House without opposition this week.
My bill, known as “Isaac’s Law” requires notice to also be provided to any custodian of the petitioner’s minor children. This legislation is in response to a situation in Renville County, where 13-year-old Isaac Hoff – who was protecting his mother from being assaulted by her boyfriend – was stabbed by the boyfriend and died from his injuries.
Isaac’s grandmother was the custodian of Isaac and was never informed that her daughter had a restraining order against the murderer, or that it had been revoked. She claims that if she knew that she would never have let her grandson visit his mother.
Other provisions in the package include changes related to crime victims and their rights, making criminal justice reforms, modifying predatory offender restrictions, and modifying some duties of the Department of Corrections.
We are now waiting for the Senate to act on this legislation. I will continue pushing to get Isaac’s Law across the finish line this session.
PBS appearance
Click here to see a quick PBS “Almanac at the Capitol” interview I did this week. In it, I reflect on my 22 years in the House and share a little bit about what I believe is my proudest moment as a legislator.
Elections bill
Historically, elections bills in Minnesota are very bipartisan and governors in the past even have demanded they be that way for the good of our state.
That was not the case with an omnibus elections bill the majority passed this week with a number of controversial provisions. The proposed changes include allowing a mere description of residence when an address is not available, which has the potential to seriously undermine the integrity of our elections instead of protecting them.
Minnesotans deserve a more balanced and reasonable approach on elections bills. That’s not what this bill provides.
Unclaimed money
A fair number of Minnesotans have money owed to them that is unclaimed. The Minnesota Unclaimed Property department has a website that makes it easy to do a quick check to see if there is anything in your name. Click here for a link to step-by-step guide on how to claim your unclaimed property online. If you need to contact the Unclaimed Property staff with any questions, please email unclaimed.property@state.mn.us or call 651-539-1545 (Select option 1).
Have a good weekend and please stay in touch. I’m continuing to work in my role as the Republican lead on the Capital Investment Committee and will keep you up to speed as anything unfolds on that subject.
Sincerely,
Dean