The Minnesota House has approved legislation yesterday evening that funds judiciary and public safety priorities over the next two years, addresses illegal Interstate protests, and increases penalties for sexual predators and traffickers.
It’s illegal for protesters to shut down Interstate 94, yet it’s happened. You can’t expect to walk onto a 65-mile an hour freeway because you’re upset about something. Doing so puts your life in danger, as well as the lives of drivers and law enforcement.
The current intentional public highway obstruction law is a misdemeanor and isn’t deterring lawbreakers from protesting on a freeway. This legislation would strengthen the penalty to a gross misdemeanor, which increases the probability for a jail stay, higher fine, and longer probation.
We also dedicate funds for additional sex trafficking prevention grants. As we saw with Peony Massage in Blaine, sex trafficking is alleged to be happening in our own backyard and we need to do all we can to stop it.
We’re also addressing an unbelievable loophole in state law that keeps some convicted sexual predators off of Minnesota’s sex offender registry. The bill eliminates stays of imposition and adjudication for sex crimes, increases supervision post incarceration for some crimes, and increases the length of punishment for those convicted of child pornography crimes.
With news of a released sex offender relocating to Blaine last year, increased supervision is rightfully on the minds of many.
There’s no doubt this public safety bill will better protect Minnesotans, and I was proud to support it.