Saint Paul, MN. – Late yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed SF 2909, the Judiciary and Public Safety budget conference committee report. The public safety portion of the report invests in a diverse set of tools to improve public safety. It prioritizes a holistic approach to gun violence prevention, funding for law enforcement and victims of crime, and more. This report will create a safer Minnesota while working to break cycles of crime and violence. The legislation contains $5 million in law enforcement recruitment and retention, legislation spearheaded by Rep. John Huot (DFL-Rosemount).
"Recruiting and retaining police officers is essential to public safety," said John Huot. "We need to make sure that our police departments are staffed with qualified and dedicated professionals who are committed to serving all our communities across the state."
In response to increasing gun violence, now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., the bill includes a number of violence prevention measures. It implements criminal background checks to keep guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from having them. It also includes a red flag law, creating an effective tool to prevent those likely to cause harm from doing so. Lastly, it makes historic investments in gun violence prevention research grants to determine the next best steps to end gun violence.
A spreadsheet of complete investments for the Public Safety and Judiciary budget can be downloaded here.
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