Dear Neighbor,
Another week in the 2024 session is coming to an end as the May 20 deadline continues drawing nearer. The final committee deadline is now one week away and then our focus will turn almost exclusively to the floor to deliberate bills as a full body. It will be interesting to see what bills pass down the stretch and what bills end up on the cutting-room floor. I’ll keep you posted as things unfold. For now, here’s a look at the latest from St. Paul:
Bipartisan public safety bill
It was nice to see evidence of strong bipartisanship in the House as an omnibus public safety policy bill received overwhelming support in the House this week, passing 130-0.
The package includes 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.
Unlike most omnibus bills that have been coming out of the Public Safety Committee in recent years, this policy omnibus is pretty clean. For example, there are no gun control measures or other controversial bills in this package … and it even includes handful of Republican-authored measures.
There also is no additional spending in this bill, which is good since our state is facing a shortfall in the next biennium.
Highly partisan elections bill
Any hope the public safety bill was a sign of good things to come this was snuffed out in short order. Immediately after approving that bipartisan bill, the majority broke from tradition by approving a highly partisan omnibus elections bill this week.
Minnesota’s elections policy bills have a longstanding tradition of being bipartisan so that neither side can claim an unfair advantage over the other. Governors in the past even have demanded that elections bills be bipartisan. That went out the window this week as the bill which passed includes controversial provisions such as allowing a mere description of residence when an address is not available. The bill also infringes on local governments with additional unfunded mandates on local elections.
Enacting partisan elections policy with virtually zero support from the other side is undemocratic and irresponsible. It is too bad that is what happened this week.
Local visitors
Thank you to people from Anna Marie’s Alliance for recently stopping by my office. This St. Cloud organization does a wonderful job providing safety, shelter, support, and referral services to survivors of domestic violence and their children.
Enjoyed recently visiting the North Metro Regional Public Safety Training Facility in Maple Grove. This is a state-of-the-art resource for local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies – along with postsecondary law enforcement institutions – to conduct training.
Unclaimed property
I encourage you to check the Minnesota Unclaimed Property department website to see if there is any money with your name on it. This happens more than you’d think so it’s worth a shot. 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).
Helpful links:
Here are some links to help you follow developments in St. Paul this session:
Please Contact Me
It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. You can call me at 651-296-6316, or email me at rep.bernie.perryman@house.mn.gov. I am here to serve you!
Bernie
