A day following the sentencing of police officer Derek Chauvin, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers agree to implement a public safety bill.
What We Know:
- Last week, a Minnesota judge sentenced police officer Derek Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison for killing George Floyd. 22 1/2 years is above the state of Minnesota’s minimum requirement for the specific crime committed but below the prosecutor’s 30 year proposition.
- After months of negotiation, lawmakers reached a compromise. The State House opted to include policing provisions in its public safety budget bill. At 233 pages, the bill strives to create police accountability measures. It contains arrangements for an office of missing and murdered indigenous relatives, an armed team for missing and murdered women of color, regulated no-knock warrants, and a police misconduct database.
- The police misconduct database serves as a preliminary measure to keep ill-behaving officers off the streets. $2 million for violent crime enforcement teams is included in the bill. Other provisions include a statewide ban on chokeholds and limits on informant use.
- Ongoing contention in the House between Democratic and Republican lawmakers continues. A Wednesday deadline associated with the bill emerged. To avoid a government shutdown, the divided Legislature resolved budget negotiations on Saturday. Early Wednesday, the Minnesota Senate approved proposed police accountability measures presented in the bill. The Senate’s 45-21 vote followed a 75-59 vote in the Minnesota House on Tuesday night.
- In regards to the public safety aspect of the budget bill, Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman stated: “It is a step forward in delivering true public safety and justice for all Minnesotans despite divided government.” Certain Democratic provisions were blocked by the Republican representatives, including the ban on “pretextual” traffic stops for minor offenses. Examples of minor offenses are expired tabs or objects dangling from the rearview mirror. Top GOP negotiators reject provisions as such perceived “anti-police.”
- According to top GOP Senate negotiator Warren Limmer, “We are a divided government, and we come to some of these issues with various degrees of opposition. It’s been a rather difficult process to arrive at a common point. I believe we have, as far as we could go. And some of the issues that the House wants will have to continue to be discussed.”
Some Democratic representatives argue the bill doesn’t go far enough, while Republican representatives consider the bill sufficient and refuse to go further. Lawmakers planned to reconvene later Wednesday to pass two more budget bills and conclude their extra session.
