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On Monday I voted against the largest bonging bill package in Minnesota history. In a time when our state more than double the most recent peak budget surplus, the fact that the legislature wants to borrow even more money is unconscionable. There are some great projects in the bill, projects that are important for the future of Minnesota, but to borrow that much money when we have the cash available to fund these projects. This bill will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions in additional interest over the life of these bonds. Families don?t balance their own checkbooks this way, so why should legislators treat their money any differently?
On Thursday House and Senate Republicans unveiled our public safety package which includes 17 different bills from 15 different Republican authors across the state. Confronting the criminal threat would include new laws to add a new crime of carjacking to state statute, increase penalties for fleeing police in a motor vehicle, align fentanyl to the same weight thresholds and penalties as heroin, and increase sentences for those convicted with at least two prior crimes of violence.
We continue to throw our support behind our state?s law enforcement officers with robust recruitment, training, and retention plans. The Safe & Sound Minnesota plan provides $1 million for Pathway to Policing, the award-winning program that brings new recruits into public safety from other careers. There is also included $5 million for college scholarships and technology to help law enforcement students prepare for their role and $15 million for bodycams for law enforcement departments.
In the Public Safety Committee this week we heard Representative Navotney?s bill, HF 2253. This legislation will fund the expansion of use-of-force training making it available to many more of our police officers across the state. Our police force has an important job to do and we should be providing them with all the resources they need to do their job effectively.
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