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State Representative Michael Paymar

563 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4199

For more information contact: Joan Nichols 651-29X-XXXX

Posted: 2009-05-12 00:00:00
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House Accepts Public Safety Finance Conference Committee Report

ST. PAUL – State Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul), Chair of the Public Safety Finance Division said he is pleased with the Omnibus bill passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives as it prioritizes while preserving public safety.
"This legislation creates a more cost-effective criminal justice system while balancing the reality of a large budget deficit," Rep. Paymar said. "It increases a variety of fees while making strategic cuts that are fairly distributed."
The Public Safety Omnibus bill proposes $2 billion in spending for the next biennium and includes $38 million in federal stimulus funds for the Department of Corrections.
Rep. Paymar noted that the Governor would have liked to spend more money on the Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety, while reducing funding for the courts. “Our bill was a compromise that the Governor should sign", Rep. Paymar said. Several of the Governor’s policy concerns were removed from the bill. The bill increased DOC funding above their base budget (not as high as the Governor would prefer) at a time when no other state agency or department is getting an increase above their base.
“This is a balanced and strategic bill that ensures public safety,” Rep. Paymar said. “We drafted fiscally responsible legislation by choosing to invest wisely and waste nothing.”
The Conference Committee Report contains provisions to protect the Courts, Legal Aid, the public defender system, correctional officers at the DOC, and crime victim and youth intervention programs. In addition, cuts were minimized to the BCA to preserve turn-around time on DNA evidence. Overall, the bill emphasizes reforms and requires performance measures while strategic cuts are made.

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