For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
(ST. PAUL) — Today the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the omnibus public safety and judiciary finance bill. The bill cuts programs significantly, and raids accounts and funds dedicated to other purposes.
State Representative Linda Slocum (DFL – Richfield/Bloomington) raised strong objections to the bill and voted against it.
The bill reduces funding for probation supervision, battered women services, victims of child sex abuse, at-risk youth, chemical dependency treatment, sexual assault victims, and law enforcement efforts to stop gang violence and drug trafficking.
Rep. Slocum delivered remarks on the House floor, focusing on the drastic cuts to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Rep. Slocum said that these cuts do not reflect the values of Minnesotans.
Copy/paste the link below to watch Rep. Slocum's speech on the House floor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxAKKmyy_2o&feature=channel_video_title
Additionally, the bill transfers $8.5 million from the Fire Safety Account and the emergency responder radio system to the General Fund. HF 853 also requires local governments to house offenders without any state reimbursement, providing another unfunded mandate for local governments, and an addition to Minnesotan’s property taxes.