Dear Neighbor,
Congratulations to Rosie Steil and everyone else who has been working so hard making the Veterans’ Monument in Rockville become reality. Shovels have hit the ground, the World Trade Center beam has arrived and a large granite slab is being prepared to display hundreds of names of military, law enforcement, emergency responders and other public servants. I will be speaking during a Sept. 11 dedication at the memorial, which will sit near the Rockville Fire Department along Highway 23.
Check out the Veterans Monument in Rockville link on Facebook for more updates and information on how to donate to the cause.
As for news from the House, a batch of new state laws take effect Aug. 1. A number of them relate to public safety, including new guidelines regarding body cameras used by law enforcement. This was a hot topic of discussion during the 2016 session in order to help our laws catch up with technological growth. A major issue that continually was addressed during meetings last session pertains to the handling of data officers collect with body cameras.
Is it public data that should be available to all? Should it be kept private to protect citizens? How long should it be retained by agencies? A million and one questions can be asked and just as many scenarios can be presented. The legislation that passed came as the result of compromise among a variety of actively involved criminal justice stakeholders.
Through new law, most data will be considered private, except in cases pertaining to an inactive criminal investigation which “documents a peace officer’s use of force that results in substantial bodily harm,” or “documents the discharge of a firearm by a peace officer in the course of duty.” Subjects of the data also may request that it be made public, adhering to restrictions that allow other people who were on camera to be removed from the publicly available footage if requested and practicable. A law enforcement agency can also redact portions of data if it is deemed “clearly offensive to common sensibilities.” The identities and activities of off-duty officers engaged in an investigation or emergency may not be redacted.
Law enforcement agencies are now required to establish written procedures detailing public policy and inter-agency sharing if they use a body camera system. Data collected will be retained according to the law enforcement agency’s retention schedule, provided that certain types of criminal investigative data is kept for at least one year. Non-investigative data must be kept for at least 90 days.
This is a complicated issue and finding resolution was no easy feat. Adjustments may be necessary going forward and future technology may present even more challenges, but this year’s changes provide greater clarity. Click here for the full text of the bill and click this link for a rundown of all the laws enacted in 2016.
There is nothing concrete to report regarding a potential special session to enact bills regarding bonding/transportation and tax relief. Talks are continuing and the third week in August has been identified as a time a brief special session could take place but, as of now, nothing is certain.
The House passed bills related to both subjects in May, but a Senate change to the bonding/transportation bill just as our constitutional deadline for adjournment arrived tanked that package. Then Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed $801 million in tax relief over the next three years (approved by 90 percent of the Legislature) because of a one-word mistake. The veto seemed to be a drastic move for something that probably could have been fixed with a simple letter of clarification, but that’s water under the bridge and now the only way this tax relief can be enacted is by the governor calling a special session. Stay tuned.
The end of this week brings us to 60 days past the conclusion of the 2016 regular session, at which time the Campaign Finance Board has ruled the emailing of newsletters such as this one must halt until after the November election.
In the meantime, I will continue doing my job by working to represent the people of District 13A and will field your questions, thoughts, concerns, requests for assistance, etc., on an individual basis. Call my office at (651) 296-4373 or email rep.jeff.howe@house.mn if you would like to connect.
Sincerely,
Jeff