St. Paul, Minnesota — Today, state Representative Joe Atkins (DFL – Inver Grove Heights) announced the list of witnesses testifying in support of his smartphone kill switch legislation — HF 1952 — that will be heard in the House Labor, Workplace and Regulated Industries Committee on February 27. This will be the nation’s first hearing regarding kill switch legislation.
Included on the list of witnesses is Mark Andrew, a former Minneapolis mayoral candidate who was the victim of a violent attack aimed at stealing his smartphone at the Mall of America in December.
“I appreciate Mr. Andrew’s stepping up to try to prevent what happened to him from happening to others,” said Rep. Atkins. “Smartphone theft is a growing problem that is becoming more and more violent. We need to continue to take action on this issue.”
In addition to Andrews, testifiers are expected to include:
Barb Johnson, Minneapolis City Council President
Kate Cavett, a victim of smartphone theft in St. Paul
Mike Schmit, President of the Minnesota Student Association
Gregory Hestness, University of Minnesota Chief of Police.
Almost 1 in 3 U.S. robberies now involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices — mostly smartphones — cost consumers more than $30 billion last year. Kill switch legislation is gaining momentum nationwide, as US Senator Amy Klobuchar is pushing federal legislation and states continue introducing new bills.
“Minnesotans are concerned about this issue,” added Rep. Atkins. “It’s a serious public safety and data privacy problem, and cell phone carriers cannot continue to ignore the availability of existing technology to stop smartphone thieves. Too many people are getting hurt. I’m confident we can move this legislation forward this year.”