ST. PAUL – As chairman of the Minnesota House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee, the 2015 Legislative Session was a busy one for State Representative Tony Cornish (R-Vernon Center) as he chief authored a number of bipartisan pro-gun and anti-crime bills that were approved by the legislature. On August 1, many of them will become law.
"We prioritized law enforcement and crime prevention this past session, and I was proud to have carried a number of bills that will better protect Minnesota's residents," Cornish said.
Cornish's comprehensive public safety finance bill will create a gross misdemeanor offense for those who purchase or obtain a firearm on behalf of a person ineligible to purchase or possess one. It also limits the authority of a public official or entity to seize or regulate weapons during a state of emergency; expands the firearms prohibitions placed on certain offenders to include prohibitions on ammunition, and clarifies that long guns can be purchased and sold to persons in other states. Other provisions include a Blue Alert system to disseminate urgent information to the public to help locate an individual suspected of killing or injuring a law enforcement officer; creating a crime of adulteration by bodily fluid; and strengthened DWI and prostitution laws.
Another of Cornish's new laws puts limits on automated license plate readers (ALPR). The statute will require agencies to destroy ALPR data not related to an active criminal investigation after 60 days. It also places restrictions on their use, limits access, and requires audits of the law enforcement agency to ensure compliance – in order to better protect the data privacy rights of individuals.
Finally, extra assault protection will be in place for employees supervising and working directly with mentally ill and dangerous patients at the state security hospital in St. Peter thanks to Rep. Cornish. This law creates an enhanced penalty for anyone that assaults a direct care worker at the facility or intentionally throws or otherwise transfers urine, blood, semen or feces onto the person.