I have spent my legislative career fighting to protect our families from violent sex offenders. I was proud to author the 2004 legislation that created life sentences for violent sex offenders. I was pleased to continue that work in 2012 when we strengthened the community notification process when offenders are released into our community. As a father and public servant my number one job is to protect the people of Minnesota.
Again today, Governor Dayton has failed to provide Minnesota with the leadership our state deserves. While I'm pleased that he reversed course and decided to halt the release of sex offenders to a facility in Cambridge, as I called on him to do in a letter ten days ago, he continues to recklessly disregard the safety of Minnesotans by supporting the release of serial rapist Thomas Duvall. I call on Governor Dayton to join with me and Attorney General Lori Swanson to halt the release of Duvall.
Governor Dayton accuses me and other legislators of not addressing these issues while I was Speaker. In fact, we had to address a serious public notification problem, created by Governor Dayton. In 2012 the Legislature had to declare an emergency, bring up a bill that had bipartisan support and then pass the bill that gave public notification when sex offenders were being released into halfway houses. This is a clear pattern of failed leadership by Governor Dayton of not wanting to inform the public when he wants to release violent sex offenders into our communities.
Governor Dayton did absolutely nothing this past legislative session to improve the sex offender process even though he and the Democrats control the entire Legislative and Executive branches of state government. His complaints about leadership are the height of hypocrisy. Governor Dayton on this issue, and many others, exemplifies failed leadership. Instead of complaining, claiming he didn't know the facts or changing his story, Governor Dayton should do his job and keep the citizens he represents safe.
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