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Dear Neighbors,
I watched the announcement of the guilty verdict in the Chauvin trial with a handful of House DFL colleagues. It was a diverse room of members from across the state. When the judge read the verdict, there was an exhale. Relief. There were tears. As we talked, there was hope that this might be a turning point for our state and nation, but also an awareness that hard work is ahead. We would go on to take up our Public Safety bill, which contains the police reform measures we need to pass into law. These policies will save lives, and start rebuilding trust between communities and public safety officials. That’s the work.
We were able to pass the bill off the House floor last night, with the following provisions included:
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Allowing local governments to establish civilian oversight councils
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Enhancing training and requiring the development of new model policies
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Supporting community organizations working to prevent crime
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Issuing body cameras and prohibiting altering, destroying, or withholding the footage
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Prohibiting white supremacists from become police officers
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Limiting the use of no-knock warrants
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Strengthening the police officer misconduct database and building a more effective early warning system to identify bad officers and keep them off the streets
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Limiting police officers’ authority to stop or detain drivers for certain violations
These proposals face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate, where they’ve refused to hold a single hearing on police accountability measures this session, but it’s a fight worth having. We can’t let this week’s verdict absolve us of our duty to build a more just, inclusive, and safe Minnesota.
The House DFL Budget
In addition to the Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law Budget we passed last night, we’ve spent the past week debating components of our complete budget proposal on the House floor, with the next step being negotiations with the Senate. So far, we’ve passed budgets for the following areas:
Though I’ve assisted with many of these bills in some form, as a member of the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee, that’s one of the areas where I’ve had a greater impact in crafting the legislation. Minnesota is one of the fastest warming states in the nation, but we are not without solutions to this issue. By setting a clean fuel standard, Minnesota can become a leader in reducing transportation emissions. Our bill also provides the tools necessary to employ the technologies that can bring energy efficiency to homes throughout the state. We can build the clean energy economy that Minnesotans deserve, and the budget we passed can set us on that path.
I spoke to the importance of this bill on the House floor, which you can watch below.
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