Making Safe at Home more secure

More safety is sought for the Safe at Home program.

Administered by the Office of the Secretary of State, the address confidentiality program aims to provide extra security for the approximately 226 participants.

Sponsored by Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-St. Louis Park) and Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul), HF1677*/SF1452 does two things: states that sex offenders cannot be in the program, and it would supersede local ordinances that require a person to post their name outside of an apartment building where they are residing. In some buildings, a listing in the entryway contains each tenant’s name and apartment number.

The bill was approved 131-0 by the House May 5, and now awaits Senate action.

“Essentially the Safe at Home program is a place where people who are abused or in an abusive relationship or the victims of domestic abuse can have a P.O. Box as their address so their offender can’t get at them,” Simon said.

He said the bill is the result of an agreement between the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, the League of Minnesota Cities and other stakeholders.

“Having been around as secretary of state and initiating the Safe at Home program, and having bipartisan support, it’s good to see this bill progressing, being improved and also to see it having functioned in the way in which it was intended,” said Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake).