SAINT PAUL, Minn. – A historic increase in funding for Minnesota’s courts and public safety needs moved forward Wednesday, as the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee’s $880 million omnibus budget bill passed out of committee. The budget is a well-balanced, fair, and objective proposal according to Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chair Senator Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park).
“This budget reflects a robust investment in our system of justice and in public safety needs of our state,” said Sen. Latz. “Our budget provides law enforcement with the tools and support they need to address and prevent crime, and will provide Minnesotans the opportunities, education, resources, training, and treatment they need as they leave the correctional system to reduce the incidence of new crimes and successfully re-enter Civil Society. And this bill will help make sure every Minnesotan has access to fair justice.”
The omnibus budget bill, SF 2909, invests $230 million in Minnesota’s courts and $650 million for state public safety needs. Some highlights of SF2909 include:
- Funding for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Violent Crime Reduction Strategy
- Funding for law enforcement recruitment and retention
- Funding for the Department of Human Rights for Civil Rights Enforcement and expansion of reporting on hate crimes
- A 9% and 6% funding increase in 2024 and 2025 for operating costs of the Supreme Court, District Courts, and Court of Appeals
- Increased funding for public defenders and civil legal services
- Investments in treatment services, educational programs, and family supports for the Department of Corrections
- The creation of The Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls (HF55)
- A reward fund for The Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (SF36)
- Crime Victims Services Grants (SF 1475)
- Increasing penalties for the sale and possession of fentanyl (SF2659)
In total, the bill provides $880 million in new funding on top of the current base budget of approximately $2.676 billion. The bill now moves to the Senate Finance Committee.
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