The Minnesota Senate passed the compromise Public Safety and Judiciary bill early Wednesday morning. The bipartisan bill included funding for the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Human Rights, and the judicial branch, as well as criminal justice and police accountability reforms. The bill also included legislation, chief authored by Senator Karla Bigham (DFL-Cottage Grove) that would make doxing a member of law enforcement a misdemeanor.
“I am a strong supporter of Minnesotans’ right to peacefully protest and exercise their first amendment rights, but the families of law enforcement personnel deserve a right to privacy and to be free of harassment at their own home,” said Senator Bigham. “This is a positive step forward that helps ensure the safety of our communities, and I am happy to see it included in this bill.”
The legislation makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly and without consent share the home address of a peace officer, and a gross misdemeanor if the subsequent doxing results in bodily harm to a peace officer, their family, or a member of their household.
The Public Safety and Judiciary Bill now moves to the Governor’s desk.
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