Senator Ron Latz

Long-term strategy to make Minnesota safer

In Governor Walz’s revised budget, the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act was included – an act that would expand the types of rehabilitative programs prison inmates receive and allow inmates to earn early release upon completing certain objectives in those programs. The State Corrections System has been steadily working away from a punishment model toward a rehabilitation model for many years now. In the state House, Representative Jamie Becker-Finn has introduced the bill (HF 2349) that “would take a significant step in that direction.” Senator Ron Latz, DFL Lead on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee authored the companion Senate File 2295 bill and is seeking a hearing on it.

DFL Legislators call for action on MPCA request to address PFAS contamination

On Thursday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced findings that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination had been found in 98 out of 101 closed landfills across the state, and that 59 of these closed landfills in 41 counties have levels that exceed the Minnesota Department of Health’s health-based guidance values for PFAS. PFAS are forever chemicals that have been shown to cause adverse health effects such as changes in development, liver and thyroid function, immune response, increased kidney damage, and certain cancers.

Senate DFL responds to Senate Republican committee hearings on the civil unrest that occurred in Minnesota

Senate Republicans held a joint Transportation and Judiciary and Public Safety Committee hearing to review their one-sided Review of Lawlessness and Government Responses to Minnesota’s 2020 Riots report based on the hearings they held over the summer. Senator Ron Latz (DFL-Saint Louis… Read More »Senate DFL responds to Senate Republican committee hearings on the civil unrest that occurred in Minnesota