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Friends,
The 2020 Session is right around the corner and yesterday was the pre-filing deadline for bills to be introduced.
A key focus of our caucus and my work this upcoming session will be keeping the public safe, it is, after all, one of the core functions of government. Introducing Matthew’s Law should help to set statewide standards for law enforcement agencies dealing with confidential informants.
I pre-filed four bills aimed to improve public safety in the state of Minnesota. The first, “Matthew’s Law,” will set statewide standards and codify how law enforcement agencies treat confidential informants. This stems from the overdose death of Matthew Klaus of Rochester who was working as a confidential informant for law enforcement in the Rochester area.
The second bill will create a felony for falsely reporting a crime, which triggers an emergency response and substantial bodily harm results. The felony crime already exists for cases of death, however this will now include criminal liability for cases of significant injury. A third will set standards for electronic monitoring of violent criminals. And finally, a fourth bill would allow for background checks to include arrest and investigative information.
I also pre-filed two bills to relieve small business and seniors from excessive property tax increases and eliminate them for some seniors.
We need to make sure small businesses and seniors are not forced from their homes due to increased property values and the subsequent spike in property taxes.
Another bill I pre-filed was to create an emergency infrastructure fund so local governments are not waiting months or even years for the resources to fix roads, bridges, and other infrastructure damaged or destroyed by natural disasters.
It is also important to make sure our local governments have the resources and cash flow to repair roads, bridges, and other infrastructure that are damaged or destroyed by natural disasters.
The bills will be formally introduced and assigned a bill number on the first day of the 2020 Legislative Session, which starts February 11.
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