Minnesota Legislature Passes Bipartisan Policing Reform

Jul 21, 2020 by AFP

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Following House and Senate passage late last night of HF1, a bill that includes policing reforms, Americans for Prosperity-Minnesota (AFP-MN) State Director Jason Flohrs released the following statement:

“Last night’s agreement is an important step toward increased accountability and transparency in policing practices, which will help restore trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. After nearly two months since George Floyd tragically died as a result of the actions of a Minneapolis police officer, Minnesotans were looking for leadership. Thank you to the House and Senate members who voted “yes” on this critical legislation.

“Although this is an important initial effort, we encourage the legislature to commit to ongoing criminal justice reforms beyond policing to ensure our institutions respect equal justice for every Minnesotan. The legislature also should continue work on removing structural barriers to good policing such as civil asset forfeiture, qualified immunity, and an overemphasis on ticketing or arrest numbers, and continue to examine the role that police unions and collective bargaining agreements have in creating barriers to holding bad actors accountable.”

In a letter sent to lawmakers, AFP-MN urged legislators to support the bill.

Read The Key Vote Alert Here

Background:

At the outset of Minnesota’s special session, Americans for Prosperity-Minnesota (AFP-MN) in June, AFP-MN released a letter to lawmakers calling for a fiscally responsible economic recovery, criminal justice reforms, and urging the legislature to reassert its constitutional authority and end the state of emergency.

Throughout the summer, AFP-MN has hosted educational webinars and radio conversations about important policing and criminal justice reforms, and launched a statewide online effort to encourage constituents to contact their lawmakers on these issues.

Following passage of this bill, AFP-MN will continue to work to reduce and eliminate over-criminalization, focusing law enforcement resources on preventing and solving serious crime and not generating unnecessary criminal records for individuals dealing with homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse.