ST. PAUL, Minn. –The Republican-controlled Senate has passed a public safety omnibus bill without police reform measures. The bill passed 43-23. Included is money for the court system, prisons and makes changes to sexual assault laws, including closing the “voluntary intoxication.” Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, addressed the absence of police reform measures: “We will look at additional reforms this session. Right now, he said: “It’s vitally important we keep the budget process moving forward with this bill.” Excluded was a proposal by Senator Omar Fateh, D-Minneapolis, to prohibit police officers from holding membership in white supremacist organizations. Fateh’s proposal, said Gazelka, didn’t pertain directly to the public safety bill. Also excluded were penalties for hate-motivated crimes as well as funding to train police on how to investigate bias crimes. Democrats weren’t pleased. “This bill definitely does not meet the times that we are living in,” Senator Karla Bigham, D-Cottage Grove, said that many communities feel forgotten.
Fateh. A Minneapolis Democrat. Elected 2021.
Bigham. A Cottage Grove Democrat. Elected 2018.