Legislature Reconvenes, Legislation Stalls

The MN Legislature picked up where it left off after the Easter/Passover break with committees now facing an April 17 deadline to act on bills carrying appropriations while there are rising concerns about no bipartisan support to pass meaningful legislation.

In the observer reports below, there are some examples where legislators agree, but major issues such as addressing gun violence remain at a standstill. Despite the legislative environment, we can find common ground encouraging legislators to invest in civic education and engage students in our democracy.

Moreover, Earth Day is fast approaching on Wednesday, April 22. On that day at the MN Capitol, there will be a rally for clean water at 10 am and a community hearing on data centers at 1 pm. Please check out the news stories below for updates on these and other important issues!

Observer Reports on Water Usage, Elections Admin, & Judicary

LWVMN Observer and Lobby Corps Member Jody Anderson
There were two bills that were passed without opposition and with NO amendments. They are as follows:
- HF3589 (Gordon) Voter permitted to briefly leave a polling place to address an unexpected need, is at the discretion of the head judge. This passed and put on the general register.
- HF 3587 (Gordon) Election Judge who assists a voter outside of polling place required to handle only one ballot at a time. This passed and put on the general register.
LWVMN Position: Support improvements in election laws regulating election procedures, voting and school district elections.
LWVMN Observer and Lobby Corps Member Carol Seiler
The Committee reviewed several bills relating to Department of Corrections Omnibus Bill, racing facilities, Office of Cannabis Management, off-road vehicle trails, survivor benefits when a public safety officer dies in the line of duty, requiring a person to be present when a commercial motor vehicle is operated by an automated driving system, licensing boards reporting requirement, and arbitration agreements.
SF4293: Statutes governing Department of Corrections (DOC) clarifying levels of substance abuse care provided by testimony of Paul Schnell, DOC Commissioner of Corrections. The bill includes technical updates to existing requirements. Senator Michael Holstrom (R-Buffalo) questioned the paragraph limiting DOC's ability to require treatment. Mr. Schnell responded that they cannot require treatment now. Senator Westlin requests it be approved and be sent to the floor. The motion was approved.
SF4433: Racing facilities with immunity from nuisance claims provision. Neighboring homes complain about noise. Tom Deary representing the trade Organization for Motorsports Training testified that these racing tracks provide jobs and raise money for local businesses in the area. He is extremely supportive of this bill. A similar bill passed in North Carolina and Iowa last year and several other states are looking at something similar. Bill Carlson, Minnesota Association for Justice is concerned with the bill. Changes to businesses and property owner that have been in place since the 1800s and codified in 1905 are being challenged. The existing law has worked and is no need to be changed. Senator Kruen (R Blaine) has a gun club in his district. Senator Latz (D St. Louis Park) had a similar situation in his district with a redimix concrete company. It was resolved when the company relocated. Senator Clark (D Minneapolis) expressed concern about the bill.
SF4402: Senator Dibble (D Minneapolis) discussed data reported to the Office of Cannabis Management. Prospects provide private data. Sensitive information remains non--public. He and Senator Clark recommend it be passed and sent back to Commerce. Motion passed.
SF4843: Senator Seeberger said they can't take formal action but can discuss the bill. Modifications to off-road trails or agritourism immunity. There are concerns about insurance. Tony Kwilas, Amateur Motorcycle Riders Association, testified. Senator Latz questioned the inclusion of existing uses. Senator Seeberger suggested codifying the process and remove the current ambiguity. Senator Latz said they would act on it on Friday. Joel Carlson, Minnesota for Justice, wanted to clarify immunity from negligence. Would there be protection when it doesn't occur during to negligence? Seeberger replied that it would be still be subject to current labor laws. Senator Latz said the bill is laid over.
SF4667: Senator Seeberger said the bill expands survivor benefits eligibility to include a public safety officer who dies in the line of duty due to an exposure-related cancer disease. These types of cancer deaths are prevalent for firefighters. Scott Vadnais, Minnesota Professional Firefighter Association, cited studies and cases for firefighter deaths related to cancer from carcinogens. This bill would honor and help firefighters and their families. Senator Oumou Verbeten (D St. Paul) asked if there would be a cost for the cities that these firefighters worked in. Senator Latz replied that this does not involve the worker's fund. A separate fund would be established.
SF4014: Senator McEwen (D Duluth) said that this bill requires a natural person be present when a commercial motor vehicle by an automated driving system is used. Senator Latz asks to clarify financial penalties but his microphone wasn't on and the question was mostly inaudible. Senator McEwen said to delete lines 2.18 and 2.19. The bill was laid over.
SF3969: Senator Maye Quade said the bill establishes a requirement for licensing boards reporting provisions and that grooming be a criminal offense provision established. Grooming is when a person in power sexually abused another person (an example is teacher grooming a student). This bill is based on an experience of a student in Maye Quade's district. Hannah was a young student who was groomed by her band instructor. She was there in person to give a victim testimony. Her story hadn't been told until a police officer was investigating another case involving the same teacher. Chad Clausen, Eagan police officer also testified. He said victims are vulnerable due to gaps in the laws and system. Grooming leads to the child becoming close to the perpetrator. There are opportunities to stop the behavior, but they don't always occur. Grooming is abuse. Senator Limmer (R Maple Grove) cited an amendment that hasn't been discussed. Amendment A8 defines grooming. Senator Limmer questioned why there was an age factor included in the amendment. Ken Backus, Senate Counsel, explained Solicitation of a Child for Sexual Conduct (609.532). Senator McEwen asked Officer Clausen how this would be investigated? Officer Clausen responded with examples and said that this is about balance of power. The amendment and moved to Education Finance.
SF4289: Senator Seeberger said she was trying to purchase a dog bed, but a requirement of the sale was her signature of an arbitration agreement which stated that she would forgo arbitration if she was unsatisfied with the the product. Senator Holstrom asked if she had the option to walk away from the sale. She responded yes and did just that. He suggested that the agreement should be a separate document. Senator Westlin (D Plymouth, Maple Grove, New Hope) said she would support this bill. Senator Kruen asked if there aren't federal arbitration preemption laws? Senator Seeberger replied that the bill doesn't prohibit arbitration; it serves to unhook it from the purchase agreement. Senator Kruen expressed concern about the bill. No decision was made.
LWVMN Observer and Lobby Corps Member Julie Wiese
SF 3852 : A bill for an act relating to environment; requiring certain users of large amounts of groundwater to apply for their own water-use permit instead of modifying an existing municipal permit. Senator Ann Johnson Stewart is the bill author.
Sen. Johnson Stewart sees a problem coming down the line with more and more data centers and other commercial users of large amounts of water, looking for groundwater, as with data centers to cool their computers, and bottling factories drilling for consumable water. The senator referenced Farmington, where there was a proposal of a data center moving into the town and requiring 900,000,000 gallons of water a year. The company wanted to be a part of the city’s water permit and avoid the cost of paying for the water itself.
This bill defines a large water user as a company that uses 100,000,000 a year. To put this into perspective, a small town such as Excelsior, population of 2500, uses around 100,000,000 gallons a year just for domestic drinking water.
This bill has three aspects:
1. It would require all data centers and other large volume water users of groundwater to apply for their own water permit rather than using a municipality’s water permit.
2. The bill requires a public comment period of thirty days for the citizens to weigh in on a large volume water user moving into their town.
3. It would require monthly reports from the large water users to report on the amount of water used and a pump test gauging amounts of magnesium and other unwanted elements.
Testimony included eight who testified in favor of the bill and one who testified in opposition. Notable testifiers in favor of the bill were the following:
- Janette Kuznia, a Private Well Owner. Elko-New Market municipality became the site of a water bottling company, needing 160,000,000 gallons of water yearly, doubling the town’s water usage. Well water users reported black and brown water coming from their wells, clogged filters, damaged appliances, running out of water completely. Quality of water decreased, with amounts of manganese and arsenic present, and there was a significant impact on the area aquifer.
- Mo Feshami, Resident of Farmington. The municipality of Farmington signed a contract allowing a data center to be a part of the city’s water permit and using 2.93 millions of water A DAY, much more water than the city uses on any day. During water shortage days in Farmington, when residents were required to restrict their water shortage, the data center did not have to restrict their water use at all. Minnesota statues prioritize water usage… municipal use first, agriculture second and commercial and industrial usage last.
Opposition Testimony: Andrew Morley, MN Chamber of Commerce. Mr Morley states the bill would require the companies to give notice to every municipality in the same geological service unit and the bordering states. This would but a significant burden on personnel and increase costs.
Discussion: Senator Lang (R-Olivia) asked if the bill contained a provision requiring the DNR to do a pump test for all large volume water users applying permits, and Senator Jonhnson Stewart replied that, as in the original statute, which this bill would amend, the pump testing is to the discretion of the DNR. Senator Lang also asked if the communication process could be streamlined, which Senator Johnson Stewart replied that discussion on that could take place. THE BILL WAS LAID ASIDE
Additional Coverage from MPR News
The League of Women Voters promotes resource conservation, stewardship and long-range planning, with responsibility of managing natural resources by all levels of government.
LWVMN Observer and Lobby Corps Member Carol Seiler
The meeting dealt with quite a number of of bills and was scheduled for eight hours that was done in two sessions. Senator Oumou Verbeten called the session to order.
SF 4531: Senator Wiklund (D Bloomington) presented the appropriation for her bill, mental health grant appropriations. The intent is to support mental health professionals, help those in immediate crisis, expand the number of school professionals to increase mental health resources. Senator Holmstrom (R Buffalo) questioned if this would be available only to public schools, or does it include private and charter schools? Senator Limmer (R Maple Grove) asked what are the jurisdictional limits of this bill? The response was that the bill was referred by the Health and Human services committee. Senator Limmer than asked how it is related to gun violence. Senator Seeberger (D Afton) stated it was an important bill and thanked Sen. Wiklund for bringing it to this committee. She also confirmed that charter schools are public schools. She discussed her son's need for these services because of his autism. Senator Kruen (R Blaine) said it was unfortunate we have to start with a partisan discussion. A great deal more discussion took place about nonpublic schools being included and Sen. Limmer questioned if it should be in this committee. Senator Pappas (D St. Paul) made a motion to pass the bill to Finance. It was approved and will be done.
SF 4627: Senator Clark (D Minneapolis) stated that his bill is intended to increase appropriations for the independent use of force investigations unit to fund two additional agents. Independent and fair investigations are needed. Sen. Limmer questioned the "use of force" language. Sen. Clark referred the question to Senate Counsel who confirmed that the unit is called Investigative Use of Force. They discussed the A1 Amendment to the Bill. Senator Lang (R Olivia) made a motion to refer the appropriation to the Clemency Review Commission. The motion passed.
SF 281: Enhanced criminal penalty provision for violation of coercion crime that approximates causes great harm or death. Amendment A1 was approved and the motion prevails. A1 replaces approximates cause separates bodily harm and death in separate clauses, removes the awareness program. Sen. Pappas asked if this included any additional prison beds. Chris Turner, Senate Fiscal Analysis, responded that there were no changes to the number of beds; the discussion continued around the difficulty in tracking down perpetrators overseas. Sen. Pappas recommended to pass and be sent to the Senate floor. The motion prevails.
SF 4616: Sen. Pappas described the A3 Amendment to this bill. She said to delete sections 7 and 8 and keep the request in the original bill for $375,000 in one-time money. Carli Stark from the Clemency Review Commission (CRC) said that the CRC cannot keep up with the demand. The one-time funding would clear up the backlog which would take 8-9 years to clear without the funding. Victims would be able to provide confidential statements. The CRC cannot now verify that someone had been pardoned which hurts the former inmate when applying for employment. It would allow a three person panel to review applications to determine if the case warranted a hearing. This panel could recommend a pardon under very limited circumstances. The intention of the bill is to improve efficiency in the process. Sen. Pappas said she had talked to state and local officials, and they support the bill. Sen. Clark said that pre-screening would be helpful. Sen. Holmstrom said that it must be good to be a criminal. He doesn't see why it would be needed. A rather emotional exchange took place between Senators Pappas and Holmstrom. Sen. Holmstromm recommended changes to the amendment. A motion was made to approve the amendment, but it did not pass. Sen. Kruen said that leniency is present in every part of our system. The Pendulum has swung too far in leniency. He said he can't support this bill. The discussion continued on with no progress or willingness to see the other person's point of view. Senator Latz (D St. Louis Park) said the bill would be laid over.
SF 4543: Requiring the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) do background checks at the request of the Office of the Legislative Auditor. Senator Koran (R North Branch) called on Ms. Randall from the Office of the Legislative Auditor who stated that the federal government requires any person who accesses federal tax information goes through a background check and work closely with the Department of Revenue who supports the bill. Sen. Limmer moves to pass SF 4543 and the motion prevails.
SF 4643: Public awareness campaign for a state program fraud tip line. This would be a one-time appropriation; no amount of dollars have been identified yet and asks Fiscal Analyst Turner if that has changed. He responded "not yet." Sen. Holmstrom expressed concern about gaps with whistleblower protections. Sen. Pappas said SF 4643 is laid over.
SF 1163: Senator Marty (D Roseville) explained that the bill would establish an office of animal protection and provides it's duties. Senate Counsel Bakus went through changes that should be noted in the amendment. Sen. Limmer asked why we need this. Isn't it handled by local departments and questions the estimated cost of $350,000. The amendment prevails. Sen. Clark recommends to pass the bill and refer it to the State and Local Committee.
SF 4511: Prohibits certain wagers and other activities regarding prediction markets. This addresses unregulated betting. Other gambling is regulated. Prediction betting is taking bets on things like number of strikes in a war. Sen. Holmstrom would like to see higher penalties for legislative representatives. Bill attempts to shutdown illegal gambling. Sen. Kruen can see other agencies getting involved. Congress needs to set federal statutes. Mr. Bakus says to delete a few lines. Sen. Westrom (R Alexandria) is concerned about commodity trading which is important to farmers. Sen. Clark recommends passage and referral to State and Local Government. The motion prevails.
SF 3173: Prohibits private equity company ownership of single family homes for purposes of rental and being absentee landlords. Senator Boldon (D Rochester) explained that the goal is to make affordable homes for people. They are considering the A9 amendment. Sen. Latz asked what private equity means. Sen. Boldon replied. Any existing companies are allowed to keep their properties. This is forward thinking. Latz asked if they had any discussions with stakeholders. Sen. Boldon replied that they had as well as with Republican legislators. Sen. Limmer questioned what the definition of US Code in line 2.8 is? Senate Counsel Priyanda Premo responded. Sen. Holmstrom said that there is other similar legislation. Did you consider that legislation? What is the path? It has already been through Housing, and would go to Finance. Sen. Westrom (R Alexandria) asked how it will impact a constituent who owns rental property on the UofM campus. Sen. Boldon said it would not affect them unless he/she owns more than 100 properties. Sen. Clark makes a motion to approve the A9 amendment and refer it to the Finance Committee. Motion prevails.
SF 4284: Sen. Seeberger: This bill is related to identity modification for purposes of identity theft crime. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said that this bill will give them added subpoena authority to move fraud cases more quickly. There is a growing trend to use AI for identity fraud with a person who never existed. It also increases the statute of limitations for certain crimes for those that take several years to investigate from three to seven years. Sen. Holmstrom asked if any of the provisions address the types of fraud like cramming fraud. Evans replied yes for investigations. There is also another team that takes over. SF 4284 was laid over.
SF 4206: Fraud prevention in licenses, passes, permits that are issued by commissioner provisions. Sen. Seeberger said that this bill protects those items from AI counterfeit registrations, permits, licenses which is not currently illegal. The hearing stopped because some of the Legislators were given the wrong bill. When all had the correct bill, Sen. Latz handed the gavel over to Sen. Limmer. Lt. Colonel Robert Gorecki, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Enforcement said that they support this bill. We see more fraudulent permits, etc. using AI. It is a way to avoid paying a fee for the permit or license which eliminates income from the State fund. It also serves to allow use of vehicles that are not legal. Snowmobilers Association and Off Road Vehicles Association also support this bill. Sen. Holmstrom asked how people are replicating the proprietary paper these documents are printed on. It is sometimes difficult for the people checking to determine if it is the correct paper when it is on the side of a boat for example. The bill also states that false statements would result in a misdemeanor. Sen. Kruen said he was surprised this isn't already a law and asked why existing legislation isn't sufficient. Gorecki responded. Sen. Oumou Verbeten asked if there are penalties for AI companies being used to create the counterfeit documents. There are not. Sen. Limmer asked if page 1, lines 12, 15, and 17 are in error that some say "notably and intent" and some do not. Counsel Bakus replied that this is a policy debate. This bill was laid over.
SF 4843: Off-road agritourism immunity modification. Sen. Seeberger presented A1 amendment and asked that it be approved as an author amendment. A1 is an agreement between stakeholders and makes language more understandable. Sen. Clark said it makes it clearer for insurance companies. Sen. Seeberger talked about liability and not immunity. The amendment passes and is laid over.
SF 4301: Senator Bonnie Westlin (D Plymouth) said it provides domestic abuse definition, provisions, and modifications that improve response to domestic violence crimes by establishing a domestic crimes task force and appropriation. A4 DE amendment is an author amendment and changes being made are: Section 4 extends the timeframe for law enforcement to make non-felony arrests from 72 hours to 28 days. Should there be probable cause and no arrest, then the department should seek a warrant from a judge. Section 6 amends language saying an individual in violation of an Orders for Protection (OFP), an officer should issue a citation if the person is not considered a safety risk. Section 7 requires judicial involvement for bail and release and outlines actions for violation of an OFP or Domestic Abuse No Contact Order (DANCO). The section relating to Task Force has been removed. Jana Williams Testified. Her niece was murdered by the man she loved. Allison was failed by the system. The bill's change in the 72 hours to 28 days could have saved her life. The abuser came to her home and left and she had only 72 hours to report. He came back but officers let him go because it was 32 minutes after the 72 hours. The next day she was dead. This bill is intended to correct problems in the current law. Jess Paylan, Violence Free Minnesota, was available to answer questions. Sen. Pappas asked why hasn't the 72 hour rule been changed before now. Mr. Paylan said he has no idea why it is still in place. Sen. Oumou Verbeten said they will continue to work on this issue. Sen Latz questioned the appropriateness of holding everyone who is accused of protective orders; not every county will have judges on practice on the weekend and, it might be better to leave it to the discretion of law enforcement. A motion was made to pass this out of committee. Sen. Holstrum was concerned about staff meeting recording requirement, Any discussion of the cost of generating these reports? Senate Analyst Turner said that is no fiscal analysis of BCA cost. Sen. Holstrum cited page 6, section 7, line 6.19 directing a judge to make findings on record of application of pending petition for protective order. A motion was made to accept as amended and proceeds to the Senate floor.
SF 4294: Uniform procedures established for imposition, implementation, and oversignt of firearms restrictions resulting from certain criminal convictions and judicial order. Senator Westlin cited statistics that in 2023 26 women were killed by their partners and 15 of those were with firearms. Sen. Westlin said that domestic abuse is under-reported. This bill is trying to make it safer for the victim to report and went on to thoroughly explain the bill. She said the law will save lives. The intention is to pass this to the Senate floor and include in the Omnibus bill. Mr. Paylan provided statistics of domestic violence related deaths. There is no process to remove guns from homes where there are safety concerns. Sen. Westlin added that this bill is nonpartisan. Jana Williams testified about another woman who had been killed by a partner. The bill was moved to the Senate floor.
SF 3650: Prohibit television advertising on prescription drugs covered under state programs. Senator Draheim (R LeSeur City) is the author of this bill. Emily McGann, representing the pharmacy industry, said that the bill prohibits Constitutional commercial speech and believes the bill is unconstitutional. Sen. Kruen sees it as a constitutional issue. Sen. Westlin supports the bill. Sen. Clark recommends passing the bill and referring it to the Commerce Committee. The motion prevails.
SF 2233: Senator Heather Gustafson (D Dakota County) said that the bill supports the establishment and appropriation of a task force for the yellow alert system (which signals a moderate level of risk or danger). Alexi Stephani was a hit and run victim . Another driver crashed into her at 65 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. Her vehicle hit concrete and ultimately came to rest on a home. Sen. Gustafson acknowledged Sen. Kruen as the bill's co-author. Senate Counsel Mr. Bakus reviewed the correction of dates and changes to pages in the bill. Sen. Kruen moves to pass the bill and refer it to State and Local Government. The motion prevails.
SF 4735: Applies to age deception cases and criminal sentencing modifications. Sen. Gustafson said there is a serious public safety concern about adults misrepresenting their age to minors; adults who pretend to be a minor for criminal activity. Sen. Kruen asked for an example and was given one. The bill passed and was referred to the Senate floor.
SF 4760: This is Senator Latz's bill and passed the gavel to Sen. Pappas. This bill addresses criminal conviction employment or occupation provisions modifications (Omnibus Judiciary and Public Safety provisions). Everything has already been heard on this bill, but there are amendments. A1 DE is a technical amendment. A2 is suggested to move to A1 and the motion prevails. A3 is part of reforms from last year and involves temporary revocation of DWI incidents. The change is from 7 to 14 days. The A1 DE adoption motion prevails. Megan Gallagher, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and Kelly Haff, Legislative Director for the Department of Corrections (DOC) were supporters. SF 4370: Article 5 involves the current standardizing license for adults should include and apply to juveniles. Article 6 updates statute substance instructions at the DOC. Article 8 makes edits to criminal offender applicants passed in law in 1974. Public employers cannot discriminate on former inmates under certain conditions. Sen. Kruen said to give the discretion back to the agency. Sen Limmer cited page 55 line 25 and asked that an explanation be given on the word repealer. Ms. Haff, legislative director for the DOC, responded. Sen. Kruen also questioned page 63 regarding cost. Fiscal analyst Mr. Turner said that there is no cost. Sen. Latz moved to pass and be referred to the Senate floor. The motion prevails. SF 4691: Sen. Oumou Verbeten discussed this bill. It involves Direct Care and Treatment (DCT), a Minnesota agency, data requirements modification. This refers to treatment of mental illness and other diseases that other facilities wo'n't treat. People are civilly committed. DCT faces serious problems because of high volume needs. This will give limited authority to share data with other agencies. The legal counsel for DCT is available to answer questions. Sen. Holmstrom moved to strike parts of the amendment. A motion was made to approve the amendment. Motion prevails and was laid over.
SF 4703: Involves extreme risk protection orders, application, securement and enforcement processes provisions modifications. Sen. Latz said this is a DE author's amendment. A4, provision 1, strikes the definition of family or house members and expands category of family and household members, mental health professionals, law enforcement. Sen. Latz reviewed the changes to the pages. The rewriting was done to clarify who is responsible. One significant change is to make all rulings public for transparency. Sen. Holstrum offered an amendment to allow a person to give a firearm to a third party for safe keeping. Sen. Latz asked if any discussion with a stakeholder had taken place. The response was no. Sen. Holstrum moves to accept amendment 1 and passes on two amendments to this bill. Sen. Latz challenges this based on stakeholders not being given an opportunity to respond. Sen. Holstrum asked how long can current protection be. Sen. Latz was challenged repeatedly and the discussion continued for a lengthy time. No final decision.
SF 4474: Regards online sweepstakes prohibition provision. A1 amendment. Senator Torrey Westrom (R Alexandria) is pushing this bill. He recommends it pass and be referred to State and Local Government. The motion prevails.
SF 4379: Prohibits municipalities from entering into Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). Senator Maye Quade (D Apple Valley) discussed the A6 amendment which adds indemnification and outlines when an NDA cannot be used. There is no enforcement provision. A motion was made to pass the amendment. The motion prevails and is being sent to the Senate floor.
SF 4602: Senator Julia Coleman (R Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria) presented the bill. Notification to a petitioner requirement upon service of a harassment restraining order. The intent is to lay this over. Dominique testified about emails she had received from a stalker and how it impacted her life. The amendment passed and is moved to the Senate floor.

Observer Reports on Gun Violence Prevention Bills

LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Jane Martin
HF4362 (Coulter) - Visitor carrying of firearms on campuses of public postsecondary institutions regulated.
- Two people from higher ed testtified for and claimed the bill would increase safety.
- Two people from pro gun community testified against and stated that it would not help prevent gun violence as "bad guys don't follow laws". -
Questions from Rep. Novotny about cost and text of bill and his lack of support for it. Statements from Rep. Klevorn about the huge public expense incurred when gun violence events occur and disagreed with "gun free zones don't work". Stated that with rights come responsibility and that this bill would increase safety.
Committee co-chair, Rep. Wolgamott, said he would be voting yes and that the current law already regulates firearms for faculty and staff and that so visitors should be regulated also. Coulter closed by also disagreeing with "gun free zones don't work" and that the opposite is true. More guns make us less safe. The vote was 7 - 7 and therefore did not pass.
More Coverage from MN House News
LWVUS supports violence prevention programs in all communities and action to support:
- Public and private development and coordination of programs that emphasize the primary prevention of violence
- The active role of government and social institutions in preventing violent behavior
- The allocation of public monies
LWVMN: Support violence prevention programs in our community. (1994)
Testimony in Support Submitted by LWVMN
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Terry Campbell
HF 3407 (Pinto) - Sale and possession of ghost guns prohibited, 3D printing of guns limited to federally licensed firearms manufacturers, distribution of 3D printer firearm design files prohibited, firearm serial numbers required, public notice required, and limits on assembling firearms without license provided.
Representative Pinto introduced the bill, noting it merely reinstates a Minnesota law that existed prior to August of 2025 requiring all firearms to have serial numbers (Minnesota already bans removing or altering a firearm's serial number). The reinstatement has been necessitated by a loophole created this past August, when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Minnesota’s statute only requires firearms to have serial numbers if the guns were required to be serialized under federal law, and because federal regulations have been constatnly changing, Minnesota’s law currently does not outright prohibit all ghost guns. See: "Closing the Ghost Gun Loophole," Minnesota Attorney General's Office,
Testifying in Support: Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General; Brian O'Hara, Minneapolis Chief of Police; Marianna Mitchum, Senior Industry Advisor for Everytown for Gun Safety, former ATF Associate Assistant Director of Field Operations.
- Supporters described this law as "absolulety necessary" (Ellison). Noting that Ghost Guns are created by individuals rather than gun manufacturers, often using 3-D printers, and do not have serial numbers. This makes it very difficult for law enforcement to track weapons found at crime scenes and limits their ability to solve those crimes. It also makes it easy for those disqualified from gun ownership ( i.e. felons and youth) to obtain, buy, trade, and sell these weapons. Further, Ghost Guns and their use in criminal activity have greatly increased in recent years, evidenced by the large increase in weapons found at crime scenes.
Testifying in Opposition: Anna Leamy, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, MN Gun Owners Caucus; Brian Gosch, Attorney for the National Rifle Association
- Opposers noted that, if made law, this bill would unconstitutionally criminalize the distribution of digital files that are used for the manufacture of Ghost Guns. Further, it would interfere with the centuries long tradition of an individual's right and abiltity to make and use their own weapons.
Member's Comments in Opposition: Representatives Duran, Novotny, and others argued that the law would punish law abiding citizens, would not prevent use and ownership by criminals, and greater effort should be made to fight gang activity instead.
Members Comments in Support: Representatives Curran, Hollins, and others described reinstatement of the bill as an important step forward, saying due to the lethality of guns, ownership carries a heavy responsibility. They argued it is absolutely the responsibility of legislatures to enact laws to protect public safety, and the need for protecting citizens trumps any inconvenience it might cause for existing owners to get their Ghost Guns serialized. Further, other safety laws, such as seat belt requirements, are not disputed. In the current atmoshphere of public desire for change following recent high profile tragic shootings, this a bare minimum action to take.
On a 10/10 roll call vote along strict party lines: MOTION DID NOT PREVAIL
More Coverage from MN House News
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Angie Lillehei
HF 3753 (Rep. Bakeberg) School Safety threat assessment pilot project. $4 million requested to pilot at 8 diverse MN schools. To be administered by Dept of Public Safety. The pilot is specific to Guardian School Security Systems, which is a tool for advanced threat assessment and rapid response for guns outside of schools.
Pro - keeps kids safer in the school. Used in the military for threat assessment.
Cons - could ID someone walking by school with permit to carry, no evidenced based data on improved safety, issues with lack of accuracy, bias based on disability and color, not heard in Education committee, DOES NOT ADDRESS GUN problem in US and MN.
Laid over for funding. No vote.
More Coverage from MN House News
LWVMN supports: Laws intended to reduce deaths and injuries by firearms and funding programs and strategies that will reduce homicides, suicides or unintentional firearm deaths or injuries.
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Angie Lillehei
HF 4299 (Rep Stier) - Additional School Safety Specialists. One million requested. This is for additional staffing for the School Safety Center.
PRO - Identify best practices for school safety and train individual school safety staff. Decrease harms from all hazards.
CON - One time request for staffing does not address ongoing costs. Also requested money from Governor's budget.
Laid over for appropriations. No vote.
LWVMN supports laws intended to reduce deaths and injuries by firearms and funding programs and strategies that will reduce homicides, suicides or unintentional firearm deaths or injuries.