Lawmakers close in on public safety, police reform deal; vote possible by Monday

Minnesota lawmakers reached a deal Saturday night on an omnibus public safety spending bill, an agreement that seemed elusive for weeks as House Democrats and Senate Republicans remained at odds over proposed police reform measures.

The public safety and judiciary budget bill — which includes funding for state law enforcement, corrections and court systems — was set to get a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee late Saturday night. A vote could come as soon as Monday.

“Earlier today we began closing the public safety bill after reaching general, bipartisan agreement," Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said in a statement. "Some small issues are still being worked out, but I am confident we will finish the bill and keep Minnesotans safe."

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said the bill includes several measures to "address racial disparities in the criminal justice system" but doesn’t go as far as Democrats would have liked.

"(The bill) doesn’t include some of the important police reform and accountability measures pushed by the House, but it is a step forward in delivering true public safety and justice for all Minnesotans despite divided government," Hortman said in a statement.

Some of those measures include reforms regarding the use of no-knock warrants, civil asset forfeitures, fines and fees, jail safety and criminal sexual conduct. More funding for public defenders and legal aid are included in the bill, along with grants for community violence prevention, survivor support and sex trafficking prevention.

The bill would also create an early warning system for the Minnesota Police Officer Standards and Training Board’s police misconduct database, which Hortman said is intended to "keep bad officers off the streets." It also includes Travis’ Law, a provision that would require 911 operators to reroute mental health calls away from police in some situations.

Lawmakers have until Wednesday to pass the rest of the state budget to avoid a partial government shutdown; so far five of the needed 15 omnibus spending bills have reached Gov. Tim Walz’s desk.

This is a developing story. Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com as we work to bring you the latest updates.