Minnesota legislators reach public safety deal at Capitol

Minnesota legislators reached a deal Saturday on the most contentious piece of budget negotiations — a public safety and police accountability package — as they face a fast-approaching Wednesday deadline to finish the next state budget and avoid a government shutdown.

State leaders continued to move forward this weekend with various spending bills on their list of to-dos, including considering the big-ticket education and health and human services measures that make up the majority of state spending. And late Saturday, they posted a spreadsheet outlining their public safety spending agreement, although legislative staff noted they were still resolving some small outstanding issues on the bill.

There will be language in the bill regulating the use of no-knock warrants, a key DFL priority, said a source familiar with the agreement. The full bill language was not posted Saturday night, but a document outlining the dollars in the deal shows legislators did not include money for another Democratic push: prohibiting police from making traffic stops for certain infractions.

In the days leading up to the public safety deal, leaders from both sides of the aisle had been resolute that they could reach a compromise on the bill, which includes funding for state law enforcement agencies and prisons. The agreement also included $2 million for violent crime enforcement teams, a Republican-backed provision.

Read more: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-legislators-reach-public-safety-deal-at-capitol/600072424/