On Monday, January 10th, Senator Ember Reichgott Junge announced her effort to create the Minnesota Office for the Prevention of Violence Against Women. This update refers to the resulting compromise bill that soon goes to the Senate floor with the Committees' recommendation to Pass
Department of Crime Prevention compromise bill
(SF2980) & (HF3331)
The bill (SF2980) Senator Junge has introduced is actually for the creation of a
Department of Crime Prevention within the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Senator Junge
was initially pushing for a specific state Office for Prevention of Violence Against Women
(OPVAW) but a compromise between Senator Junge, DPS, and women's advocates resulted in the
current bill which passed unanimously through the Senate Crime Prevention Committee. The
compromise was struck because of the high likelihood that if the OPVAW passed through both
houses, Governor Ventura would veto it because, in this bonding session, no new
appropriations would be made to support the office.
What does all this mean in light of MN NOW's
positions opposing Reorganization Order #182 and endorsing the OPVAW? This
compromise legislation answers some of MN NOW's concerns regarding each of these
issues. Specifically, this legislation:
>reinstates the grassroots women's role in state victim services by providing
specialized staff and resources within DPS to address violence against women;
>it establishes an interagency task force on domestic violence and sexual
assault prevention which provides an initial first step in better coordination among state
agencies; and
>it reinstates power to the advisory councils that had been greatly reduced
under the initial reorganization.
Mr. Weaver, Dept. of Public Safety Commissioner, has been very gracious
and extended his support and willingness to work for the success of this new endeavor.
Many thanks also to Senator Junge. Apparently, legislators have been amazed at how
visible this issue is. Every legislator the Coalition members have spoken to has
heard from their constituents about just how important this issue is to the women in this
state, whether the direct victims of domestic and sexual violence or the allies, sisters,
brothers, fathers, mothers, etc.
And we still must keep our voices out there because now the bill is going to be spending
some time on the House side.
PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT
On the House side, there are lots of authors
of bill HF3331. The authors in the House are: Howes (R-Hackensack), Hasskamp
(D-Crosby); Wenzel (D-Little Falls), Stang (R- Cold Spring), Otremba (D-Long Prairie),
Opatz (D- St. Cloud), Daggett (R- Frazee), Murphy (D- Hermantown). This is proof of the
interest in this bill. They want to publicly support it. The point is that legislators are
aware and interested in this bill. However, it is not going to be easy in the house. There
are lots of potential obstacles and so for that reason, there is an action component to
this message.
HF3331 will go to the House Crime Prevention Committee next Thursday, March 2nd at
10 am. From there it will go to the House Government Operations Committee. All bills have
to be through committee by the 10th in the House. Committee members are listed at the end
of this update.
1. If any of you are constituents of the HF 3331 authors, email/phone - thank them and
stress the need for the bill.
2. If any of you are constituents of members of either House committee hearing the bill,
email/phone them; stress the need for & ask them to support this bill.
3. Contact your State Representatives. Ask them to support the bill. It will bring
some needed respite from fighting state government, it puts battered women, gay battered
men, sexual assault survivors on the radar screen in a way that has great potential.
4. Also call/email/write to your state Senator and ask your
senator to support crime prevention bill (SF2980) when it comes to the floor because it
promotes focused attention and resources on issues of domestic and sexual violence.
The email address for legislators is:
rep.firstname.lastname@house.leg.state.mn.us. (example
Rep.Rich.Stanek@house.leg.state.mn.us)
House Crime Prevention Committee Information:
Meets: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m. in Basement Hearing Room of the State
Office Building
Members: 17
Chair: Rep. Rich Stanek (R)
Vice Chair: Rep. Bruce Anderson (R)
Bishop - (R)
Broecker - (R)
Fuller - (R)
Goodno - (R)
Haake - (R)
Larsen - (R)
Mahoney - (DFL)
McGuire - (DFL)
Mullery - (DFL)
Murphy - (DFL)
Paymar - (DFL)
Skoglund - (DFL)
Smith - (R)
Wenzel - (DFL)
Westerberg - (R)
Committee Staff
Committee Administrator: Amy Roberts (651) 296-5533
Committee Legislative Assistant: Laurie Middleton (651) 296-4119
Government Operations Committee Information:
Meets: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 8:00 a.m. in the Basement Hearing Room of
the State Office Building
Members: 23
Chair: Rep. Jim Rhodes (R)
Vice Chair: Rep. Jim Rostberg (R)
Anderson, B. - (R)
Carlson - (DFL)
Dehler - (R)
Erickson - (R)
Folliard - (DFL)
Gerlach - (R)
Gleason - (DFL)
Greiling - (DFL)
Hilty - (DFL)
Kahn - (DFL)
Kielkucki - (R)
Krinkie - (R)
Lencszewski - (DFL)
Mares - (R)
Mullery - (DFL)
Osskopp - (R)
Paymar - (DFL)
Rest - (DFL)
Reuter - (I)
Seifert, M. - (R)
Westfall - (R)
Committee Staff
Committee Administrator: Judd Schetnan (651) 296-4112
Committee Legislative Assistant: Jeff Davidman (651) 296-9194
Minnesota NOW thanks:
MN Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) - 420 N 5th St.,
#690 - Minneapolis, MN 55401 [612.313.2797; FAX 612.313.2799] and MN Coalition For
Battered Women (MCBW) - 1821 University Ave. W, #S112 - St. Paul, MN 55104
[651.646.6177; FAX 651.646.1527 or MCBW web site]
© 2000 Minnesota NOW