Woodard: Bills Headed to Governor in Home Stretch of Session

Dear Neighbor,

We are in the home stretch of the 2012 session and a couple of bills I authored recently passed the House of Representatives.

One bill (H.F. 2089) ensures citizens in need of public defense receive representation during a misdemeanor appeal or post-conviction proceeding. It passed the House with broad bi-partisan support. The bill requires the court system to access funds previously available for sex offender classification appeals in order to provide for a public defense in misdemeanor appeals. Existing state law only provides for a public defense in felony cases, but a recent Supreme Court ruling requires us to provide public defense in misdemeanor cases as well. By using the approach outlined in this bill, no additional taxpayer dollars are needed to comply with the ruling.

A coalition of county attorneys and public defenders from throughout the state brought this issue to my attention and  the governor signed this bill in to law today.

The second bill (H.F. 1607) forms a task force to examine security practices at the Capitol complex. We must do better in coordinating the efforts of the various entities who are responsible for the security of the Capitol and its visitors. My bill requires the task force to use existing resources to create a strategic plan that makes it a priority to keep our Capitol safe, open, and accessible for all Minnesotans. This bill has now passed the Senate and is on its way to the governor's desk.

All indications are that we will be wrapping up this session within the week. I look forward to hearing from you on the issues we will be debating in the final days of the session.

Warm regards,
Kelby

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter