Legislative Session number- 84

Bill Name: SF2919

1E Relating to public safety; establishing, modifying and regulating public
safety, criminal justice, law enforcement, victim services and corrections
policies, programs, reports, activities and practices; providing for background
checks of employees at the governor residence and appointees of the governor;
authorizing commissioner of corrections to order inmates to be screened for
certain health conditions; defining a peace officer as an emergency medical
services person under certain conditions; prohibiting the sale and possession of
certain drug paraphernalia; requiring participation in diversionary programs for
certain persons convicted of certain controlled substance offenses; creating a
felony penalty for DWI (driving while impaired) following a prior conviction for
criminal vehicular homicide involving impaired driving; prohibiting the
commissioner from suspending drivers license of an individual for failure to
appear in court or failure to pay a fine; modifying certain public safety peer
counseling and debriefing procedures; requiring the commissioner of corrections
to report certain information relating to prison based mental health programs to
the legislature; authorizing the commissioner of corrections to enter into
contracts with a county or group of counties to house inmates in newly
constructed county or regional jail facilities providing inmates with access to
chemical dependency treatment programs licensed by commissioner of human
services; requiring commissioner to provide substance abuse information to
supervising corrections agency for offenders released from prison; requiring
periodic independent reviews of prison based substance abuse assessment
activities; requiring the commissioner to cooperate with community based
corrections agencies for determination of best method to address substance abuse
treatment needs of offenders released from prison; requiring commissioner to
keep adequate records regarding inmate participation in substance abuse
treatment programs; authorizing the medical director of the department of
corrections to make health care decisions for inmates under certain conditions;
clarifying registration requirements for predatory offenders; providing for
continued registration for predatory offenders required to be registered in any
other state; modifying certain prosecuting authority or court comment provisions
relating to controlled substance offenders release; extending the sunset of
conditional release of nonviolent controlled substance offenders provision;
modifying certain sentencing hearings and departures procedures relating to
aggravated sentences; requiring commissioner of public safety to contract with a
nonprofit organization providing legal services to domestic and international
trafficking victims to maintain a toll-free telephone hotline for trafficking
victims; specifying certain hotline requirements; authorizing organizations
providing mentoring services to request the bureau of criminal apprehension
(BCA) to perform criminal background checks; requiring the department of public
safety to provide information and publication or training publications available
to local law enforcement agencies and officers relating to the best practices
for handling death scene investigations; specifying certain remains delivery and
notice requirements of local law enforcement officials and certain remains
identification responsibilities of medical examiners or coroners; regulating the
handling of unidentified human remains and the collection of biological samples
for DNA; requiring the arrestee to request destruction of a biological specimen
for DNA analysis upon acquittal of a felony; establishing the forensic
laboratory advisory board, specifying membership and duties; authorizing access
to data in the comprehensive incident based reporting system (CIBRS) by the
department of corrections fugitive apprehension unit; allowing the BCA to employ
a subscription service to enhance officer safety during tactical operations;
clarifying responsibility for receiving missing persons reports; giving local
law enforcement in the area where a person has been missing jurisdiction over
taking missing persons report; modifying membership of the criminal and juvenile
justice information policy group; modifying certain appeal provisions relating
to the uniform fire code; modifying certain restrictions on ownership and
possession of regulated animals; requiring preparation of address or location
change notice forms by the Minnesota animal control association and approval by
the board of animal health; prescribing criminal penalties for certain
violations; modifying the process for selection of a coroner or medical
examiner; determining qualifications, cause for removal and filling vacancies
with regard to the positions of coroner and medical examiner; providing
procedure for the selection of a Hennepin county medical examiner, specifying
qualifications and length of term; specifying jurisdiction of coroner or medical
examiner with regard to the county a death occurs; providing for transfer of
coroner and medical examiner jurisdiction as specified by county; authorizing
coroner or medical examiner to appoint his or her staff; requiring each county
to have a system for receiving, storing and releasing bodies, requiring the
prompt reporting of certain deaths to the coroner or medical examiner for prompt
evaluation, specifying procedure of autopsies on individuals who have died in
correctional facilities; authorizing the coroner or medical examiner to
determine a policy with regard to hospice patients; giving coroner or medical
examiner authorization to call for an autopsy as deems necessary; permitting
exhumation of a human body only with permission of surviving legal next of kin
or by order of the district court where the body is located; authorizing the
coroner or medical examiner to seek the assistance of medical specialists to
confirm manner of death or obtain an expert opinion; permitting coroner, medical
examiner or county attorney to request an inquest into a death, requiring
coroner or medical examiner to keep full and complete records; authorizing
prompt reporting of certain deaths to the coroner or medical examiner, requiring
coroner or medical examiner to promptly contact law enforcement in the case of a
death where a crime may have been committed; permitting the coroner or medical
examiner access to health records of deceased person in question; instructing
coroner or medical examiner to release requested records to a court or grand
jury; authorizing coroner or medical examiner to immediately take charge of body
immediately upon notification of death, requiring the coroner or medical
examiner to provide generated reports to the county attorney if death was
potentially of a criminal nature; instructing county board to compensate
expenses the coroner, medical examiner, assistants, investigators and other
medical specialists incur in carrying out their duties; permitting the coroner
or medical examiner to charge fees for certain administrative functions;
authorizing coroner or medical examiner to facilitate the organ donation process
and evaluate cremation requests; requiring release of a body to person or
persons who have the right to control the disposition upon the completion of the
investigation; authorizing the coroner or medical examiner to release any
property or articles needed to law enforcement in order to conduct an
investigation; providing for release of property used when no longer needed;
providing for the forensic pathologist, in reviewing the death of an
incarcerated person, to file or amend the cause and manner of death with the
state registrar; instructing coroner or medical examiner to make reasonable
attempts to identify deceased person promptly; requiring report after 60 days by
coroner or medical examiner to the BCA in an attempt to identify deceased
persons; providing for coroner or medical examiner to preserve data for purposes
of identifying deceased persons; instructing the coroner or medical examiner to
contact state archeologist when investigation comes to a close; allowing coroner
or medical examiner to perform examinations and tests in the matter of a
criminal nature; permitting county boards to contract coroner and medical
examiner services; modifying certain provisions providing for the sentencing of
career offenders; providing for mandatory sentences for offenders under certain
circumstances; increasing penalties for certain assaults on animal control
officers; providing a mandatory sentence for engrained offenders under certain
conditions; modifying payment of treatment for offenders under conditional
release; clarifying the venue where a person aiding an offender can be charged;
modifying penalties for theft, issuance of dishonored checks and damage to
property; creating the crime of unlawful conduct relating to telephone records,
defining certain terms, specifying certain exceptions and penalties; defining
criminal sexual conduct for victim notification, domestic assault and harassment
purposes; imposing conditional release terms on child pornography offenders
released from prison; providing for appeal of state fire marshal decision to
suspend, revoke or refuse fireworks operator permit; prohibiting the charging of
a fee for inmate participation in employment; modifying certain county board
requirements for withdrawal of a county from a regional jail system; removing
certain sunset provisions relating to certain aggravated departures; creating a
collateral consequences committee to study collateral consequences of adult
conviction and juvenile adjudications, requiring a report to legislature by a
certain date; requiring superintendent of the bureau of criminal apprehension
(BCA) to coordinate with federal, local units of government and others to reduce
reporting, data entry and record keeping backlog relating to missing persons and
unidentified bodies, requiring a report to legislature by a certain date;
requiring the superintendent of BCA in consultation with the sheriffs
association and chiefs of police association to develop a model policy to
address law enforcement efforts and duties regarding missing adults and provide
training to local law enforcement agencies, requiring a report to the
legislature by a certain date; modifying sentencing guidelines; requiring
commissioner of corrections to make recommendations to improve the availability
of prison based substance abuse treatment programming and improve post prison
release outcomes; appropriating money to the commissioner of public safety and
the bureau of criminal apprehension; specifying instructions to the revisor;
repealing certain provisions relating to drug paraphernalia, medical examiner
and certain provisions relating to departure from guidelines, definitions and
certain prior provision modifications for mandatory sentences for certain
patterned and predatory sex offenders with no prior conviction requirements and
presumptive and mandatory sentences for repeat sex offenders
(me)