1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public safety; providing enhanced penalties for making emergency calls 
1.3 	to harass, hinder, intrude upon, or interfere with another person;amending 
1.4 	Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 609.78.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 609.78, is amended to read:
1.7 	609.78 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CALLS AND COMMUNICATIONS.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Misdemeanor offenses. Whoever does the following is guilty of a 
1.9 	misdemeanor:
1.10 	(1) refuses to relinquish immediately a coin-operated telephone or a telephone line 
1.11 	consisting of two or more stations when informed that the line is needed to make an 
1.12 	emergency call;
1.13 	(2) secures a relinquishment of a coin-operated telephone or a telephone line consisting 
1.14 	of two or more stations by falsely stating that the line is needed for an emergency;
1.15 	(3) publishes telephone directories to be used for telephones or telephone lines and the 
1.16 	directories do not contain a copy of this section;
1.17 	(4) makes a call for emergency police, fire, medical, or ambulance service, knowing 
1.18 	that no police, fire, or medical emergency exists;
1.19 	(5) interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with the transmission of a 
1.20 	citizen's band radio channel communication the purpose of which is to inform or inquire 
1.21 	about a medical emergency or an emergency in which property is or is reasonably believed 
1.22 	to be in imminent danger of damage or destruction; or
2.1 	(6) makes or initiates an emergency call, knowing that no emergency exists, and with 
2.2 	the intent to disrupt, interfere with, or reduce the provision of emergency services or the 
2.3 	emergency call center's resources, remains silent, or makes abusive or harassing statements 
2.4 	to the call recipient.
2.5 		Subd. 2.Gross misdemeanor offenses. Whoever does the following is guilty of a gross 
2.6 	misdemeanor:
2.7 	(1) intentionally interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or interferes with an emergency call or 
2.8 	who intentionally prevents or hinders another from placing an emergency call, and whose 
2.9 	conduct does not result in a violation of section 609.498;
2.10 	(2) places an emergency call and reports a fictitious emergency with the intent of 
2.11 	prompting an emergency response by law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical services 
2.12 	personnel; or
2.13 	(3) violates subdivision 1, clause (6), after having been previously convicted or 
2.14 	adjudicated delinquent for violating that clause.
2.15 		Subd. 2a.Felony offense; reporting fictitious emergency resulting in serious 
2.16 	injury. Whoever violates subdivision 2, clause (2),does the following is guilty of a felony 
2.17 	and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine 
2.18 	of not more than $20,000, or both,:
2.19 	(1) violates subdivision 2, clause (2), and if the call triggers an emergency response and, 
2.20 	as a result of the response, someone suffers great bodily harm or death.; or
2.21 	(2) makes an emergency call exaggerating the emergency or embellishing the call with 
2.22 	the intent to harass, hinder, intrude upon, or otherwise interfere with another person because 
2.23 	of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability 
2.24 	as defined in section 363A.03, age, or national origin, by prompting an immediate and 
2.25 	heightened emergency law enforcement, fire, medical, or ambulance service response.
2.26 		Subd. 2b.Other felony offenses. Whoever does the following is guilty of a felony and 
2.27 	may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of 
2.28 	not more than $10,000, or both:
2.29 	(1) violates subdivision 1, clause (6), after having been previously convicted or 
2.30 	adjudicated delinquent for violating that clause on more than one occasion; or
2.31 	(2) intentionally uses multiple communications devices or electronic means to block, 
2.32 	interfere with, overload, or otherwise prevent the emergency call center's system from 
3.1 	functioning properly, and these actions make the system unavailable to someone needing 
3.2 	emergency assistance.; or
3.3 	(3) makes an emergency call exaggerating the emergency or embellishing the call with 
3.4 	the intent to harass, hinder, intrude upon, or otherwise interfere with another person by 
3.5 	prompting an immediate and heightened emergency law enforcement, fire, medical, or 
3.6 	ambulance service response.
3.7 		Subd. 3.Definition. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), for purposes of this section, 
3.8 	"emergency call" means:
3.9 	(1) a 911 call;
3.10 	(2) any call for emergency medical or ambulance service; or
3.11 	(3) any call for assistance from a police or fire department or for other assistance needed 
3.12 	in an emergency to avoid serious harm to person or property,
3.13 	and an emergency exists.
3.14 	(b) As used in subdivisions 1, clause (6); 2, clause (2); and 2a; and 2b, clause (3):
3.15 	(1) "call" includes the use of any method of communication including, but not limited 
3.16 	to: telephones, facsimiles, Voice over Internet Protocols, e-mail messages, text messages, 
3.17 	and electronic transmissions of an image or video; and
3.18 	(2) "emergency call" has the meaning given in paragraph (a) but does not require the 
3.19 	existence of an emergency.

3.20 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2021, and applies to crimes 
3.21 	committed on or after that date.