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'Every community wants to be safe': Sen. Gustafson on $300M for public safety headed to local governments

Sen. Heather Gustafson from Vadnais Heights, Minn. speaks into a microphone at a Senate hearing.
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Minnesota Senate DFL
State Sen. Heather Gustafson, a DFLer from Vadnais Heights, speaks into the microphone during a Minnesota Senate hearing. Gustafson represents District 36 and was a supporter of public safety funds to local governments during the 2023 legislative session.

Sen. Heather Gustafson is a Democrat from Vadnais Heights who advocated for one-time funding for city, county and tribal governments to use for public safety including law enforcement, fire, emergency services and other essential needs.

Minnesota state Sen. Heather Gustafson campaigned for office with a goal to get funding for public safety.

“We proposed $300 million that would be distributed to every city, every county, every tribal nation in Minnesota with local control,” said Gustafson in a recent KAXE Morning Show conversation.

"We knew that every community wants to be safe," she said. "You can say that no matter what ZIP code you're in in Minnesota. But every community knows itself best, and so there are some provisions, some guidelines on how you can spend it.”

This one-time funding has some stipulations. It cannot be used for militarization like tanks or tear gas, or for funding lawsuits against law enforcement. The one-time funding also doesn’t help with salaries or ongoing expenses.

“We know that the challenges being faced with our law enforcement are vast,” Gustafson said.

She said most communities are using it to recruit and retain police officers, buy equipment like fire trucks or ambulances or other things to benefit the local community.

Funding will be distributed based on population to local cities, counties and tribal governments by the end of 2023. MinnPost reported the funding is especially useful in Greater Minnesota and could help departments purchase items like body-worn cameras.

Legislation for public safety funding for local government has come up for consideration in previous years. But that legislation was tied to new requirements for releasing footage of when an officer kills someone and faced skepticism from Republican lawmakers.

Those requirements were dropped in the 2023 legislative session. Gustafson and DFLers contend the one-time funding can take its place and provide some local assistance.

Looking ahead

When Gustafson was asked about what she’ll focus on in the 2024 legislative session, she mentioned the Farm to School bill that makes it possible for more schools to be able to purchase foods from local farmers.

“That means healthier food on plates," the state senator said. "And it means that we’re supporting multiple industries, not just education and schools, but also agriculture and our local farmers.”

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Heidi Holtan is Director of Content and Public Affairs. She manages producers/hosts and is the host of the KAXE Morning Show, including a variety of local content like Phenology, What's for Breakfast, Area Voices, The Sports Page and much more, alongside Morning Edition from NPR.