SF 3351

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 02/22/2022 09:06am

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; requiring legislative approval of sentencing guideline
modifications; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 244.09, subdivision
11.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 244.09, subdivision 11, is amended to read:

Subd. 11.

Modification.

The commission shall meet as necessary for the purpose of
modifying and improving the guidelines. Any modification which amends the Sentencing
Guidelines grid, including new text begin lowering new text end severity levels and criminal history scores, or which
would new text begin lessen the impact of a criminal history or custody status and new text end result in the reduction
of any sentence or in the early release of any inmate, with the exception of a modification
mandated or authorized by the legislature or relating to a crime created or amended by the
legislature in the preceding session, shall be submitted to the legislature new text begin for approval new text end by
January 15 of any year in which the commission wishes to make the change deleted text begin and shall be
effective on August 1 of that year, unless the legislature by law provides otherwise deleted text end . new text begin The
change must not take effect until the day following the legislature's approval of the
modification. new text end All other modifications shall take effect according to the procedural rules of
the commission. On or before January 15 of each year, the commission shall submit a written
report to the committees of the senate and the house of representatives with jurisdiction
over criminal justice policy that identifies and explains all modifications made during the
preceding 12 months and all proposed modifications that are being submitted to the legislature
that year.