SF 737

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 01/26/2023 09:46am

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; requiring meetings of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines
Commission to be recorded and made available to the public; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2022, section 244.09, subdivision 11.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, 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. new text begin The commission must make a visual and audio
recording of each meeting and make the recordings available to the public on the
commission's website or through a link posted on the website. new text end Any modification which
amends the Sentencing Guidelines grid, including severity levels and criminal history scores,
or which would 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 by January 15 of any year in which the commission wishes to make the
change and shall be effective on August 1 of that year, unless the legislature by law provides
otherwise. 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.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end