Minnesota Senate Bill SF2911

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/24/25
• Refer: 3/24/25

Caption

Community crime and violence prevention account elimination

Summary

SF 2911 would eliminate the community crime and violence prevention account and move its remaining unexpended balance into the state general fund. The bill specifically transfers $42 million from the account to the general fund and repeals the 2023 law provisions that created the account and authorized related grant funding. The transfer provision takes effect the day after final enactment, while the repealer takes effect July 1, 2025. In practical terms, the bill would unwind a 2023 funding structure that had set aside $70 million from the general fund for the community crime and violence prevention account and allowed up to $14 million per year to be appropriated for public safety grant purposes. By repealing those sections, the bill would end the dedicated account and remove the statutory basis for those ongoing appropriations, returning the money to the state’s general-purpose budget rather than a targeted public safety grant fund.

Impact

The bill would amend Minnesota’s public safety funding framework by dissolving a dedicated special revenue account and redirecting its remaining funds to the general fund. It would repeal Laws 2023, chapter 52, article 2, sections 12 and 13, thereby eliminating the statutory authority for the community crime and violence prevention account and the associated annual grant appropriation mechanism tied to Minnesota Statutes, section 299A.296. The main affected parties would be the Department of Public Safety, grant recipients or prospective applicants for community violence prevention funding, and the state budget generally.

Sentiment

Based on the bill title and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a budgetary and policy rollback rather than a contested program expansion. The authorship by Senators Limmer and Koran suggests support from legislators favoring consolidation of funds into the general fund and elimination of a dedicated account. No formal vote history or hearing transcript is provided, so there is no documented public debate in the record supplied here.

Contention

The central point of contention is likely whether the state should preserve a dedicated funding stream for community crime and violence prevention grants or instead return those dollars to the general fund for broader budget use. Supporters of the repeal would likely argue that the account is unnecessary or that the funds should be reprioritized, while opponents would likely contend that eliminating the account weakens targeted violence-prevention efforts and reduces support for community-based public safety programs. Because no committee transcript or vote record is included, the specific arguments and coalition positions are not documented in the materials provided.