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| Date: | April 5, 2012 | | Contact Name: | Peter Winiecki | | Contact Phone: | 651-297-8077 | | Contact Email: | peter.winiecki@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| STATEMENT FROM SENATOR WARREN LIMMER ON
PASSAGE OF THE VULNERABLE ADULT NEGLECT BILL |
St. Paul --- State Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove), Chair of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, issued the following statement upon reaching an agreement with members of the conference committee and Senate passage of Senate File 1586, the Vulnerable Adult Neglect bill:
“The conference committee carefully weighed a decision to accept an amendment authored by Senator Dan Sparks and Rep. Jeanne Poppe that addresses the unreasonable restraint of children sanction in Minnesota Statutes. Deliberations considered during the committee process include the culpability of the offender, the degree of physical harm incurred and the proportionality of this sanction when compared with other similar offenses.
Members of the conference committee worked hard to consider some important notions: We understand that making a crime a felony is a serious issue that requires careful consideration and an ability to weigh the level of harm caused by the offense. I believe the conference committee was able to balance all of these concerns.”
The amendment adopted by the committee is in line with other similar penalties, and by amending the measure,recognized the lower criminal threshold of “demonstrable bodily harm” as proposed and increased the criminal sanction from a gross misdemeanor to a two-year felony and up to a $4,000 fine.
Sen. Dan Sparks and Rep. Jeanne Poppe agreed to the changes made by the conference committee.
The bill, once passed by the House and Senate, will be sent to the Governor for his consideration and signature.
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