March 17, 2021 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Minnesota Senate Judiciary and Public Finance and Policy Committee Hon. Warren Limmer, Chair 3221 Minnesota Senate Building St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 RE: Minnesota Catholic Conference support of Senate File 432 (Ingebrigsten) Chair Limmer and Members of the Committee, The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, writes to express our support for Senate File 432, a bill which seeks to reconsider and eliminate criminal punishments that create unjust collateral sanctions for those living at or near the poverty line. Catholic Conferences across the country have routinely supported legislative efforts to de-criminalize poverty. Our faith teaches us that criminal laws should always respect the dignity of each person. When an individual violates the law, they should be punished. At the same time, a criminal offender’s inherent dignity does not diminish even if he or she violates a law. The proper balance is struck when our laws and sanctions consider several factors, including the offender’s danger to the society. Civil and criminal penalties should always serve the purpose of rendering justice to both society and the offender. We must distinguish between policies that render justice and those that perpetuate injustice. License suspensions for payment-related violations primarily impact people with low incomes and little savings. Sixty percent of low-income individuals who lose their driving privileges eventually lose their job, leading to escalating debt, exposure to usury, and family hardship. The non-payment of fees and fines is not a threat to public safety, but rather a symptom of poverty, and we should ensure that no policy perpetuates the injustice of poverty. Similarly, our criminal justice system can uphold public safety without also acting as revenue stream for the state, an arrangement that disproportionately harms communities of color and those in poverty. The policy changes proposed by Senate File 432 transcend partisan boundaries and would allow our justice system to maintain public safety without criminalizing poverty. Please vote “Aye” on favorable passage. Respectfully submitted, Ryan E. Hamilton, Esq. Government Relations Associate 475 University Avenue W. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55103 ARCHDIOCESE OF SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS ⧫ DIOCESE OF CROOKSTON ⧫ DIOCESE OF DULUTH Tel: 651-227-8777 Fax: 651-227-2675 DIOCESE OF NEW ULM ⧫ DIOCESE OF SAINT CLOUD ⧫ DIOCESE OF WINONA-ROCHESTER www.mncatholic.org March 16, 2021 Via E-Mail Delivery Senator Warren Limmer, Chair Senator Ron Latz, DFL Lead Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Minnesota State Senate Minnesota State Senate 3221 Minnesota Senate Bldg 2215 Minnesota Senate Bldg Saint Paul, MN 55155 Saint Paul, MN 55155 Dear Senator Limmer and Senator Latz: We are writing in support of legislation under consideration by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee to reform the state’s driver’s license suspension policies. The bipartisan legislation, SF432/HF336, is coauthored by Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen and Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn. States across the country are passing legislation to reform their driver’s license suspension policies. Many states have recognized that suspending drivers licenses for non-traffic related offenses is counterproductive and government overreach by state and local governments. Driving a vehicle is critically important to our daily lives and often is essential for getting to work and taking care of a family, particularly in rural areas where alternatives to a vehicle are not readily available. In addition, prosecutors and law enforcement spend an enormous amount of time and resources on this issue. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators estimated that arresting someone for driving with a suspended license can take 9 hours of an officer’s time, including waiting for a tow-truck, transporting an individual to jail, filling out paperwork, making a court appearance, and other administrative duties. This is an unwise use of taxpayer resources that could be re-directed to more important public safety priorities. SF 432/HF336 prohibits the suspension of driver’s licenses for unpaid traffic tickets. It does not change driver’s license suspensions for dangerous driving offenses. The legislation leaves in place current tools used by state and local governments to collect unpaid fines and fees. We strongly encourage the Minnesota Legislature to revise laws to limit driver’s license suspensions to conduct that involves dangerous driving such as driving while impaired or intoxicated or multiple moving violations. We believe SF 432 is an important reform to pass and encourage the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee to vote out this legislation. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Grover Norquist, President Emily Mooney, Manager, Criminal Justice & Civil Liberties Americans for Tax Reform R Street Institute 3120 117th St E Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota 55077 Pine Bend Refinery 651.437.0700 March 16, 2021 Via E-Mail Delivery Senator Warren Limmer, Chair Senator Ron Latz, DFL Lead Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Minnesota State Senate Minnesota State Senate 3221 Minnesota Senate Bldg 2215 Minnesota Senate Bldg Saint Paul, MN 55155 Saint Paul, MN 55155 Dear Senator Limmer and Senator Latz: Thank you for the opportunity to submit this letter in support of SF 432 (Ingebrigtsen), the Driver’s License Suspension Reform bill. This legislation represents bipartisan work and agreement within the legislature and among a diverse group of stakeholders, including prosecutors, business, and criminal justice advocacy organizations. Flint Hills Resources’ parent-company, Koch Industries, has been engaged in criminal justice reform efforts in Minnesota over the past several years. We know that the status quo in our criminal justice system is not working. The criminal justice system should protect people and secure public safety, give restoration to victims, remove barriers to opportunity for people with criminal records, and ensure equal justice for all. Driver’s licenses should be suspended when drivers have proven to be a danger to themselves or the public. SF 432 prohibits the suspension of a driver’s license for unpaid traffic tickets and prohibits the “double stacking” of fees by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS). This legislation does not change driver’s license suspensions for dangerous driving offenses. This legislation leaves in place collection processes through state and local governments – a more effective tool for collecting unpaid fines and fees. Several states have passed driver’s license reform bills including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, California, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Oregon and New York. Employers know that driver’s licenses are necessary for employment, health care and other critical needs and that’s why they should only be suspended when drivers have committed a serious public safety infraction. We strongly encourage the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee to support SF 432. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Heather N. Rein Director, Community Affairs Flint Hills Resources cc: Members of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee March 16, 2021 Via E-Mail Delivery Senator Warren Limmer, Chair Senator Ron Latz, Lead Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Minnesota Senate Minnesota Senate 3221 Minnesota Senate Building 2215 Minnesota Senate Building St. Paul, MN 55155 St. Paul, MN 55155 Dear Senator Limmer and Senator Latz: On behalf of the Justice Action Network, the nation’s largest bipartisan criminal justice reform organization, I am writing in support of legislation introduced in the House and Senate to address the issue of driver’s license suspensions. The bipartisan legislation, HF 336/SF 432, was introduced by Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn and Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen. The Driver’s License Suspension Reform bill prohibits the suspension of a driver’s license for unpaid traffic tickets and makes licenses currently suspended only for unpaid tickets eligible for reinstatement. The legislation also prohibits the “double staking” of reinstatement fees by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS). In the past two years, DPS initiated the process of “double staking” fees which has led to significant hardships for families. This legislation does not change driver’s license suspensions for dangerous driving offenses. This legislation also leaves in place the collection process for unpaid tickets but allows for people with no other infraction than unpaid traffic tickets to continue to legally drive while they are paying off these debts to the government. Minnesota has several other tools to collect unpaid traffic tickets between cities, counties, and state government. States have passed similar legislation including Maine, Mississippi, California, Virginia, Tennessee, and Michigan. We have included background information on the statewide impact of the legislation. We appreciate your efforts to address inequities in our criminal justice system. Thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to contact our organization’s government relations representatives, Chas Anderson at [email protected] and Ade Salami