Rep. Davids Legislative Update

Hello from St. Paul,

Following the horrific shootings at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis that took the lives of two children and injured many others, I am supporting a plan brought forward by House Republicans this week that seeks to better protect schools and communities.

Governor Walz has indicated he will call a special session in response to this tragedy. Keeping in mind that neither side in the House can pass any legislation on its own, we will need to have bipartisan cooperation on any bill that is brought forward. Many items in the House Republican plan are not only needed but should be non-controversial.

The goal of the proposal is to protect students, provide desperately needed mental health care, and hold criminals who commit the vast majority of violent crimes accountable.

Some of the provisions include expanding school safety funding to non-public schools; providing school security grants and flexibility for school funding streams to be used for safety improvements; making School Resource Officers available to every school; repealing or amending the prohibition on doctors using their best medical judgment; boosting funding for mental health treatment beds; and mandating mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun criminals and for straw purchasers who enable a violent crime.

We need to pass solutions that will work and avoid the political theater that sadly began moments after emergency officials arrived on the scene. We all should be able to unite around commonsense initiatives that will protect the innocent while addressing the growing mental health crisis being seen in our state and nation.

Have a good weekend,

Greg