Membership and appointing authority of Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission amended, and commissioner of corrections designated as nonvoting member of commission.

A bill for an act

relating to public safety; amending the membership and appointing authority of

the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission; designating the commissioner

of corrections as a nonvoting member of the commission; amending Minnesota

Statutes 2024, section 244.09, subdivisions 1, 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 244.09, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Commission; establishment.

There is hereby established the Minnesota

Sentencing Guidelines Commission which shall be comprised of
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11
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voting and nonvoting
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members.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 244.09, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Members.

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(a)
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The Sentencing Guidelines Commission shall consist of the

following
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voting members
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:

(1) the chief justice of the supreme court or a designee;

(2) one judge of the court of appeals, appointed by the chief judge of the appellate court;

(3) one district court judge appointed by the Judicial Council upon recommendation of

the Minnesota District Judges Association;

(4) one public defender appointed by the governor
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upon recommendation of
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after

considering the slate of candidates submitted by
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the state public defender;

(5) one county attorney appointed by the governor
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upon recommendation of
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after

considering the slate of candidates submitted by
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the board of directors of the Minnesota

County Attorneys Association;

(6)
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the commissioner of corrections or a designee
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one peace officer as defined in section

626.84 who is a chief of a municipal police department appointed by the governor after

considering the slate of candidates submitted by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association
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;

(7) one peace officer as defined in section
626.84

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who is a county sheriff or deputy

sheriff
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appointed by the governor
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after considering the slate of candidates submitted by the

Minnesota Sheriffs' Association
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;

(8) one probation officer or supervised release officer appointed by the governor;
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and
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(9) one person who works for an organization that provides treatment or rehabilitative

services for individuals convicted of felony offenses appointed by the governor;

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(10) one person who is an academic with a background in criminal justice or corrections

appointed by the governor; and

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(11)
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(9)
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three public members appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be a person

who has been the victim of a crime defined as a felony
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or a victims' advocate, and one of

whom shall be a person who has been formerly convicted of and discharged from a

felony-level sentence
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.

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(b) When a position for a member representing the state public defender, board of

directors of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, board of directors of the Minnesota

Chiefs of Police Association, or board of directors of the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association

becomes vacant, the relevant entity must recommend at least two qualified representatives

to the governor for appointment to the board.

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(c) The commissioner of corrections or a designee shall serve as a nonvoting member

of the commission.

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(d)
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When an appointing authority selects individuals for membership on the commission,

the authority shall make reasonable efforts to appoint qualified members of protected groups,

as defined in section
43A.02, subdivision 33
.

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(e) The commission must elect
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one of the
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voting
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members
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shall be designated by the

governor
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to serve
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as chair of the commission.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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