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A bill for an act
relating to public safety; clarifying criminal penalty provisions for assaulting transit
workers; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.2231, subdivision 11.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.2231, subdivision 11, is amended to read:
Subd. 11.
Transit
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operators
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workers
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.
(a) A person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor
if (1) the person assaults a transit
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operator
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worker
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, or intentionally throws or otherwise
transfers bodily fluids onto a transit
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operator
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worker
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; and (2) the transit
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operator
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worker
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is
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acting in the course of the operator's duties and is operating a transit vehicle, aboard a transit
vehicle, or otherwise responsible for a transit vehicle
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engaged in the performance of the
worker's duties
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. A person convicted under this paragraph may be sentenced to imprisonment
for not more than 364 days or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both.
(b) For the purposes of this subdivision, "transit
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operator
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worker
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" means
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a driver or
operator of a transit vehicle that is used to provide any of the following services:
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an employee,
contractor, or volunteer working in public transportation or transit as defined under section
473.121, subdivision 19.
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(1) public transportation, as defined in section
174.22, subdivision 7
;
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(2) light rail transit service;
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(3) special transportation service under section
473.386
, whether provided by the
Metropolitan Council or by other providers under contract with the council; or
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(4) commuter rail service.
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EFFECTIVE DATE.
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This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to crimes
committed on or after that date.
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