April 25, 2014
Today, Governor Mark Dayton signed five bills into law:
- Chapter 167, SF 2076: This bill authorizes the adoption of a local county government plan in Dakota County. This bill passed the House 109-18 and the Senate 50-16.
- Chapter 168, SF 1725: This public safety bill requires forensic laboratories to become accredited. This legislation was created after the St. Paul Crime Lab suspended drug testing in 2012 when two workers and the former director testified that the lab had no standard procedures for drug testing, and did not document steps taken while testing evidence for drugs. This bill passed the House 115-15 and the Senate 64-0.
"All forensic laboratories in Minnesota should be accredited, and operate with the highest possible standards of accuracy and reliability," said Governor Dayton. "Those labs process evidence that help make determinations of guilt or innocence that have enormous effects on people's lives."
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Chapter 169, HF 2659: This bill exempts individuals who perform threading from needing a license and gives the Board of Cosmetology Examiners authority to update their rules to reflect this exemption. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.
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Chapter 170, HF 2190: This bill amends provisions relating to corporations and limited liability companies. This bill passed 95-32 in the House and 62-0 in the Senate.
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Chapter 171, SF 685: This bill requires that courts allow simultaneous competency and civil commitment examinations for defendants facing criminal charges in certain circumstances. It will reduce the time people with serious mental illness stay in jail without access to mental health treatment before being civilly committed. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.
