| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to public safety; increasing penalties for obstructing trunk highway, airport, |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 or transit traffic; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 609.74; 609.855, |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4 subdivision 2. |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.74, is amended to read: |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7 609.74 PUBLIC NUISANCE. |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8 (a) Whoever by an act or failure to perform a legal duty intentionally does any of the |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9following is guilty of maintaining a public nuisance, which is a misdemeanor: |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10 (1) maintains or permits a condition which unreasonably annoys, injures or endangers |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11the safety, health, morals, comfort, or repose of any considerable number of members of |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.12the public; or |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13 (2) except as provided in paragraph (b), interferes with, obstructs, or renders dangerous |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14for passage, any public highway or right-of-way, or waters used by the public; or |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15 (3) is guilty of any other act or omission declared by law to be a public nuisance and for |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16which no sentence is specifically provided. |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17 (b) It is a gross misdemeanor for a person to interfere with or obstruct traffic that is |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1.18entering, exiting, or on a freeway or entering, exiting, or on a public roadway within the |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1.19boundaries of airport property with the intent to interfere with, obstruct, or otherwise disrupt |
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| 20 | 20 | | 1.20traffic. This paragraph does not apply to the actions of law enforcement or other emergency |
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| 21 | 21 | | 1.21responders, road or airport authorities, or utility officials, or their agents, employees, or |
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| 22 | 22 | | 1.22contractors when carrying out duties imposed by law or contract. For purposes of this |
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| 23 | 23 | | 1Section 1. |
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| 24 | 24 | | REVISOR KLL/NS 25-0062811/22/24 |
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| 25 | 25 | | State of Minnesota |
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| 26 | 26 | | This Document can be made available |
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| 27 | 27 | | in alternative formats upon request |
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| 28 | 28 | | HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 29 | 29 | | H. F. No. 112 |
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| 30 | 30 | | NINETY-FOURTH SESSION |
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| 31 | 31 | | Authored by Engen, Davis, Dotseth, Hudson, Zeleznikar and others01/22/2025 |
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| 32 | 32 | | The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Public Safety Finance and Policy 2.1paragraph, "airport" means an airport that has a control tower and airline service, and |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2.2"freeway" means any section of a divided highway where the only access and egress for |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2.3vehicular traffic is from entrance and exit ramps. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2.4 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2025, and applies to crimes |
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| 36 | 36 | | 2.5committed on or after that date. |
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| 37 | 37 | | 2.6 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.855, subdivision 2, is amended to read: |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2.7 Subd. 2.Unlawful interference with transit operator.(a) Whoever intentionally |
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| 39 | 39 | | 2.8commits an act that interferes with or obstructs, or tends to interfere with or obstruct, the |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2.9operation of a transit vehicle is guilty of unlawful interference with a transit operator a crime |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2.10and may be sentenced as provided in paragraph (c). |
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| 42 | 42 | | 2.11 (b) An act that is committed on a transit vehicle that distracts the driver from the safe |
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| 43 | 43 | | 2.12operation of the vehicle, restricts passenger access to the transit vehicle, or that endangers |
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| 44 | 44 | | 2.13passengers is a violation of this subdivision if an authorized transit representative has clearly |
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| 45 | 45 | | 2.14warned the person once to stop the act. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 2.15 (c) A person who violates this subdivision may be sentenced as follows: |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2.16 (1) to imprisonment for not more than three years or to payment of a fine of not more |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2.17than $5,000, or both, if the violation was accompanied by force or violence or a |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2.18communication of a threat of force or violence; or |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2.19 (2) to imprisonment for not more than 90 364 days or to payment of a fine of not more |
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| 51 | 51 | | 2.20than $1,000 $3,000, or both, if the violation was not accompanied by force or violence or |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2.21a communication of a threat of force or violence. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 2.22 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2025, and applies to crimes |
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| 54 | 54 | | 2.23committed on or after that date. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 2Sec. 2. |
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| 56 | 56 | | REVISOR KLL/NS 25-0062811/22/24 |
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