Minnesota’s top Democratic and Republican lawmakers reached agreement on the highlights of a public safety bill that includes police accountability measures, a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the death of George Floyd.
While some details had yet to be finalized, leaders from both parties said the compromise reached late Saturday settles the major issues after months of negotiations. It has been the most contentious piece of budget negotiations among a divided Legislature that’s up against a Wednesday deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
The Democratic-controlled state House included several policing provisions in its overall public safety budget bill this session in the hopes of building on a package the Legislature approved last summer in the aftermath Floyd’s death under Chauvin’s knee.
The…