>> Mary: AS YOU JUST SAW, BIPARTISANSHIP IS POSSIBLE ON DIFFICULT ISSUES.

AND WE HAVE THE PUBLIC SAFETY CO-CHAIRS HERE WITH US NOW.

REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE PAUL NOVOTNY ND D.F.L.

REPRESENTATIVE KELLY MOLLER.

FIRST OF ALL, CHAIR MOLLER, LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT TO A BIPARTISAN, AS YOU SAID, GUN BILL.

IT'S TRUE.

IT'S POSSIBLE.

HOW?

>> SO THIS IS N ISSUE THAT I KNOW CHAIR SCOTT HAS BEEN LOOKING AT FOR A WHILE.

AND A LOT OF US, I'M IPROSECUTOR, HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO GET THE GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF ABUSERS.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT COURTS ORDER, BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY BEING ENFORCED.

AND SO WHEN WE HAD THE TRIFECTA, WE HAD A TASK FORCE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS ISSUE AMONG SOME OTHERS AROUND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND FIREARMS.

AND THEY CAME BACK WITH A GREAT REPORT, AND SO SHE HAD HER BILL.

SHE TOOK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CAME FROM THE REPORT.

I HAD A SEPARATE BILL.

WE HEARD THEM BOTH TOGETHER IN COMMITTEE.

AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE O WORK TOGETHER TO GET SOMETHING PASSED.

>> Mary: AND THERE'S A LOT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT SITS ON THE COMMITTEE AND ALL OF YOU HAD SOME FEEDBACK.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE BILL?

>> I THINK IT'S GOOD.

I WAS WORKING WITH THE PROPERTY ROOM WHEN THAT BILL WAS FIRST PUT IN, IN 2017, I THINK, '16?

AND THE COURTS WERE PUTTING THOSE ORDERS OUT, BUT THEN THEY STOPPED.

I DON'T KNOW WHY.

BUT THEY JUST QUIT DOING IT, AND IT'S FALLEN BETWEEN THE CRACKS ALL THIS TIME, SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE UNDER THOSE ORDERS AND ARE DANGEROUS SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS ON FIREARMS.

>> Mary: OKAY.

IS THERE MORE OF THE SAME COMING ON ANY OTHER MEASURES IN THIS COMMITTEE?

RELATED TO GUNS, PERHAPS?

OR IS THIS THE END OF IT?

>> I CERTAINLY HOPE SO.

I THINK THERE'LL BE OTHER GUN BILLS THAT WILL BE HEARD.

BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVE REACHED BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON A LOT OF OTHER BILLS AS WELL.

>> Mary: ANY OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY, GUN RELATED BILLS THAT YOU THINK THERE COULD BE SOME BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT?

>> THINGS THAT ACTUALLY INCREASE SAFETY AND ARE CONSTITUTIONAL, YEAH, WE'LL -- >> Mary: WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT COULD BE?

>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BRICK BRING UP.

WE DON'T HAVE NOTHING IN THE HOPPER YET.

>> Mary: LET'S TAOS ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY YET.

I KNOW REPUBLICANS THOUGHT THEY COULD WORK WITH DEMOCRATS ON.

I KNOW THE GOVERNOR HAD A THREE-PAGE PLAN, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS MAYBE PAGE THREE THAT AWARD THE SCHOOL SEAFORT.

SAFETY.

JUST LIKE WE DID AT THE CAPITOL, IF THAT'S IMPORTANT, I THINK THE KIDS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT OR MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE ARE.

SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO HELP SCHOOL DISTRICTS MAKE THEIR SCHOOL SAFER AND HARDEN THOSE TARGETS, WE SHOULD DO THAT.

>> DEMOCRATS WANT A COMPREHENSIVE GUN PACKAGE, INCLUDING BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS, AND WHICH HAVE BEEN UPHELD AS CONSTITUTIONAL.

SO WE MAY HAVE SOME DISAGREEMENT ON THOSE BILLS.

AND WE KNOW THAT ABOUT 2/3 OF MINNESOTANS WANT THOSE THINGS AS WELL.

TO ETHAT IS STILL VERY IMPORTANT.

I KNOW THE SENATE IS GOING TO BE HEARING SEVERAL OF THOSE BILLS COMING UP ON FRIDAY.

WE'RE NOT DONE WITH SESSION YET AND WE'LL STILL CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR THOSE.

>> Mary: WOULD YOU DO SCHOOL SAFETY STAND ALONE?

I KNOW WE HEARD FROM THE HOUSE SPEAKER TODAY THAT SHE WANTS WAS THINGS TO BE PULLED ASIDE.

>> I'M STILL INTERESTED IN A COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE AND I KNOW WE ALL ARE, AND IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, A LOT OF THOSE BILLS ARE HEARD IN OTHER COMMITTEES TOO.

A LOT OF THEM ARE EDUCATION RELATED.

SO WE HAVEN'T REALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR MANY OF THOSE BILLS YET IN OUR COMMITTEE.

>> Mary: SOUNDS LIKE YOUR CAUCUS IS FRUSTRATED THAT THEY DON'T WANT THINGS BUNCHED TOGETHER.

THEY WANT AS MANY THINGS AS THAT CAN BE SEPARATED OUT AND GET OUT OF THIS CHAMBER.

>> THERE'S THINGS THAT WE AGREE WITH THEM ON AND I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN GET TO THE ONES WE AGREE ON AND WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND NOT BLOCK THE ONES THAT WE CAN'T AGREE ON.

YOU KNOW, THE ONES THAT WE CAN AGREE ON -- >> Mary: ANY OTHER SPECIFICITY?

>> I'D LIKE TO SEE THE SHIELD ACT ROUGHT UP, HAVE SOME ACCESS.

I'D LIKE TO SEE FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS, CHANGING OF THE WAY REGULATIONS ARE DONE AND CODES, BUILDING CODES FOR SCHOOLS THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM OR ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS.

>> Mary: AND YOU MENTIONED THE CAPITOL, MAJOR CHANGES HERE.

DO YOU THINK THIS GOING FORWARD, BIPARTISAN, DO YOU THINK THIS GOING WELL, THE METAL DETECTORS, THE EXTRA SAFETY HERE?

DO YOU THINK THIS IS A BIPARTISAN SOLUTION GOING FORWARD?

>> I THINK IT IS.

I THINK IT IS GOING WELL.

WHEN PEOPLE SAW HOW EASY -- CAN SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO QUICKLY GET INTO THE CAPITOL.

YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE LONG LINES AND PEOPLE CAN STILL ACCESS THE CAPITOL AND I THINK THAT THAT HAS SHOWN TO BE TRUE WITH THE KINDS OF EQUIPMENT WE HAVE HERE.

I HEAR FROM STAFF AND MEMBERS WHO ARE REALLY HAPPY WITH IT.

>> Mary: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

>> IT'S TURNED OUT TO BE A NONFACTOR.

>> Mary: IMMIGRATION IS STILL -- THERE'S STILL UPTICK IN I.C.E.

ACTIVITY HERE.

A LOT OF CONCERN.

ONE THING I NOTED IN COMMITTEE WHERE YOU AID, YOU CERTAINLY HAD SOME CONCERNS BUT YOU WERE QUIET ABOUT IT AS LAWMAKER.

YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T BEING LOUD, BUT YOU WERE QUIETLY EXPRESSING SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS AND SOME OF THE CHANGES.

COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?

>> WELL, THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE WORKED AND SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WORKED ON WAS MAKING THE CONNECTIONS AND STRSMING TO GETS INFORMATION.

SO OFTEN WHAT WE'RE HEARING IS SO ONE-SIDED ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND TRYING TO GET FACTS ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON AS OPPOSED TO SOMEONE'S INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAW.

>> Mary: AND DO YOU THINK YOU GOT SOME CHANGE AND SOME INFORMATION THROUGH THAT KIND OF QUIET, LOW-KEY APPROACH?

>> I -- WITHOUT MENTIONING WHO OR WHAT, YES, WE MADE CONVERSATIONS TAKE PLACE.

WE ARRANGED FOR PHONE CALLS AND INFORMATION TO GET BACK AND FORTH.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN ABOUT 45 MINUTES IN A MENARDS HARDWARE AREA WORKING ON THAT ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

>> DID YOU SEE SOME OF THAT CHANGE HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES?

>> I DID NOT.

AND I'M VERY SKEPTICAL OF WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION SAYS THEY'RE DOING.

WE KNOW THEY HAVE BEEN CAUGHT LYING.

COURTS HAVE FOUND THAT THEY'VE BEEN LYING ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING OR NOT DOING.

AND CERTAINLY OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF THIS OPERATION METRO SURGE.

SO I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE EFFORTS, THOUGH, BEHIND THE SCFORTS, THOUGH, BEHIND THE SCENRTS, THOUGH, BEHIND THE SCENESS, THOUGH, BEHIND THE SCENES., THOUGH, BEHIND THE SCENES., THOUGH, BEHIND THE I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S GREAT.

WE NEED TO DO THAT.

BUT ALSO, I THINK WE NEED TO PASS SOME LAWS TO PROTECT MINNESOTANS.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THE JUDGES HAVE SAID IN EVIDENCE AND SOME OF THE POLICE CHIEFS WHO STEPPED FORWARDS AND SAID THAT THEY HAD SOME OF THEIR OFFICERS RACIALLY PROFILED.

>> I SAW THAT REPORT AND WITHOUT SEEING WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, FROM BOTH SIDES, I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW.

>> Mary: OKAY.

HOW ABOUT BEST PRACTICES?

YOU KNOW WEAPONS TRAINING.

YOU'LL DONE IT.

YOU KNOW PROPER USAGE OF WEAPONS AND I KNOW CONSULTING WITH LOCAL FOLKS THAT THERE WERE CONCERNS THAT SOME OF THE OFFICERS WEREN'T TRAINED PROPERLY AND WEREN'T USING PROPER WEAPONS PROTOCOL.

DID YOU SEE THAT R HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THAT?

>> IT WASN'T JUST I.C.E.

BORDER PATROL WAS THERE TOO.

I WASN'T THERE.

I'M NOT FOLLOWING I.C.E.

AGENTS ARE AROUND -- >> Mary: DID YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE LEVEL OF TRAINING?

>> WELL, THAT'S A REALLY BIG PICTURE, YOU KNOW?

ONE OF THE OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE FIRST SHOOTING'S BEEN ON FOR A LONG TIME.

YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW -- I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY HE'S A SEASONED OFFICER.

BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF USE OF FORCE TRAINING OVER THE YEARS.

I KNOW I'VE HEARD THE ALLEGATIONS OF THE ONE PERSON THAT WAS THE I.C.E.

SHORTLY AND THEN WAS FIRED OR QUIT, AND THEN HE MADE THE COUNTER-AL COUNTER-AALLEGATIONS AND I'M WITH THE MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT.

I DEAL WITH MINNESOTA I DEAL WITH MINNESO MINNESOTA PC SAFETY AND THAT'S WHERE MY FOCUS IS.

>> Mary: HAVE WE SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF SURGE OF SUPPORT OF SAYING, IN CONTRAST, WE ARE APPRECIATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT?

HAS THAT BEEN A KIND OF SILVER LINING IN THIS?

>> I THINK SO.

I CERTAINLY SEE IT AND HAVE TALKED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT WHO IS UPSET WITH HOW THE FEDERAL AGENTS HAVE BEEN ACTING AND SAYING THAT IT ACTUALLY DOES HURT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY REALIZING THAT WE REALLY DO HAVE A HIGH STANDARD FOR OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHICH WAS MADE EVIDENCED BY SOME OF THE ACTIONS WE'VE BEEN EEING.

DISMAM QUICK LAST WORD ON THAT.

>> WE HEAR ONE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES, TINA LIEBLING TALKS ABOUT HOW THEY -- THE FEDS DON'T TELL THE LOCALS WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

BUT THE LOCALS ARE THE ONES WHO PUT IN THE BLOCKS FROM THEIR -- FOR ANY COOPERATION -- >> Mary: BUT ARE YOU SEEING MORE SUPPORT FOR OCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IS THAT A POSITIVE?

>> THAT'S A POSITIVE, I UESS.

BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE THESE BLOCKS GOING ON, THE COMMUNICATION WOULD BE THERE AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PUTTING THE BLOCKS AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE THE ONES -- ARE COMPLAINS ABOUT THERE NOT BEING ANY COMMUNICATION.

I DON'T GET IT.

>> Mary: SORRY, WE'RE