On Wednesday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed sweeping legislation that will provide increased security at the Minnesota State Capitol and create a mechanism for state lawmakers to receive protection outside the legislature.
That bill, SF 3432, was passed in response to the June 2025 attacks that killed then-House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and left DFL Sen. John Hoffman seriously injured.
While SF 3432 received bipartisan support on the House floor, the majority of the House Republican Caucus voted against it because it was brought forward before the House has voted on substantial school safety legislation.
School safety has been a major priority this session as lawmakers have debated how to respond to last year’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic School. That shooting, perpetrated by a transgender person, left two children dead and many others injured.
“I cannot support spending $40 million on our own safety when we haven’t committed a dime to school safety,” GOP Rep. Jimmy Gordon said during Wednesday’s floor session.
Gordon was one of many Republicans who said school safety must be prioritized before Capitol security and lawmaker protection are considered. Multiple lawmakers said the package would spend $40 million or more across four years.
“I cannot in good conscience vote to add security for the protection of politicians, for all of us, and even our judges, without protecting the security of our schools and the children and staff who are in them,” GOP Rep. Peggy Bennett said. “I just can’t do that, members. Our kids need to come first.”
Last month, the Minnesota Senate passed SF 3432 in a 45-19 vote. In turn, the bill was sent to the House where GOP Rep. Paul Novotny and DFL Rep. Kelly Moller rewrote it. Novotny and Moller are co-chairs of the House Public Safety Committee.
During Wednesday’s House floor session, Novotny and Moller’s new language was applied to SF 3432.
Among other things, SF 3432 includes millions of dollars for more security at courthouses and the Minnesota State Capitol Complex. Additionally, the bill allows lawmakers to receive law enforcement protection if they receive credible threats of violence.
SF 3432 also provides more staff to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to investigate threats against public officials, schools, places of worship, and gatherings.
During discussion of the bill, Republicans attempted to amend it to fund school safety instead of Capitol security. However, that effort failed. Leadership in both the House GOP and House DFL were supportive of the bill as drafted by Novotny and Moller.
House GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska said the bill was not about protecting state lawmakers but was instead about protecting the American system of government. Moller made similar remarks and said SF 3432 was about protecting everyone that visits the Capitol.
Democrats on the House floor argued that Republicans were not serious about school safety because the GOP has opposed DFL school safety proposals. Additionally, Democrats chastised Republicans for not supporting DFL gun control legislation.
During his remarks, Niska accused Democrats of conditioning their support for bipartisan school safety legislation on GOP support for gun control, which Republicans oppose. Niska also noted that the House version of SF 3432 cost less than the Senate’s version.
In the end, SF 3432 was passed in a 92-42 vote. Democrats and many Republicans voted for the bill, but a majority of House Republicans opposed it.
Now, SF 3432 goes back to the Senate. However, GOP Rep. Patti Anderson said the bill is going to a conference committee where both chambers resolve any remaining differences in the bill. Following that work, both chambers will vote on the finished product.
Anderson was one of the Republicans who voted for SF 3432. In her remarks, Anderson said, “I will not vote for this bill when it comes back after conference unless we have passed school safety money for our schools because that has to come first.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
