Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Township, has proposed a pair of government accountability bills after Sen. Nicole Mitchell was charged with first-degree burglary.
In April, Sen. Mitchell, D-Woodbury, was arrested by the Detroit Lakes Police Department, spent time in the Becker County Jail, and was eventually released after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s home.
On Tuesday, Engen introduced HF 5460, conspicuously dubbed “The Mitchell Act.” A one-sentence piece of legislation, The Mitchell Act prevents a member of the Minnesota Legislature from receiving “compensation, mileage, or per diem living expenses during any period in which the member is incarcerated in a local, state or federal correctional facility.”
Currently, members of the Minnesota Legislature receive an annual salary of $51,750. Additionally, state legislators can elect to receive daily $86 per diem payments every day while the legislature is in session. Depending on their proximity to St. Paul, legislators can also receive mileage and lodging reimbursements.
This week, I’m introducing two bills that strengthen transparency and increase accountability from elected officials.
Bill 1: body camera footage available to the public in cases involving elected officials.
Bill 2: Politicians barred from collecting Per-Diem while in jail. pic.twitter.com/QIX9SWTOrb
— Elliott Engen (@elliottengenMN) May 2, 2024
Alpha News is not immediately aware if Sen. Mitchell received a per diem payment when she was in the Becker County Jail.
In addition to The Mitchell Act, Engen said he plans to introduce legislation that would set new standards for the release of police body-camera footage relating to public officials.
Specifically, Engen’s bill would classify police body-camera footage as public data if the subject of the data is a state legislator, a state agency commissioner, the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, or the state auditor.
Body-camera footage related to Sen. Mitchell’s arrest has not yet been released to the public. However, Alpha News has filed a lawsuit asking for the footage to be released.
“When legislators prioritize service to themselves rather than service to those they represent, we have an obligation to correct it,” Engen told Alpha News. “It’s time we put accountability and transparency back into politics, and these two bills will help do so.”
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.
