Last week, the Minnesota Senate adopted HF2432, the judiciary and public safety omnibus bill that originated in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
During debate on that bill, Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, offered an amendment that would require law enforcement body camera footage of a public official to be made public within 14 days if that official is charged with a felony.
“Elected officials should be held to a higher standard,” said Draheim in a statement. “This is about basic accountability. The public deserves to know the facts, and lawmakers shouldn’t get special treatment just because of their position.”
The amendment was ultimately added to the public safety omnibus bill by a vote of 36-30; all 32 Republicans, and four Democrats, voted for it. The remaining 30 Democrats voted against the amendment.
Draheim’s proposal comes after two Minnesota state senators were charged with felonies in the last 13 months.
In April of 2024, Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, was charged with felony first-degree burglary after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s home. Following Mitchell’s arrest, Alpha News filed a lawsuit to obtain the body camera footage of the senator’s arrest. The legal case to obtain the footage is still ongoing.
Multiple ethics complaints have been filed against Mitchell, and Senate Democrats have blocked GOP attempts to expel the DFL lawmaker. Mitchell remains in her elected position and voted against Draheim’s amendment.
Two months ago, former Sen. Justin Eichorn was arrested and federally charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution. Amidst calls for his resignation and an impending expulsion, Eichorn resigned from office.
Should Draheim’s amendment become law, it would not retroactively apply to Mitchell or Eichorn. Instead, the language would only apply to public officials who are charged with a felony after the proposal is signed into law.
“This is a commonsense step to restore public trust,” said Draheim. “People are tired of seeing two systems of justice—one for politicians, one for everyone else. This amendment sends a clear message that no one is above the law.”
The public safety omnibus bill will now go to a conference committee where members of the House and Senate will hash out any existing policy differences before passing the final version of the bill.
Whether Draheim’s amendment will be included in the final version has yet to be seen.
Sarah Prentice
Sarah Prentice has previously written for Campus Reform and worked as an intern at Media Research Center. While continuing to pursue her degree in political science, she worked full-time in communications and media outreach for a pro-woman, pro-life non-profit. Now a fellow at Alpha News during her senior year of college, she hopes to graduate with her political science degree from SUNY Brockport and combine it with her media and communications experience to pursue political journalism. She has a special interest in reporting on stories related to social issues, education, public health, and religious freedom.
