SC Minnesota News

Minnesota State Representative Paul Torkelson has expressed his support for a school safety agenda that aims to address student protection, mental health care, and accountability for violent crimes.

“In light of recent incidents, it’s important for lawmakers to act in a way that actually protects our kids if we are called into a special session,” Torkelson said.

The proposed measures include expanding school safety funding to non-public schools, providing grants and allowing more flexibility in how schools use funds for security improvements, and ensuring every school can have a School Resource Officer. The plan also calls for repealing or amending current restrictions on doctors’ ability to use their medical judgment, increasing resources for mental health treatment beds, and imposing mandatory minimum prison sentences on repeat gun offenders as well as those who illegally purchase firearms used in violent crimes.

Torkelson emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation: “It’s my hope that if we are called into special session that political grandstanding will be avoided,” he said. “Anything that is brought forward will have to have bipartisan support, and these are proposals that are both commonsense and noncontroversial.”