MN HF3259

Commissioner of Health shall conduct a study on the total economic costs of violence in Minnesota, consulting with commissioners from Public Safety, Corrections, Human Services, Education, Revenue, Commerce, and Employment and Economic Development, plus optional consultation with judiciary, law enforcement associations, and violence prevention organizations.

Study must quantify costs including victim treatment and care, wage losses, employer recruitment costs, domestic violence, suicides, community business losses, criminal justice system expenses, lost tax revenue, and school security and violence costs.

Study must include a comprehensive plan to reduce violence and investigate new funding sources and tax revenues to cover violence-related costs.

Commissioner of Health must report findings to the legislature by March 15, 2016, with specific summaries of economic costs for domestic violence, sexual violence, firearms-related violence, and school violence.

General fund appropriation (amount not specified) is provided to the Commissioner of Health in fiscal year 2015 to conduct the study.