HF 4324 Summary

• Increases civil penalties for environmental violations in Minnesota, with maximum penalties of $10,000 per day for standard violations and $25,000 per day for hazardous waste violations.

• Requires courts to impose penalties at least a certain percentage higher (amount not specified in bill text) than the most recent penalty for violations occurring within 36 months of previous violations.

• Modifies Minnesota Statutes sections 115.071 and 116.072 to change penalty assessment language from discretionary "may" to mandatory "must" when determining amounts for repeated violations.

• Adds requirement that commissioners or county boards must consider similarity of violations, time elapsed since last violation, number of previous violations, and person's response to prior violations when assessing penalties for repeat offenses.

• Makes penalties for repeated or serious violations non-forgivable and specifies effective date as day following final enactment for orders issued on or after that date.