MN HF55

Establishes an Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls within the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs, with a director appointed from candidates closely connected to and knowledgeable about the Black community.

Office duties include advocating for legislation based on Task Force recommendations, collecting and analyzing data on missing and murdered Black women and girls cases, conducting case reviews, facilitating technical assistance to law enforcement, and coordinating with relevant agencies and community organizations.

Office authorized to issue grants to community-based organizations for services that prevent targeting of Black women and girls, provide training to criminal justice partners, or assist victims and their families.

Bureau of Criminal Apprehension must operate a missing person alert program and issue missing person alerts utilizing the Crime Alert Network when notified of missing and endangered persons.

Appropriates $1,248,000 annually for fiscal years 2024-2025, with $300,000 for grants to community organizations and $948,000 for office operations, including at least $50,000 per year for public awareness campaign.