MN House Passes Controversial Obstruction Bill

SAINT PAUL, MN — The Minnesota House Monday passed an omnibus public, security, and finance bill Monday that would increase penalties for obstructing a highway or an airport.

The proposal is a response to recent protests that led to the shutdown of Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 in the Twin Cities.

What do you think of the proposal? Tell us in the comments!

To say the proposal is controversial would be an understatement. DFL Rep. Ilhan Omar, of Minneapolis, recently compared the increased penalties to tactics used by white supremacists to stop the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, Stillwater Rep. Kathy Lohmer said she supports tougher penalties on highway obstruction for many reasons, but one is deeply personal.

Read the proposed language in HF 896 below:

609.74 PUBLIC NUISANCE.

(a) Whoever by an act or failure to perform a legal duty intentionally does any of the
following is guilty of maintaining a public nuisance, which is a misdemeanor:

(1) maintains or permits a condition which unreasonably annoys, injures or endangers
the safety, health, morals, comfort, or repose of any considerable number of members of
the public; or

(2) except as provided in paragraph (b), interferes with, obstructs, or renders dangerous
for passage, any public highway or right-of-way, or waters used by the public; or

(3) is guilty of any other act or omission declared by law to be a public nuisance and for
which no sentence is specifically provided.

(b) It is a gross misdemeanor for a person to interfere with or obstruct traffic that is
entering, exiting, or on a freeway or entering, exiting, or on a public roadway within the
boundaries of airport property with the intent to interfere with, obstruct, or otherwise disrupt
traffic. This paragraph does not apply to the actions of law enforcement or other emergency
responders, road or airport authorities, or utility officials, or their agents, employees, or
contractors when carrying out duties imposed by law or contract. For purposes of this
paragraph: (1) "airport" means an airport that has a control tower and airline service; and
(2) "freeway" means a divided highway whose only access and egress for vehicular traffic
is from entrance and exit ramps.

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