The 2016 legislative session closes

Over the weekend, state legislators met to negotiate a final agreement on a supplemental budget bill for the 2016 session. That agreement was passed by the House and Senate late last night, and unfortunately it does not include our proposal for the State of Minnesota to move forward with a purchase of the Prairie Correctional Facility.
 
While some drug sentencing reform was passed into law this session, it will not be enough to alleviate our state’s persistent prison overcrowding problem. Minnesota’s prison population will likely continue to grow. We are grateful to Representative Tim Miller and Senator Lyle Koenen for being the chief authors and tireless advocates of the Appleton Option, and for helping to give our community a voice in this critical discussion. We made great progress this legislative session and we will continue to urge lawmakers to address this problem head-on, invest in our community, and move forward with a lease or purchase of the Prairie Correctional Facility.
 
Our work is not over. Please continue to stay involved and stay tuned for more updates.