Minnesota attorney general's office would beef up criminal division under legislative proposal

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It was a key issue that defined the 2022 campaign for attorney general: Just what role should the state's chief legal officer play in prosecuting violent crime at the local level?

That's mostly the job of county attorneys, according to state law, but they can seek out the attorney general's office for assistance.

The bill provides $4 million over two years "for enhanced criminal enforcement and related initiatives," according to an amendment approved in a House committee on Tuesday.

Right now, there are three prosecutors in the criminal division, said Attorney General Keith Ellison. Additional funding could increase that to seven.

Since 2019, the attorney general's office has assisted local county attorneys prosecute 33 serious criminal cases, mostly in Greater Minnesota, Ellison added. These local prosecutors may ask for help on complex cases because they don't have enough resources on their own.

"We have seen over the last 20 years essentially a flatline in terms of nominal dollars and a significant reduction in terms of real dollars in the last 20 years. We used to simply do more than we used to do because we had more to do it with," Ellison said. "Litigation is more complicated. The population of the state has increased, and yet the budget of the AG's office has not."  

The bill advanced out of State and Local Government Committee on a party-line vote.

The lead Republican on the panel, Rep. Jim Nash of Waconia, introduced an amendment that he said would bring more accountability by requiring the attorney general to submit a report detailing the use of the funds and information on prosecutions and outcomes of investigations. Those changes didn't advance.

In addition to the $4 million in future years, it would provide nearly $270,000 this fiscal year, which Ellison said would help "meet the needs right away" of counties that have contacted his office recently. 

The Minnesota County Attorneys Association also supports the proposal.

"While our county attorneys do an admirable job of prosecuting cases typical of their communities, many serve in small offices and, in some cases, with part-time staff," wrote Robert Small, the association's executive director, in a letter to the committee. "In the rare instance of a serious crime occurring in these greater Minnesota counties, it is often beyond the experience and resources of these small offices to properly prosecute the case."