Bill
HF 4741
Creates a public Domestic Violence Offender Registry tracking repeat offenders with public data and a 150 fee to fund enforcement and victims’ services.
Jurisdiction: Minnesota
Purpose
- Establishes a Domestic Violence Offender Registry to track individuals who have repeated domestic violence offenses.
- Publishes offender information to assist law enforcement and public safety, with a public-facing website and a limited public data set.
- Creates a financial mechanism (registration fee) to fund the registry and allocates a portion to the Minnesota Victims of Crime account.
Key Provisions
1) Definitions
- Domestic violence offender: a person convicted of a qualified domestic violence-related offense after having previously been convicted of a qualifying offense.
- Family or household member: as defined in Minnesota law (section 518B.01, subd. 2).
- Qualified domestic violence-related offense: offense defined in §609.02, subd. 16, but applicable only when the offender’s victim is a family or household member.
2) Registry and Publication of Information
- The Commissioner of Public Safety must maintain a registry for domestic violence offenders that includes:
- Name, address, date of birth, date/county/crime of conviction, recent photograph, and (if reasonably available) a copy of driver’s license or government-issued ID.
- A public, searchable website must publish:
- Name, date of birth, date and county of conviction, and photograph.
- Registry information is available to peace officers investigating a crime upon request.
3) Duties of Courts and Other Officials
- Upon conviction for a registrable offense, the court must notify the offender of the duty to register and forward the required information to the Commissioner of Public Safety.
- Probation officers or corrections officials must assist by ensuring information is forwarded if oversight changes occur.
- Failure by the court or officials to forward information does not excuse the offender from registering.
4) Registration Period (Duration of Publication)
- The length of time the registry data is maintained depends on the offender’s number of prior qualified domestic violence-related offense convictions:
- 5 years if there is one prior conviction.
- 7 years if there are two prior convictions.
- 10 years if there are three prior convictions.
- 20 years if there are four or more prior convictions.
5) Cooperation
- Offenders must cooperate by providing and updating information (address changes, updated photographs, etc.) as required by the Commissioner.
6) Criminal Penalties
- A person required to register who knowingly or willfully fails to register or provides false information commits a misdemeanor.
7) Registration Fee
- A $150 registration fee is added to the offender’s sentence (in addition to other punishments/assessments).
- $50 is deposited into the general fund; the remainder goes to the Minnesota Victims of Crime account (per §299A.708).
- Indigency or undue hardship can lead to waivers or reductions of the fee/assessment.
- Effective date: August 1, 2026. Applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
Funding/Implementation
Effective Date and Scope
Overall Impact
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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