Judiciary Committee roundup: technical DOC bill, cannabis data, autonomous‑vehicle language, agritourism, survivor benefits, and arbitration measures

The Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee considered multiple bills spanning corrections operations, consumer protections, data practices for cannabis, agritourism liability, public‑safety survivor benefits, and autonomous vehicle language. The committee took a mix of voice votes, referrals and layovers.

Key procedural outcomes at the hearing:

- Senate File 42‑93 (Department of Corrections technical omnibus): The committee adopted an A2 author’s amendment and recommended the bill, as amended, to pass and be referred to the Senate floor.

- Senate File 44‑02 (cannabis data practices): Sponsor Senator Dibble described protections for sensitive proprietary data and increased transparency for license application status; the committee recommended returning the bill to Commerce as part of an omnibus package.

- Senate File 40‑14 (commercial autonomous vehicles): Senator McKeown presented a provision requiring a human driver for vehicles over 10,000 pounds. Committee counsel flagged an inconsistency in penalty language creating a statutory conflict; members agreed to lay the bill over pending wording fixes.

- Senate File 44‑33 (racing facilities immunity): After industry support and legal opposition, the committee adopted an oral amendment striking local‑preemption language and laid the bill over for further drafting.

- Senate File 48‑43 (off‑road vehicle trails as agritourism): The committee heard testimony that the change would codify existing practice and laid the bill over for the agriculture committee to consider policy merits.

- Senate File 46‑67 (survivor benefits for exposure‑related cancer): Testimony tied the proposal to federal changes and a Minnesota case (Mike Piter). The committee laid the bill over pending a fiscal note; witnesses said the PSOB fund pays claims and local government costs are expected to be minimal.

- Senate File 39‑69 (grooming and school misconduct): The committee adopted the A8 amendment clarifying grooming’s definition and positions of authority, and recommended the bill be referred to Education Finance.

- Senate File 42‑89 (consumer arbitration): Senator Seaburger’s bill to bar conditioning sales on pre‑dispute mandatory arbitration was recommended to pass and be referred to Commerce after committee discussion about opt‑outs and adhesion contracts.

The committee adjourned and scheduled reconvening Friday morning. Several items were laid over to allow sponsors to revise statutory language or obtain fiscal notes.