Tag: Veterans Restorative Justice Act

Rep. Ecklund statement on Veterans Restorative Justice Act

House DFL logo

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), chair of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division, issued the following statement regarding the Veterans Restorative Justice Act:

“Today, we had the opportunity to come together – as Democrats and Republicans – to help our military veterans, who have admirably served our country, but who have made mistakes during rough patches after returning home. Often, these mistakes can be directly tied to trauma they experienced during their service. The Veterans Restorative Justice Act would help change this. The bill would create alternative sentencing options for veterans who commit crimes under a certain severity threshold with service-connected trauma, substance abuse, or mental health conditions.

“The advocates who worked on this bill made it clear: they want us to pass a clean bill, and I feel that’s what we owe them. But in preparation for us to consider the legislation on the House Floor today, Republicans prepared numerous amendments in an effort to stop the bill, despite many months of bipartisan consensus. Only one thing appears to have changed: we are now less than three weeks away from a general election.

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House Veterans Affairs Division discusses Veterans Restorative Justice Act

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, Minnesota – Today, the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division held a remote hearing to discuss the Veterans Restorative Justice Act. The measure, authored by Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), includes new sentencing recommendations for veterans who have experienced PTSD or another service-related disorder to refer them to treatment rather than jail or prison.

“Veterans courts are a proven model that ensures those who have served our nation have an opportunity to get the mental health or substance abuse treatment they need to turn their lives around while holding them accountable,” said Rep. Ecklund, chair of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division. “For many young people who have experienced trauma during their service, incarceration simply doesn’t help the problem. It’s time to advance this bipartisan legislation so our state can be a leader in helping our veterans – who have made wrong decisions – have a second chance at a bright future.”

The legislation creates an alternative sentencing option for veterans with service-connected trauma, substance abuse, or mental health conditions who commit certain crimes under a certain severity threshold. Upon pleading guilty and agreeing to terms, veterans can be eligible for redirection into diversion programs, participation in veteran-focused programming, probation instead of jail time, and treatment programs. After successful completion of probation and related veterans programming, a veteran can be eligible to have crimes eliminated from their record. Continue reading “House Veterans Affairs Division discusses Veterans Restorative Justice Act”