Bill > HF465

This bill requires peace officers in Minnesota to be United States citizens, amending several existing statutes to mandate citizenship as a prerequisite for licensure and employment in law enforcement. Specifically, the bill prohibits the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) from issuing a new peace officer license to non-U.S. citizens after July 1, 2025, with a temporary exception for peace officers who were already licensed prior to that date, who can maintain their license until June 30, 2027. The bill modifies existing law to include citizenship as a standard in background investigations for peace officer applicants and removes previous language related to citizenship requirements from the board's rule-making provisions. Law enforcement agencies are now required to verify an applicant's U.S. citizenship as part of their background investigation process, in addition to existing professional standards and security clearance requirements. This legislation effectively ensures that only U.S. citizens can serve as peace officers in Minnesota, with a phased implementation to allow currently serving non-citizen officers time to adjust to the new requirement.

Justice

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0465&ssn=0&y=2025