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SD-37. Distracted Driving <br />Issue: Distracted driving is when a driver <br />engages in any activity that might take <br />attention away from the primary task of <br />driving. According to the Minnesota <br />Department of Public Safety, one in four <br />motor vehicle crashes is related to distracted <br />driving. Distracted driving was a <br />contributing factor in 175 fatal crashes from <br />2011 to 2013 in Minnesota and resulted in <br />191 deaths. More than half of those crashes <br />occurred in rural areas. Those fatalities cost <br />the state more than $269 million. A <br />University of Utah study finds that the <br />relative risk of being in a traffic accident <br />while using a cell phone is similar to the <br />hazard associated with driving with a blood <br />alcohol level at the legal limit. <br />Under existing law, it is illegal for a driver <br />to read, compose, or send text messages and <br />emails, or access the Internet using a <br />wireless device, while the vehicle is in <br />motion or a part of traffic (including while <br />stopped in traffic or at a semaphore). Cell <br />phone use is totally banned for school bus <br />drivers. Cell phone use is also totally banned <br />for teen drivers during their permit and <br />provisional license stages. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities opposes any changes to Minnesota <br />Statutes that would weaken distracted <br />driving laws. The League supports state <br />funding for distracted driving <br />enforcement and education. The League <br />also supports making it illegal to drive <br />while using the cell phone as well as <br />strengthening distracted driving laws as <br />they pertain to roadway construction <br />work zones. <br />SD-38. Juveniles in Municipal Jails <br />Issue: Municipal jails have long served as <br />holding facilities for suspects who are being <br />questioned and/or booked, and for those <br />awaiting transfer to a county jail or juvenile <br />detention facility. In 2012, the Minnesota <br />Department of Corrections (DOC) issued a <br />reinterpretation of an existing law to say <br />that, "[W]here counties have secure juvenile <br />correctional facilities...juveniles are not <br />allowed to be held in jail and/or municipal <br />lock -ups for any length of time." <br />This interpretation is in conflict with a <br />provision in Minn. Stat. § 260B.181, subd. <br />4, which provides that juveniles can be held <br />in a licensed juvenile facility for up to six <br />hours. Many municipal jails, including <br />those in counties where juvenile detention <br />facilities exist, have been operating under <br />the six -hour holding law. <br />Managers of municipal jails indicate the <br />reinterpretation of the law is contrary to <br />common practice and presents significant <br />challenges for municipal law enforcement <br />personnel. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports a statutory clarification <br />that would allow juveniles to be held for <br />questioning and booking in licensed jail <br />facilities for up to six hours, regardless of <br />whether the county has a juvenile <br />detention facility. <br />SD-39. Justice System Funding <br />Issue: Over the past several years, <br />Minnesota's justice system has operated <br />under consecutive budget shortfalls. Public <br />service windows are closed part of each <br />week in many courthouses. Delays in case <br />filings, hearings and dispositions are <br />building throughout the state as staff and <br />judges struggle to keep up with caseloads. <br />The budget shortfalls limit the ability of the <br />courts to process cases pertaining to <br />shoplifting, trespassing, worthless checks, <br />traffic and ordinance violations, juvenile <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2015 City Policies Page 26 <br />