Bill would allow counties and cities to run national fingerprint checks for massage and cabaret licenses; HF286 re-referred to elections committee

Representative Perriman presented House File 286 to the House Public Safety Committee on Feb. 12, saying the bill would authorize counties and cities to conduct national criminal-history checks, in addition to existing Minnesota checks, for applicants for massage-business and cabaret licenses. "The bill is because of *** traffickers who are coming to Minnesota to set up a *** trafficking business that poses as a legitimate massage biz business," Perriman said, describing a multi-jurisdictional trafficking operation discovered in Waite Park that might have been identified earlier with national background checks.

Retired Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrude and Waite Park Police Chief Anthony Reznicek testified for the bill. Reznicek described local licensing of therapeutic massage establishments and said the state-purpose code currently available to local law enforcement only returns Minnesota adult arrest and conviction records; he said the city licensed 17 establishments in 2025 and often receives applicants from out of state. "Because they don't have a criminal history here, we have to approve them because there's no basis to deny them," he said. Testimony noted prior committee consideration in earlier sessions and endorsements from the Minnesota Sheriffs Association and Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.

The committee voted to re-refer HF286 to the Elections, Finance and Government Operations Committee by voice vote.