Committee hears informational presentation on House File 3220 to fund law-enforcement lockboxes in schools

Representative Sandra Green told the Capital Investment Committee on April 29 that House File 3220 would cancel $1,800,000 in expiring balance from a 2018 school safety grant and reappropriate those dollars to buy law-enforcement lockboxes (commonly called Knox Boxes) for schools across Minnesota.

The bill was presented on an informational basis. Representative Green said the A-1 amendment would add American Indian tribal contract schools to the list of eligible recipients and that the appropriation would be enough to outfit every school in the state with one law-enforcement Knox Box. “It’s enough funding to outfit all schools in our entire state,” Green said.

The presenters and committee members described how law-enforcement Knox Boxes differ from the fire-department boxes currently in use. Peter Clough of the Knox Company told the committee that police and fire often maintain separate boxes. Representative Jeff Woody, speaking from his experience as a former Burnsville police officer, said law-enforcement boxes are typically placed at a secondary entrance (rear or side) and can give officers immediate access to keys so they can enter a building without breaching doors or waiting for staff to arrive. “Seconds can truly matter,” Woody said.

Members asked about liability, placement, and whether boxes can be dual-use. Representative Frederick asked whether the law-enforcement box would be separate from the fire department box; presenters said they can be dual but are often separate for liability and key-control reasons. Representative Green and others noted the proposal aligns with national recommendations and cited the U.S. Department of Justice report on Uvalde and national groups such as the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools and the I Love You Guys Foundation as supporters of lockbox use.

Representative Green framed the appropriation as a use of existing, expiring grant dollars consistent with the grant’s original intent and cited an estimate of the student population and institutions covered: about 1,000,000 students in roughly 2,000 public schools, 200 charter schools, tribal schools and intermediate districts. The presentation concluded with time for questions; the bill was not put to a committee vote during this hearing.

The committee proceeded to other agenda items after the presentation.