Minnesota state Rep. Kurt Daudt said House Republicans’ plan includes a focus on crime prevention and police recruitment and retention. (Renée Jones Schneider, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minnesota House Republicans on Tuesday rolled out their own slate of public safety priorities to join a competing wish list of bills that encompass one of the legislative session's leading policy debates.

House Republicans outlined their plan in three buckets: crime prevention, police recruitment and retention and "holding the criminal justice system accountable." The latter area continues the GOP's elevated scrutiny of certain county prosecutors and the state's sentencing guidelines process.

"We're really hoping that this year we can make some major strides on some issues that can make a difference in curbing crime," said House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, at a press conference inside the Capitol Rotunda.

Leaders from both sides of the aisle have offered up plans to recruit and retain police officers amid staffing shortfalls in the profession. Senate Republicans previously introduced retention bonuses and pension reforms, as well as scholarships. But a House DFL proposal to provide incentives for high school and college graduates who pursue law enforcement training hit a snag last week over internal disagreements about the party's public safety agenda.

The House DFL has a separate $100 million public safety budget plan that includes money for nonprofits working on violence prevention, community policing and state-funded crime analysts. Gov. Tim Walz wants to give $300 million over three years to local governments and tribes for public safety. His plan also included retention incentives and student loan financing.

At the Capitol on Tuesday, House Republicans outlined their plan for $6 million for education and recruitment initiatives for policing. The caucus is proposing $15 million in grants for local law enforcement agencies to buy body cameras and another $5 million in grants for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office aimed at violent crime prevention and ShotSpotter technology in areas with high gunfire rates.

House Republicans want to create new criminal offenses for carjacking — and to bar those convicted from owning firearms — while toughening penalties for fleeing police. They are also calling for stronger sentences for repeat offenders. In addition, the House GOP wants new requirements for judges and county attorneys to report when they depart from mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines and a bill to require prosecutors file felony charges in all cases where they have probable cause to do so.