Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen introduced a new slate of four Senate DFL public safety policy proposals on Tuesday. (Renée Jones Schneider, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minnesota Senate DFL leaders on Tuesday made a late case for a new slate of public safety policy proposals while criticizing the Republican majority for "stalling" on an issue that both parties called a major priority entering this session.

With the first committee deadline to advance bills approaching Friday, Senate Democrats unveiled four new proposals that would total about $500 million over three years to fund juvenile justice, community-led crime prevention and new grant programming.

"The majority hasn't done enough on an issue they claim is urgent and we believe it is so," said Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen, DFL-Edina. "They also haven't done enough to plan for the future with proven crime prevention strategies that most public safety experts agree need to work and need to be passed."

Sen. Warren Limmer, a Maple Grove Republican who chairs the Senate's judiciary committee, said in a statement Tuesday that three of the four bills highlighted by the Senate DFL on Tuesday were introduced on Monday.

"You don't need a press conference to introduce a bill, but it appears that is what the Senate DFL did today," Limmer said, later adding: "It's hard to be an obstructionist to something that didn't exist for the first seven weeks of session."

The Senate DFL's new proposals include money for juvenile justice programs, courts, public defenders and programs aimed at violent crime prevention. One bill would distribute $300 million over three years to local governments. The legislation also includes money for family support and higher education opportunities to be offered to those incarcerated, as well as a new Public Safety Innovation Board to issue grants focused on closing unsolved cases and improving police-community relations.

To date, the Minnesota Senate has only passed legislation to spend $1 million on a marketing campaign to attract more officers to the field. The DFL-led House has not voted on that bill.

The Senate GOP majority has numerous other pending bills, many reflecting proposals for tougher penalties for violent crime and increased scrutiny of prosecutorial decisions and state sentencing guidelines. Both parties have offered up versions of bills to try to recruit and retain more law enforcement officers. The Senate GOP version includes signing and retention bonuses for officers and financial aid and scholarships for students pursuing college degrees in law enforcement fields.

DFL Gov. Tim Walz visited New Ulm on Tuesday as part of his own ongoing statewide tour promoting his $300 million public safety budget proposal that is designed to help local governments pay for initiatives such as police recruitment and community-based crime prevention plans.

House Democrats have meanwhile introduced a $100 million plan that includes money for nonprofits working on violence prevention, community policing and state-funded crime analysts.