Minnesota senator on anti-grooming bill: "I'm not worried about it getting across the finish line"
It's the final stretch to make grooming a child a crime in Minnesota. With a week to go in the legislative session, it's the state Senate's turn to move the legislation along.
The push follows a WCCO Investigative series.
The Senate floor is where DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade expects to see the bill she's carrying to make grooming a crime in Minnesota. On the floor for a vote.
"Seven days is a lifetime in legislative days, so I'm not worried about it getting across the finish line," Maye Quade said.
It's a stand-alone bill that she says aligns with other priorities she's working on.
"There's just so much that happens to young girls, especially, that I feel like we just do not recognize in our statute. We've kind of created this statutory framework that allows for this predatory behavior towards young girls and I really want to stop that," Maye Quade said.
At the center of the bill is Hannah LoPresto, who shared in committee after committee what she calls the grooming and sexual assault by her high school band director. Detective Chad Clausen testified too.
Clausen investigated her case.
"They are truly incredible advocates. Detective Clausen knows the statute and he understands the behavior of predators. Hannah has just done an incredible job sharing her story. Really illuminating the parts of her experience that need to be addressed in law and where the gaps were," Maye Quade said.
There's been work behind the scenes with House author Republican Rep. Peggy Bennett. The bill was unanimously passed by the chamber two weeks ago.
"We have language that's been hammered out that we feel good about on both sides," Bennett said.
Bennett, who recently shared her own story of grooming a generation earlier, says she's closely watching what happens in the Senate.
"I didn't realize how emotional it is for me until this kind of all came out, and how important it is, because I see this still happening to kids. It's hugely important, and we need to get it passed, something we can all agree upon," Bennett said.
The bill will be heard before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday morning. Maye Quade says she expects it to go to the floor for a vote on Wednesday.
On Monday, DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy told WCCO, "I applaud Hannah for her courage coming forward to share what happened to her. This legislation would not exist without her. Senator Maye Quade's bill is a strong, smart response to a deeply troubling story of abuse of power in our schools. This legislation will make students safer and help prevent this from ever happening again."