Minnesota bill that would make grooming a felony unanimously passes House
A law to make grooming a felony in Minnesota is closer to reality. House members unanimously passed the bill on Monday.
The move follows a WCCO Investigative series where Hannah LoPresto shared what she calls grooming and sexual assault by her high school band director.
Republican Rep. Peggy Bennett authored the bill and brought it to the House floor.
"I want to say I'm very proud of Hannah LoPresto for her bravery in sharing her story. Both she and Detective Chad Clausen have been an amazing help. If you two would stand. I'd like to recognize them for all their work," Bennett said.
The bill is an effort to prevent grooming in schools. At the heart of it is making grooming a felony in Minnesota.
"To those sexual predators who are going after our children, I want this bill to put you on notice. We're coming after you," Bennett said.
Member after member spoke in favor of the bill.
"Kids in the future are going to be safer because Hannah has shared her story," Republican Rep. Ben Bakeberg said.
"This is a good bill and I hope members will vote yes on this bill," DFL Rep. Sydney Jordan said.
"What it does is draw a commonsense line in the sand to protect the children that we love," Republican Rep. Krista Knudsen said.
When it came time, the board lit up green, passing unanimously.
"I was pretty nervous going into it. And so to see the board be all yes, it is all green, was such a relief. I was so happy. Got a little bit teary-eyed to see that happen so fast," LoPresto said.
Detective Chad Clausen investigated LoPresto's case and has testified alongside her every step of the way.
"There's a lot of people who have worked on this, and then how courageous Hannah is to be here, we wouldn't be here without her. It makes you proud you had a little something to do with it," Clausen said.
Bennett says it's LoPresto sharing her truth which gave her the courage to speak up about her own story of grooming and sexual assault decades earlier.
"It's kind of like the generations coming together. Knowing it's still happening, that's why we have to say no, we have to say enough," Bennett said.
While passing the House is monumental, there is still more to go. There could be changes to language and it needs to pass a Senate floor vote, all before it could be sent to Gov. Tim Walz.
Sexual Assault Resources
- (SOS – Ramsey County)
- Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
- Aurora Center (U of MN)
- 360 Communities (Dakota County)
- Hope Center (Rice County)
- Canvas Health (Washington County)
- Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
General Sexual Assault Websites:
