Bill to make grooming a felony heads to Minnesota Senate for floor vote

The bill to make grooming a crime in Minnesota is headed to the Senate floor for a vote. The legislation follows a WCCO investigative series on grooming in schools.

The Senate Finance Committee passed the bill out of committee Tuesday, making way for that vote on the Senate floor.

"This bill has been a priority all session after learning the story of Hannah LoPresto and advocacy of Det. Chad Clausen," said DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade, who carried the bill in the Senate.

In WCCO's investigative series, Hannah LoPresto shared what she calls the grooming and sexual assault by her high school band director. She's testified in committees along with Clausen who investigated her case. Making grooming a crime and protecting kids from predators has been their goal all along. 

The committee approved funding for the bill being carried by DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade. It makes grooming a felony offense, requires licensing boards to be notified if a teacher is charged with grooming, updates training on mandatory reporting and it allows the Department of Education to investigate grooming for more than the current three-year look-back. 

The House unanimously passed the bill, authored by Republican Rep. Peggy Bennett, two weeks ago. If it passes the Senate, the House will have to concur with some updated language, and then it will head to the governor's desk to be signed into law. 

There are still more steps, but supporters of the bill are cautiously optimistic about where this is at.