A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers said Monday they would introduce legislation during the coming 2018 session intended to help prevent sex trafficking in Minnesota through education.
Rep. Randy Jessup (R-Shoreview), Rep. Laurie Pryor (DFL-Minnetonka), and Sen. Paul Anderson (R-Plymouth) are sponsoring a bill that proposes to modify existing child sexual abuse prevention curriculum in public schools to include sexual exploitation prevention.
The effort is aimed at preventing sex trafficking in Minnesota, an issue in the spotlight ahead of the National Football League’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis Feb. 4.
“Sex trafficking is actually very pervasive,” said Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein (DFL-New Brighton), a co-sponsor of the legislation, during an afternoon news conference. “We can’t just stand by idly thinking that this isn’t happening in our backyard.”