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>> Good afternoon, everyone.

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My name is Senator Erin Maye

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Quade. I represent Senate

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district. 56 in the Minnesota

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Senate tomorrow. August 1st, it

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will be a felony crime in the

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state of Minnesota for an adult

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to groom a child, the

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implementation of House file.

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34 89 will also address other

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gaps that have made it far too

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easy for adults to prey on

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children without consequence.

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The reason that this bill

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exists is heartbreaking.

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A band teacher in my own school

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district abuse his position to

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groom and sexually assault

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multiple students gaps in our

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laws delayed investigations.

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And ultimately this teacher

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went largely unpunished.

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You'll hear today from the

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incredible advocate who made

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sure that this bill became law

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handle presto and she really

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was crucial and instrumental to

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how we got here. Her story was

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illustrative and she shared it

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over and over and over again to

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protect Minnesota students and

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all children in Minnesota,

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student in Minnesota

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grooming and sexual assault can

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happen to boys and girls.

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But girls in particular are

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targeted for grooming and

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predatory behavior by adults.

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I was 9 years old. The first

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time a grown man set something

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special about my body when I

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was 14 years old. One of my

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best friends entered into a

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relationship with a 24 year-old

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man. It is not uncommon for

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girls as young as 13 14 do have

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boyfriends who are in their

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20's. What is happening to

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young girls and women in this

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world is truly awful. And our

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laws often ignore the reality

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that far too many of us

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experience. And on Saturday,

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the law says no more. This is

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wrong and it is now a felony

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crime before she takes the mic.

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I really want to thank Hana and

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Detective check class and for

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working so closely with me on

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this bill. And I thank you for

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your bravery and telling your

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story. Thank you for turning

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something so painful and

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difficult into such a

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meaningful legislation. It

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takes so much work and

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vulnerability to show up again

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and again and again. An

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advocate for change, especially

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when it's your own story that

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you're going are really telling

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to do so. And I'm so grateful

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to know both of you and to work

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alongside you. This bill is

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better. This law is better and

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protect Minnesota kids because

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of you. And with that, I will

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turn it over to Hannah.

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Thank you.

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>> I'm Hala presto, the victim

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survivor of grooming and sexual

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assault to story is where this

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legislation was born

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over a decade ago. I was a girl

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going to high school.

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The girl who became deeply hurt

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by the grooming and sexual

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assault. She experienced by her

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band teacher.

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Then she grew up. It was faced

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with the harsh reality of being

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told that charges for a case

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for being turned down due to

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gaps in the law.

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That point in time being told

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no

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taught me something about

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creativity.

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Creativity comes from

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constraints from the turn

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downs, the nose from being told

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this is the end of the road.

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It's when I was left with no

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other options that I have the

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greatest opportunity to create

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something that's never existed

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before.

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It created a proposal for the

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changes that needed to be made

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to protect other kids from

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grooming and sexual abuse at

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school.

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And if it weren't for the

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support of my detectives and

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the even police department,

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especially in those early days,

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I would have thought it was

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impossible for someone like

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need to change the law.

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But I'm here to report back

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that remarkably, it's not

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I celebrate these new law

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changes. Yes, but even more.

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So I celebrate the unity and

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togetherness behind them.

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This legislation didn't just

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pass. It passed unanimously in

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every committee and every floor

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vote because this matters to

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all of us.

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It will always be grateful to

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the bipartisan authors Co

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authors and legislative staff.

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He supported me here at the

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Capitol.

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Thank you for listening to me,

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including in the process and

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believing in the power of my

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story

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because of you. I got to

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witness our lawmakers,

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stakeholders and community

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members said their differences

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aside to help me protect our

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young people from grooming

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and it worked because we did it

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together as a team

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since the bill passed. I've

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been asked so many times now.

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How does it feel? Hannah?

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It feels like time travel.

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It feels like I went back to

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rescue little Hannah

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all those years ago. She got

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left behind in the fan-less and

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room in the basement of my high

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school

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and I went back for we went

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back for her together

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being groomed and sexually

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assaulted. Force me to grow up

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too fast.

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I want more kids to be able to

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just be kids.

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And I'm so happy to celebrate

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that tomorrow. We've increased

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those odds.

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This is the ending to the story

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I want.

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If I could have chosen between

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charges from a case or this,

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I choose this

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a far better outcome for our

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communities and a happier

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ending for me. Thank you.

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>> We will take questions.

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>> Senate where it is loaded

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with what changes with it in

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terms of what happens to these.

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>> French's. Yeah. So it is now

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a felony crime to groom a child

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in the state of Minnesota.

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So it's one of the highest

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charges you could possibly get

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other gaps that were closed.

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We don't allow the grooming of

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children no matter the age if

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it is a school employee or

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contract employee because we do

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have students in the state of

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Minnesota who go to school up

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to the age of 22. We also have

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protections for people in

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positions from people in

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positions of authority. So

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that's outside of schools that

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could be soccer coaches or boy

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or girl scout leaders or

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pastors are faith leaders.

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So we really did kind of go

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across the board on combating

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to say where children being

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preyed upon and how can they

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close those gaps. So felony

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penalties and making sure that

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age is not taken into account

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when its positions of authority

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or in a school

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Russians.

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>> And you kind of touched on

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this, but can you tell me a

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lie?

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>> What this means to being a

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little girl in being told that

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like, sorry, nothing, we can do

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it. Now. You're doing something

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major for so many other little

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kids who have been in your same

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position. Can you tell me what

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this means to you?

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>> Yeah, I mean, it's it's

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something I never would have

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imagined this possible for

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myself. Certainly. I think

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when I was turned down, it hurt

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us from a case returned down by

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the county. If if in that

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moment someone had said to me,

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well, then you should just

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change the law. I would have

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thought that was crazy

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and not possible at all.

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And so I think that just as

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experience of all the support

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that I've received

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from all different kinds of

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people that have wanted to see

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me succeed and see the changes

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being made has really shown me

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how it is possible to

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accomplish great things.

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If

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you asked for help and you're

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willing to be vulnerable and

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courageous and be a part of a

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team that's really all gonna

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come together to see this

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through.

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>> A question for you,

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obviously grooming in child

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sexual abuse is

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a big deal and that one law

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will just help to stop all of

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that. Are there other things

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that you guys are looking at

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are doing to help protect

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children more?

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>> Yes, I actually haven't set

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of bills that are directly

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dealing with this issue.

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So one of them is removing the

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statute of limitations on child

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sexual abuse victims seeking

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civil penalties against their

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abusers. I have one that

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increases the age of consent

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from 16 to 18 because it is far

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too young and the state of

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Minnesota. I have one that

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deals with increased penalties

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for adults who are mandated

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reporters and are aware of

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child sexual abuse that is

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occurring and have a

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relationship with the adults,

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not the child because right now

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the statute is constructed.

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It imagines that an adult comes

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across a child in the course of

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their work and is reported to

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them. There are far more adults

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who are aware of the adults who

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are committing the sexual abuse

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and not mandated reporting.

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I think there might be 2 more

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in that suite of bills. But

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this is this is a huge first

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step. Absolutely. But there is

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more that we can and should do

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in the state of Minnesota and

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those bills that I just

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mentioned. They are all

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bipartisan. And so I really

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hope to get those across the

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finish line next session.

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You know, if I returned, but

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it's very, very important work.

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And this was a huge step.

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Great. Thank you so much.

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Any other questions.

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All right. Thank you all so

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much.