Senate committee adopts amendment and lays over bill criminalizing grooming in schools after survivor testimony
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Summary
A Minnesota Senate committee advanced SF 3969, adopting an A12 amendment that tightens the definition of 'grooming' and clarifies prohibited conduct by people in positions of authority after victim testimony and law-enforcement support; the bill was laid over pending a fiscal note and referral to Finance.
Senators on the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on April 9 adopted an amendment to and laid over SF 3969, a bill that would create a criminal offense for grooming and add grooming as a licensure violation for educators.
Senator McQuaid, the bill's sponsor, moved the A12 amendment to tighten the statutory definition of grooming and to clarify conduct prohibited for those in positions of authority. The amendment passed by voice vote.
Hannah LaPresto, who identified herself to the committee as a survivor of grooming and sexual assault by her high‑school band teacher, described years of manipulation that culminated in assault. “Grooming is the creation of a false world made just for you,” LaPresto said, detailing how isolation, normalized touching and manipulative communication lasted for years before she disclosed. She told the committee that because MDE investigators are constrained by a three‑year lookback in practice, her case was never considered in a maltreatment determination despite a police finding of probable cause.
Detective Chad Clawson of the Eagan Police Department, who investigated related allegations, told senators he observed a consistent ‘‘playbook’’ of grooming across multiple students and that legal gaps—particularly limits on administrative review—prevented fuller accountability. “Preventing investigations solely based on time protects offenders, not students,” Clawson said.
Adoshuni, director of government relations for the Minnesota Department of Education, told the committee MDE supports the bill’s student‑safety goals but cautioned that successful implementation would require careful resourcing and adjustments to investigative workloads.
Committee members pressed on technical points. Several asked whether the bill removes statutory language that effectively limits MDE screening to incidents occurring within three years of a report; others raised questions about sentencing phrasing and whether the bill's language correctly captures different employment situations (for example, people employed or contracted by schools who are not licensed educators). Sponsor McQuaid said she would work with staff to clarify the age‑gap and licensing language where needed.
Senators also discussed whether elements of the grooming definition and sentencing language should be considered by the Judiciary Committee; supporters noted the amendment had been drafted with input from counsel and advocates.
Because the bill’s changes could affect multiple agencies and programs, the committee delayed final action pending a fiscal note and laid SF 3969 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus package; the committee recommended it be passed and referred to the Finance Committee for further review.
Next steps: SF 3969 will wait for its fiscal note and additional drafting to address concerns raised at the hearing, including the statutory lookback language and age/role definitions.
