Governor, attorney general urge passage of anti-trafficking bills by end of session

Missouri has the fourth-highest human trafficking rate in the nation, and legislators hope to address the issue before the current legislative session ends.

“People’s lives, especially the lives of children, are being stolen, exploited and abused by disgusting individuals who feel entitled to someone else’s life,” Gov. Mike Parson said in a press conference. “Thanks to efforts across state government and those of the attorney general, we are fighting back in the state of Missouri.”

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Patterson and Attorney General Andrew Bailey want the legislature to pass House Bill 1706, which would classify as law a statewide anti-human trafficking task force. Since 2018, the state highway patrol has trained nearly 1,300 law enforcement officers to take a “victim-centered approach” to detecting potential human trafficking and better communicate with victims in fear of traffickers. The task force is expanding the training while coordinating state government efforts.

“The bottom line is that I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children, and I’m going to use every legal tool at my disposal to combat human trafficking and exploitation,” Bailey said. “But this legislation is a significant step to ridding the state of the evil once and for all.”

Parson and Bailey also want lawmakers to pass a $1 million budget request to boost awareness and recognize the threats of human trafficking.

“These funds will help the attorney general’s office deepen its work with partners such as the Missouri Children’s Division to help protect our most vulnerable,” Parson said. “A staggering 60 percent of child sex trafficking victims are believed to have been part of the child welfare system at one point.”

Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, is chair of the Missouri Statewide Council on Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children. He said few crimes are as reprehensible as the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The legislature is working to pass a state budget by the deadline of May 10. The deadline to pass policy bills is May 17.

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice