Sexual Assault Prevention Programming. For the first time, Minnesota has approved state funding for Sexual Assault prevention programming. As part of the Public Safety budget, $300,000 will be allotted to address risks, policies and practices with the goal of reducing the likelihood of sexual abuse.
Felony enhancement for repeat sexual offenders. Effective August 2014, this new law expands the probation period for 5th Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct convictions and enhances the sentence from a gross misdemeanor to a felony when the perpetrator has had a prior criminal sexual conduct conviction.
Data Sharing About School Personnel Requirement modifications. When an employee of a public or charter school commits an act of sexual misconduct with a student and resigns mid-investigation, the school district must release the perpetrator’s private personnel data to other school districts in if the employee applies for a job. The data released will not include any identifying information about the student ensuring the survivor’s identity and privacy is honored.
Safe Harbor Law Improvements. The Safe Harbor Law, enacted in 2011, has been reviewed this legislative session resulting in more funding to services for sexually exploited youth. As part of the legislation, eight regional navigators will be available to connect youth survivors with trauma-related resources across the state.
These are just some of the recent changes and new laws that promote protection of survivors. For a complete list, visit the MN Coalition of Sexual Assault’s Legislative Tracking Archive: http://www.mncasa.org/legislative-tracking-and-new-laws-archive