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Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House and I hope you are having a great summer. The arrival of August means a number of new laws are in effect as of today, including one I wrote to crack down on sex trafficking at adult entertainment businesses and massage parlors.
My bill (H.F. 286) passed the legislature without opposition during the 2025 session, 132-0 in the House and 65-0 in the Senate. It aims to tighten state law by expanding background checks on adult entertainment or massage license applications. The old state law limited law enforcement agencies to conducting only Minnesota criminal background checks for such businesses. This restriction has allowed sex traffickers to operate out of Waite Park and other Minnesota locations.
The new law will curtail this activity and aid law enforcement by letting cities catch red flags from other states. It will make Minnesota’s licensing process stronger and help protect our communities from these kinds of crimes. National checks could reveal past arrests that should stop someone from getting a massage license here in our area and throughout the state. If Waite Park officials had been able to access national background information a few years ago, they would’ve seen the applicants were involved in a multi-state trafficking ring.
I’m grateful for all the support we received in getting this this bill through the legislature, with the House and the Senate both lighting up the voting board green on final approval. It is exciting to see this new law going into effect. Sen. Jeff Howe from Rockville authored the companion bill.
Click here for a rundown of all the state’s new laws as of Aug. 1.
Please Contact Me
It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. You can call me at 651-296-6316, or email me at [email protected]. I am here to serve you!
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