Bennett’s anti-grooming bill shows what bipartisanship can accomplish

In a deadlocked Minnesota House of Representatives this year — and a notably divisive political environment — state Rep. Peggy Bennett was able to do something not many have been able to do this legislative session.
She had a bipartisan piece of legislation pass both the House and Senate.
More remarkably, this piece of legislation had the support of every single legislator — passing unanimously.
Her bill is designed to help protect students from being groomed by teachers.
“Predatory grooming and the resulting sexual abuse of children in our schools has sadly become an increasingly frequent occurrence,” Bennett wrote in a recent guest column. “News headlines speak of this prevalence at an alarming rate. I can say with most certainty that everyone knows someone who has been (affected) by grooming.”
Bennett, whose district includes a portion of Steele County, and previously represented parts of Dodge County, introduced legislation to help address a gap in the law that allowed an Eagan teacher to avoid criminal charges, despite years of acting inappropriately with multiple female students.
Among other measures, it defines grooming as a felony, requires the state Dept. of Education to develop mandatory reporter training, revokes licenses from teachers convicted of grooming, and bars teachers, contractors and volunteers from being alone with a student during field trips.
During a hearing held on the bill earlier this year, Eagan Police Detective Chad Clausen defined grooming as a “slow process of building a false, trusted relationship with the child to facilitate future sexual abuse, whether or not the physical abuse actually occurs.
“Waiting for physical abuse means waiting for more harm,” he added.
Clausen conducted a broad investigation that included the case of Eagan High School alumna Hannah LoPresto. After being groomed for years by her band teacher, LoPresto said, he sexually assaulted her on her last day of high school.
Bennett, herself, was groomed by a teacher while in high school.
What is even more intriguing is how this piece of legislation came to be.
Bennett explained that last fall, a Twin Cities television station reached out to legislators looking for comments on a series the reporter was doing “related to sexual grooming. I happened to be the only legislator who responded to her.”
“I don’t believe this connection was by chance,” Bennett wrote.
She didn’t shy away from the reporter’s questions, but saw an injustice, and instead of grandstanding on Facebook, or sending out a tone-deaf press release on the need to make change — she went out and got the bill passed.
This was Bennett’s last legislative session, as she is retiring from her seat and currently is running for the GOP nomination for Governor.
Someone will replace her next year; we hope that whoever wins uses her approach as a good model on how to address issues head-on, and to do so in a bipartisan way.