Since when has spending $28 million on expanding a children’s museum or spending $7 million to update a statue garden in downtown Minneapolis more important than saving a young child’s life from forced prostitution and slavery?

House File 485 in the Minnesota House of Representatives would fund roughly $9 million for youth that are victims of sexual exploitation, accordingly with the Safe Harbor Act. The bill would provide housing and shelter for those victims, along with funding for a recovery program.

However, the bill has not yet reached the House floor, even though it has been stuck in the Health and Human Services Committee since the beginning of February.

The Polaris Project estimates that 100,000 young women are forced into sex slavery in the United States. Since when have we become OK with that? How can we end sex slavery across the world in India, if we can’t end it here at home?

I’m calling on all state representatives to do their job of protecting the citizens of this great state, and give this bill full support. If Minnesota lawmakers pass the upcoming $800 million bonding bill, but not HF 485, I think that tells us something about Minnesota.

People matter.

 

Jacob Jensen
Albert Lea