Addressing Child Trafficking

I recently had the honor of testifying on my bipartisan bill that gives law enforcement more tools to combat the sex trafficking of minors. 

Over a recent 15 month period, a total of 99 substantiated complaints of child sex trafficking were reported to the state Department of Children and Families. Half of these cases occurred in Milwaukee, while the other half took place throughout the rest of the state.

Although these minors are victims of sexual abuse, our state statutes remain out of date and allow for trafficked kids to be charged with prostitution.

It is time for that to change since there are no other crimes in which we charge individuals for an abuse committed against them.

SB 245 has the support of all of our major law enforcement groups around the state. They tell us that sex-trafficked children often do not report their traffickers because they fear they’ll be charged with a crime.

 My bill eliminates that barrier between survivors and law enforcement, which will likely lead to more arrests. In fact, after Minnesota passed Safe Harbor legislation in 2011, convictions of traffickers quadrupled the following year.

Furthermore, criminalizing youth who have been sexually exploited can add to the trauma they have already suffered.

If you would like to watch the public hearing on SB 245, please click on the following link.

Taiwan Caucus

I had the privilege this week of welcoming the Taiwanese ambassador to the United States and celebrating the formation of the Taiwan Friendship Caucus.

During the inaugural meeting, I was honored to present Taiwanese Ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao with a citation to recognize the creation of our friendship caucus. Our state Legislature is now the second in the nation to have partnered with Taiwan in this manner.

I am proud to co-chair the new caucus, which allows Wisconsin legislators to express our state's commitment to Taiwan and showcase the shared values between our people.

Taiwan is one of our country’s closest allies and trade partners. They are a major producer of computer technology and chips, providing an important alternative to being dependent on China for these products. In return, they rely heavily on the importation of American agricultural products.

The purpose of the caucus is to support Taiwan’s commitment to democracy, freedom and human rights; safeguard peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region; strengthen the bonds of friendship; and promote a closer economic and trade partnership.

At this week’s meeting, Ambassador Hsiao gave an inspiring speech, stressing the importance of the economic relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan, including the exportation of Wisconsin agricultural products to the island nation.

You can watch the entire caucus event by clicking here.

First Responder of the Year 

My office is now accepting nominations for the 1^st Assembly District First Responder of the Year.

Nominees can include police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and paid or volunteer public servants.  

You can nominate a deserving first responder for a variety of reasons, including:

• A specific heroic action
• A significant professional achievement
• Something special they do for the community 
• His or her body of work over time
• His or her length of service

Nominations must be submitted to my office by Oct. 8. The winner will be honored during our Assembly floor session near the end of October.

Last session's recipient was Al Tlachac, a longtime veteran of the Luxemburg Community Fire Department and Luxemburg Rescue Squad.