JEFFERSON CITY — The General Assembly is preparing to receive the first report from the Missouri Council on Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children, a group formed as part of Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder’s, R-Scott City, Senate Bill 775 passed in 2022. 

Senator Thompson Rehder is one of four legislators that serve on the council. They are joined by 13 members from various state agencies, the attorney general’s office and victim advocacy groups. The council has been meeting throughout the year with a directive to collect data relating to sex trafficking of children and to develop best practices regarding the response to sex trafficking of children. Several new plans and programs have already been implemented as a result of the council’s efforts. 

Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved funding for a new unit within the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division that will coordinate the data and information gathering efforts regarding minor human trafficking and missing youth and runaways. The council is also working to implement a program to provide regional support and prevention models in order to create a consistent effort across the state called the Child Advocacy Center Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CAC-CSEC) program. 

“I am extremely proud of the council’s quick action on this important issue and look forward to presenting our final report,” said Sen. Thompson Rehder. “We are now more prepared than ever to prevent this horrible practice and make sure that Missouri is taking a leading role in putting a stop to the exploitation and trafficking of children.”

Senate Bill 775 was passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor in 2022. The law requires the council to provide a report to the General Assembly and the governor by the end of the year. Senator Thompson Rehder has also pre-filed Senate Bill 1245 ahead of the 2024 legislative session, which contains several provisions in response to the council’s findings.