The Fruits of Important Legislation

I hope you are enjoying this wonderful season of the year. I know winter is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly brings a festive energy as we spend time with family and enjoy our favorite Christmas traditions. Not to mention we’ve had some pretty great weather thus far!

It is also a fantastic time to celebrate the successes of the last year and look ahead to our goals of the future. In this week’s column I want to take a moment to highlight the progress that has been made as a result of a piece of legislation passed in 2022. 

Earlier this week, the Missouri Council on Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children held our final meeting of 2023. This council was formed as a part of Senate Bill 775, legislation that I passionately worked on, and thankfully was able to get passed, that included several provisions relating to the protection and rights of women and children. The goal of the Council is to provide recommendations to the state for ways to improve our response to human trafficking. 

Made up of four legislators, including me, and 13 members from various state agencies, the attorney general’s office and victim advocacy groups, the council met throughout the year and has already made several recommendations that have been implemented or are on their way to implementation. 

First, the council proposed the addition of an anti-trafficking program within the Children’s Division at the Department of Social Services. This unit will begin collecting and providing a centralized data repository surrounding Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) and will identify data around missing youth and runaways. I’m happy to say that the funding for this new unit was approved by the General Assembly and the governor in the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget. 

The council also began implementing a Child Advocacy Center Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CAC-CSEC) program to provide regional coverage and statewide strategy development of a comprehensive CSEC model for all regions of the state.

Often it can be difficult to see the true results of a piece of legislation that makes it all the way through the legislative process. It is inspiring, especially as we head into the new year and 2024 legislative session, to see that a bill passed less than two years ago is already making such a big difference for the victims of these horrible crimes. 

I look forward to continuing to push for the rights and protections of every Missourian, particularly women and children. In the coming weeks I will be putting out more information on my priority legislation for 2024 and look forward to working with my colleagues to continue making Missouri as great as it can be for every person fortunate enough to call it home. 

Contact Me

I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-2459. You may write me at Holly Rehder, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Rm 433, Jefferson City, MO 65101, send an email to Holly.Rehder@senate.mo.gov or visit www.senate.mo.gov/Rehder.