Senate passes bill creating grooming offense and tightening school reporting

The Minnesota Senate passed House File 3489 on May 15, 2026, creating a criminal offense for grooming and strengthening protections and reporting obligations for school-related personnel.

Sponsor Sen. Maye Quade framed the bill around a victim’s account, saying the measure addresses “numerous gaps in law” that delayed investigations into teacher misconduct and that “on House File 3489 we will make it a crime.” The bill defines grooming, extends prohibitions on inappropriate occupational relationships, directs law-enforcement agencies to notify licensing boards when teachers are criminally charged, updates mandated-reporter training to identify grooming behaviors, and includes appropriations intended to allow the Minnesota Department of Education to hire additional investigators.

Quade offered an A11 amendment to adjust funding language; the amendment was adopted on the floor before the bill advanced to third reading. Supporters described the bill as needed to protect students and to close legal loopholes used by offenders. Opponents did not mount a sustained objection during final passage. The secretary recorded the final roll call as 66 yeas and 0 nays; the bill passed as amended.

The bill will proceed to enrollment and the governor’s desk as required by the legislative process. Implementation details for the mandated training and MDE hiring are expected to be worked out administratively once funding is available.