The North Dakota House has passed a measure to set mandatory minimum sentences for human trafficking offenses.
Under the measure, someone convicted of a double-A felony for trafficking would face a mandatory 40 years imprisonment. For a single-A felony, the minimum would be 15 years; and for a class B felony, the minimum would be seven years.
"For me, as a husband and a father, please, give North Dakota certainty, and help drive out this moral cancer in North Dakota, so maybe someday, the next generation can let their children run around town until the whistle blows," said Rep. Jeff Hoverson (R-Minot).
But Rep. Bernie Satrom (R-Jamestown) said mandatory minimums may do more harm than good.
"If a prosecutor or judge is dealing with a perpetrator, and they're going to be up for 40 years, no matter what, you take away the incentive for a deal," Satrom said. "We can put down one person for 40 years, or by striking a deal, and maybe giving them a little incentive, maybe we can take down the whole organization."
HB 1361 passed 70 to 23 – and now goes to the state Senate.
