Perryman delivers on campaign promise as public safety, human trafficking bill becomes law
Her efforts came to fruition this legislative session, and a bill she got signed into law will go into effect Friday, Aug. 1.
Once the law goes into effect, local municipalities can perform nationwide background checks, rather than just statewide inquiries, on adult entertainment and massage license applications. Perryman said she believes this could have prevented sex trafficking out of a Waite Park massage parlor in 2019.
"If Waite Park officials had been able to access national background information a few years ago, they would've seen the applicants were involved in a multi-state trafficking ring," Perryman wrote in a statement.
Perryman worked across the aisle in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and the bill was unanimously approved without opposition. State Sen. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, pushed the companion bill in the Minnesota Senate.
More: New Metro Bus transit center in Waite Park, updated routes in 2026 amid growing ridership
"I'm grateful for all the support we received in getting this bill through the legislature, with the House and the Senate both lighting up the voting board green on final approval," Perryman said. "It is exciting to see this new law going into effect."
Perryman is in her second term after winning reelection in 2024. She beat DFLer Abdi Daisane in a landslide victory, at least for the House District 14A seat, with a 13 percentage point margin, roughly 2,500 votes. Daisane lost after state violations at his daycare center came forth and reports of a large quantity of out-of-state donations.
It's rare for a candidate in District 14A to win by that much. The last time the district's results neared a 10% margin was in 2014 when incumbent Republican Tama Theis beat Dan Wolgamott by 1,320 votes.
Perryman narrowly won her first election in 2022, beating now-St. Cloud City Council member Tami Calhoun by fewer than 200 votes. After getting elected to office, Perryman said her connection with the community got deeper.
"(Constituents) are reaching out to me at the mall and in grocery stores,' Perryman said after the 2024 election. "They're stopping me, and they know they can trust me. They saw me do what I could do, and they want to send me back, and they're loud and clear of what they want me to do."
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota broadens business background checks to stop human trafficking
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