May 1, 2014
Human trafficking has been on Wisconsin’s legislative radar over the past year. Recently Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that includes redefining the meaning of consent for victims of human trafficking. More legislative efforts on trafficking will continue in the next session.
Currently I am working with Amy Hartman, an ELCA diaconal minister and the national executive director of Cherish All Children, to create a plan for working together to develop a team of ELCA members in the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. These team members would be the go-to people for sharing information about human trafficking with the synod and for responding to legislative concerns. The two LOPPW Advisory Council members from that synod will be involved. This work is part of an effort to create advocacy teams around the state that may vary according to local interests and needs, but will have statewide legislative ties.
Another advisory council member, from the northern part of Wisconsin in an area that is part of the Northern Great Lakes Synod, and I are discussing leading two half-day workshops on LOPPW’s work and hunger issues in two different cities in northern Wisconsin in the fall.
I also look forward to leading workshops on LOPPW at two synod assemblies and representing ELCA World Hunger at another synod assembly soon.
To learn more about the work of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin, visit their website or check them out onfacebook!
