Meeting of the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission
March 10th, 2025
Williams Building, Lansing, MI
Called to Order:
Chairwoman, Melissa Palepu, called meeting to order at 12:00pm.
Agenda Items:
Call to order and Welcome. Chairwoman Melissa Palepu welcomed Commission members and the public.
Roll Call. Chairwoman Melissa Palepu took roll call of the Commission Members.
Members Present:
Agenda Item:
Action Item: Approval of the Minutes from Thursday, January 23, 2025: The minutes for the January 23, 2025, meeting was approved.
Agenda Item:
Report of the Commission Chair: Chairwoman Melissa Palepu reported on her meeting with several Michigan Senators where she presented some background information on Human Trafficking. The feedback was great, and they seem very engaged and looking forward to working together on some legislation. Hopefully that will translate to some funding for the Commission.
Chairwoman Palepu also discussed the continuing improvements to the website. We are looking to mirror the federal governments Blue Ribbon Campaign website to ensure access to important links and education on human trafficking.
Additionally, Palepu briefly mentioned the work Board Member Tiffany Martinez is doing with the Improving Outcomes for Child Victims of Human Trafficking advisory committee and how their work may be something the Commission can utilize.
Old Business: No old business.
New Business:
The Board voted to approve the Draft Annual Commission Report with the modifications of fixing a typo and the spelling of one word, both on page 7. There was discussion as to whether Board members can vote as their appointments had lapsed. Chairwoman Palepu had previously discussed the Board members positions with the Governor’s Office and the Appointments Office had stated that they were keeping all Board Members unless those members requested to leave. Board member Draminski stated that it is common for Board members to remain on their boards and continue with business.
Melissa Palepu brought up the idea of updating the Commission Mission Statement. A sample statement was emailed to Board members for review prior to the meeting. The modification would be to include at the beginning of the Mission Statement; “The Michigan Human Trafficking Commission was created to examine and counter human trafficking in the State of Michigan. In this work, the Commission is committed to the victims and survivors of human trafficking and will continue to work to advocate and ensure victims and survivors receive the justice they deserve and the resources they need. The Commission additionally seeks to ensure Michigan residents have access to education and training so they may understand the nature and extent of human trafficking.” The remainder of the Mission statement is unchanged from its previous format. Board member McCormick expressed concerns with the language and was unsure whether she could vote on the modifications since she is a sitting judge and some of the language may not be appropriate. She is going to forward it to the Judge’s Association to check. Board Member Walden indicated his office, the Michigan State Police, had no issues with the language. Chairwoman Palepu stated all members should take the proposed language and review it with their agencies to ensure they are comfortable with voting.
The Board provided Committee Reports.
Chairwoman Palepu reported on the Funding and Resources Committee didn’t meet but did do an email update on February 20th. They are working on tips for grant writing and researching what grants can the Commission apply for. In particular the Committee is looking for funding for educational programing, literature, and PSAs.
Board Member Draminksi reported on the Data Collection Committee, indicating it hadn’t met since the last meeting. However, the next meeting is March 20th at 3:30pm.
Chairwoman Palepu reported on the Training and Education Committee. They met on March 4th and are creating a Trainer List on the website. To be included on the list you must send a cover letter and CV/Resume to Chairwoman Palepu. The Committee will then view all requests and make recommendations to the Board. The Board will vote. The Committee also discussed making a statement about victims/survivors and that is what led to the modifications to the Mission statement. Finally, the Committee discussed making an educational video that would be about an hour long. The Committee discussed having segments so that they can be separated and people can watch smaller videos or the larger one. We can use the MAB to record, and the topics would be definitions, common myths, statistics, how traffickers operate, identifying trafficking, laws, survivor voices, and how to report suspected trafficking. Chairwoman Palepu brought up that Improving Outcomes is also going to work on an educational video so it may be more fiscally responsible to partner with them and then use theirs, since they are grant funded. In the Board meeting Chairwoman Palepu indicated she will get pricing and then make a proposal for the Board to vote. Next Committee meeting is April 7th at 1pm virtually.
Board Members Martinez and Getting spoke regarding the Public Awareness Committee. There was a short meeting, and they discussed moving forward. They were getting the style guide from the Attorney General’s office for the Commission logo, and they are working with the MAB for public awareness. They would like to provide information for the public on how to be good consumers and how to identify trustworthy news sources/articles.
Vice Chairwoman Papke stated the Victim Services Committee is now collecting data on different agencies and that the victim services questionnaire is now on the website and encouraged everyone to fill it out. The agencies who respond will be listed in one spot on the website as well, though the Commission is not endorsing any agency/organization. In 2025 the Committee will be focusing on support services, identifying gaps related to services as well as identifying reasons why victims choose not to seek services. The Committee will also be evaluating everything that a victim needs in the first two years of getting out of the trafficking situation. They will also be reviewing the recent executive orders and providing guidance to the Board on how survivors will be affected. The next meeting is March 17th at 12:00pm.
Chairwoman Palepu then provided an update on the Policy and Legislation Committee. They met on March 4th and discussed legislative proposals. The Committee discussed supporting the previous versions of the House Bills from 2024 that did not make it all the way through for a vote with would in general amend MCLS 780.621, (add) 760.21d, 712A.18e, 750.451, and 750.462g. Additionally, the Committee would like to see some new changes including making MCL 750.451 mirror in application the OWI 3rd laws, where the third offense is a 5 year felony and double the fines. Also, change MCL 750.449 to increase the age to 18 and structure the wording to be sure to include hotels who knew or should have known commercial sex was occurring. The Committee would also like to change the penalties for human trafficking to make them more significant and 20-year felonies with $20,000 fines. The Committee also discussed requiring hotels to post about human trafficking and to require more agencies/professions to get education on human trafficking. Next meeting the Committee will be discussing labor laws. The next meeting is April 8, 2025.
Chairwoman Palepu then discussed the meeting regarding a potential mixer. Dawn Conyers will lead this effort. The group organizing the event met on March 4th and discussed holding the event on September 10th from 5-7 at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. They hope to have around 100 people on a rotating basis and will look to invite the Governor, Attorney General, and the Legislators. They will work out a budget and come back to the Board for a vote.
Chairwoman Palepu opened the floor for individuals to provide to the group any events or opportunities that were coming up. Several individuals provided information for events. Including Board Member Tiffany Martinez with a save the date for September 18th the MDHHS will be hosting its annual Standing Against Trafficking Conference and will focus on Labor Trafficking. This event will be in Ann Arbor. Board Member Michael Draminski stated the Federation of State Massage Boards will be hosting its executive meeting in Scottsdale, AZ and they are going to discuss human trafficking. There will be a Hope Against Trafficking Gala on May 3rd in Pontiac at 4:30pm and the Sacred Beginnings Gala Event is April 11th from 6-9 in Grand Rapids.
The floor was then opened for recognition of any achievements or awards by attendees. Jon Walden, Robin Bolz, and Angela Dudley are all up for Liberator Awards on March 29th in Ohio.
Public Comment: Melissa Palepu opened the floor for public comment.
Announcement of next meeting: The next meeting will be May 19, 2025, both in person at the Williams Building in Lansing and via Teams.
Adjournment: Melissa Palepu adjourned the meeting.
