Topeka – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill into law Monday that strengthens the state’s human trafficking statutes, with an emphasis on protecting children from commercial sexual exploitation.

“Kansas has made great strides forward in the fight against modern-day slavery with this new law,” Gov. Brownback said. “This will not only strengthen our ability to severely punish traffickers, it will give us valuable new tools to protect vulnerable young victims so they can have hope of a new life and break a cycle of exploitation.”
Governor Brownback and Attorney General Derek Schmidt sought input from law enforcement agencies, social service providers and key stakeholders when crafting the new law.

“This is the first comprehensive anti-human trafficking law in Kansas history. As we have throughout our state’s history, Kansas today took another positive step in the struggle for human dignity, and I applaud the Governor and legislators for their strong dedication to this measure.”
The new law:
· Establishes a Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund to provide support for those victimized by human trafficking. The fund will be paid for through mandatory fines on people convicted of human trafficking and related sex crimes.

· Provides for special Child in Need of Care procedures for children who have been subjected to human trafficking and expedites expungement procedures for those convicted of selling sexual relations if they were subject to coercion.

· Creates the crime of “commercial Sexual Exploitation of a Child”, increasing the penalties of the existing crimes of patronizing a prostitute and promoting prostitution of persons under the age of 18. Increased penalties and sentencing enhancements are included for a number of other related crimes.

· Allows the Attorney General to provide additional training and tools for law

AP) – Wichita police say two boys are in protective custody and their mother is jailed on suspicion of child endangerment.

Officers were called to a north Wichita home  and found a 7-year-old boy wandering the streets. He told police his mother had locked him out of the house and left with his 9-year-old brother.

Wichita police spokesman Sgt. Scott Brunow says the boy said he hadn’t eaten or taken a bath for two days. Officers were unable to locate the mother.

Neighbors called police when she returned to the home Saturday night. Brunow says the home was filthy and had no electricity. A 9-year-old boy was also taken into protective custody.

A federal judge has scheduled a summer trial for a Wisconsin man accused of joining a cyberattack on Wichita-based Koch Industries.

The scheduling order handed down in the case of 37-year-old Erick J. Rosol of Black Creek, Wis., sets his trial for June 25 in U.S. District Court in Wichita.

Rosol was indicted on one count each of damaging a computer and conspiracy to damage a computer.

Prosecutors allege the computer hacking group Anonymous asked conspirators in February 2011 to send a high volume of repeated requests to Koch’s website, crashing the site. Rosol is also accused of sending a code that damaged Koch’s computer.

Defense lawyer Kurt Kerns says his client is innocent. Kerns says nothing was hacked and no information was lost.

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(AP) – Pat Roberts is poised to become the oldest Kansan ever to serve in the U.S. Senate if he makes it through re-election next year.

Roberts has served continuously in Washington for more than 32 years. A report states Roberts turned 77 on Saturday and has drawn no Republican or Democratic challenger so far.

His campaign announced recently it had raised more than $1 million and has secured the backing of the entire Kansas delegation in Washington.

The oldest Kansan to serve in the U.S. Senate is Topeka Republican Arthur Capper, who retired in January 1949 at the age of 83. If Roberts is re-elected, he would be 84 when his term ended in January 2021. More than half of the 100 Senate members are 60 or over.

Steve takes a look at some “rules” of the game.