(Bismarck, ND) — A North Dakota bill establishing mandatory minimum sentences for human trafficking is now heading to the governor’s desk. Lawmakers have passed House Bill 1361, which sets minimum prison terms for human trafficking for the first time in the state’s history. Depending on the offense, the minimum sentences are set at seven, 15 or 40 years. Previously, the maximum sentence for the crime was life in prison, and there was no minimum. Governor Kelly Armstrong will now decide whether or not to sign it into law.
