Bill Text: FL S0796 | 2024 | Regular Session | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Anti-human Trafficking

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-03-05 - Laid on Table, refer to HB 7063 [S0796 Detail]

Download: Florida-2024-S0796-Comm_Sub.html
       Florida Senate - 2024                CS for CS for CS for SB 796
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; Criminal Justice; and
       Governmental Oversight and Accountability; and Senators Avila
       and Yarborough
       
       
       
       594-03633-24                                           2024796c3
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to anti-human trafficking; amending s.
    3         16.618, F.S.; extending the future repeal date of the
    4         direct-support organization for the Statewide Council
    5         on Human Trafficking; amending ss. 394.875, 456.0341,
    6         and 480.043, F.S.; revising the hotline telephone
    7         number to be included in human trafficking awareness
    8         signs; amending s. 509.096, F.S.; deleting obsolete
    9         provisions; revising the hotline telephone number to
   10         be included in human trafficking awareness signs;
   11         amending s. 562.13, F.S.; revising applicability of
   12         provisions governing the employment of minors by
   13         vendors licensed under the Beverage Law; amending s.
   14         787.06, F.S.; requiring that contractors with
   15         governmental entities attest that they do not use
   16         coercion for labor or services; defining the term
   17         “governmental entity”; amending s. 787.29, F.S.;
   18         revising the hotline telephone number to be included
   19         in human trafficking awareness signs; creating s.
   20         787.30, F.S.; defining terms; prohibiting the
   21         employment of persons younger than 21 years of age in
   22         adult entertainment establishments; providing criminal
   23         penalties; requiring adult entertainment
   24         establishments to check identification of
   25         entertainers; specifying forms of identification that
   26         may be used; prohibiting the raising of specified
   27         arguments as a defense in a prosecution for certain
   28         violations; providing an effective date.
   29  
   30         WHEREAS, Florida is ranked third nationally for reported
   31  cases of human trafficking abuses, many of which involved sex
   32  trafficking, and
   33         WHEREAS, adult entertainment establishments are widely
   34  recognized as being a significant part of the sex trafficking
   35  network used by traffickers to coerce and facilitate men, women,
   36  and children into performing sexual acts, which places the
   37  employees of these establishments in direct and frequent contact
   38  with the victims of human trafficking, and
   39         WHEREAS, victims of sex trafficking are frequently
   40  recruited to work as performers or employees in adult
   41  entertainment establishments, and
   42         WHEREAS, researchers have found that sex trafficking
   43  victims are more likely to be trafficked by someone from within
   44  her or his own community, and
   45         WHEREAS, persons younger than 21 years of age are more
   46  likely to still remain within and dependent on the community in
   47  which they were raised, and
   48         WHEREAS, research studies have identified the average age
   49  at which a person in the United States enters the sex trade for
   50  the first time as 17 years of age, and
   51         WHEREAS, sex trade at adult entertainment establishments is
   52  a common occurrence in Florida, thereby subjecting performers at
   53  these establishments to frequent propositions and enticements to
   54  engage in sex trade actions and sex trafficking from customers,
   55  as well as strip club employees, managers, and owners, and
   56         WHEREAS, an understanding of history and human nature
   57  reveals that there are sex criminals of various kinds who will
   58  prey on the young and vulnerable, and
   59         WHEREAS, restricting the employment of persons younger than
   60  21 years of age at adult entertainment establishments furthers
   61  an important state interest of protecting those vulnerable
   62  individuals from sex trafficking, drug abuse, and other harm,
   63  and
   64         WHEREAS, many court opinions recognize that, while
   65  expressive activities are entitled to some First Amendment
   66  protections at adult entertainment establishments, content
   67  neutral restrictions or regulations intended to minimize the
   68  secondary harmful effects of those businesses tend to be upheld,
   69  and
   70         WHEREAS, on November 16, 2018, the federal Fifth Circuit
   71  Court of Appeals, in the case of Jane Doe I v. Landry, 909 F.3d
   72  99 (5th Cir. 2018), upheld a Louisiana law that prohibited
   73  establishments licensed to serve alcohol from employing nearly
   74  nude entertainers younger than 21 years of age on the grounds
   75  that the law furthered the state’s interests in curbing human
   76  trafficking and prostitution, and
   77         WHEREAS, the federal district court in Valadez v. Paxton,
   78  553 F.Supp.3d 387 (W.D. Tex. 2021), denied a motion for a
   79  preliminary injunction against the enforcement of Texas Senate
   80  Bill 315 prohibiting “all working relationships between 18-20
   81  year-olds and sexually-oriented businesses” because the
   82  plaintiffs failed to show that the age restrictions were not
   83  rationally related to the state’s interest in curbing human
   84  trafficking, and
   85         WHEREAS, the federal district court in DC Operating, LLC v.
   86  Paxton, 586 F.Supp.3d 554 (W.D. Tex. 2022), denied a motion for
   87  a preliminary injunction against Texas Senate Bill 315, at least
   88  in part, because of the state’s evidence of the correlation
   89  between raising the minimum employment age and reducing human
   90  trafficking, and
   91         WHEREAS, the federal district court in Wacko’s Too, Inc.,
   92  v. City of Jacksonville, 658 F.Supp.3d 1086 (M.D. Fla. 2023),
   93  upheld age restrictions in a City of Jacksonville ordinance
   94  requiring performers at adult entertainment establishments to be
   95  at least 21 years of age based, at least in part, on evidence
   96  that there was a reasonable basis to believe that the age
   97  restrictions would further the city’s interest in preventing
   98  human and sex trafficking, NOW, THEREFORE,
   99  
  100  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
  101  
  102         Section 1. Subsection (12) of section 16.618, Florida
  103  Statutes, is amended to read:
  104         16.618 Direct-support organization.—
  105         (12) This section is repealed October 1, 2029 2024, unless
  106  reviewed and saved from repeal by the Legislature.
  107         Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (8) of section
  108  394.875, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  109         394.875 Crisis stabilization units, residential treatment
  110  facilities, and residential treatment centers for children and
  111  adolescents; authorized services; license required.—
  112         (8)
  113         (b) Residential treatment centers for children and
  114  adolescents must conspicuously place signs on their premises to
  115  warn children and adolescents of the dangers of human
  116  trafficking and to encourage the reporting of individuals
  117  observed attempting to engage in human trafficking activity. The
  118  signs must contain the telephone number for the Florida Human
  119  Trafficking Hotline, 1-855-FLA-SAFE, the National Human
  120  Trafficking Hotline or such other number that the Department of
  121  Law Enforcement uses to detect and stop human trafficking. The
  122  department, in consultation with the agency, shall specify, at a
  123  minimum, the content of the signs by rule.
  124         Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 456.0341, Florida
  125  Statutes, is amended to read:
  126         456.0341 Requirements for instruction on human
  127  trafficking.—The requirements of this section apply to each
  128  person licensed or certified under chapter 457; chapter 458;
  129  chapter 459; chapter 460; chapter 461; chapter 463; chapter 465;
  130  chapter 466; part II, part III, part V, or part X of chapter
  131  468; chapter 480; or chapter 486.
  132         (3) By January 1, 2025 2021, the licensees or
  133  certificateholders shall post in their place of work in a
  134  conspicuous place accessible to employees a sign at least 11
  135  inches by 15 inches in size, printed in a clearly legible font
  136  and in at least a 32-point type, which substantially states in
  137  English and Spanish:
  138  
  139  “If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in an
  140  activity and cannot leave, whether it is prostitution,
  141  housework, farm work, factory work, retail work, restaurant
  142  work, or any other activity, call the Florida Human Trafficking
  143  Hotline, 1-855-FLA-SAFE, the National Human Trafficking Resource
  144  Center at 888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to 233-733 to access
  145  help and services. Victims of slavery and human trafficking are
  146  protected under United States and Florida law.”
  147         Section 4. Subsection (13) of section 480.043, Florida
  148  Statutes, is amended to read:
  149         480.043 Massage establishments; requisites; licensure;
  150  inspection; human trafficking awareness training and policies.—
  151         (13) By January 1, 2025 2021, a massage establishment shall
  152  implement a procedure for reporting suspected human trafficking
  153  to the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline, 1-855-FLA-SAFE, the
  154  National Human Trafficking Hotline or to a local law enforcement
  155  agency and shall post in a conspicuous place in the
  156  establishment which is accessible to employees a sign with the
  157  relevant provisions of the reporting procedure.
  158         Section 5. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 509.096,
  159  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  160         509.096 Human trafficking awareness training and policies
  161  for employees of public lodging establishments; enforcement.—
  162         (1) A public lodging establishment shall:
  163         (a) Provide annual training regarding human trafficking
  164  awareness to employees of the establishment who perform
  165  housekeeping duties in the rental units or who work at the front
  166  desk or reception area where guests ordinarily check in or check
  167  out. Such training must also be provided for new employees
  168  within 60 days after they begin their employment in those roles,
  169  or by January 1, 2021, whichever occurs later. Each employee
  170  must submit to the hiring establishment a signed and dated
  171  acknowledgment of having received the training, which the
  172  establishment must provide to the Department of Business and
  173  Professional Regulation upon request. The establishment may keep
  174  such acknowledgment electronically.
  175         (b) By January 1, 2021, Implement a procedure for the
  176  reporting of suspected human trafficking to the National Human
  177  Trafficking Hotline or to a local law enforcement agency.
  178         (c) By January 1, 2025 2021, post in a conspicuous location
  179  in the establishment which is accessible to employees a human
  180  trafficking public awareness sign at least 11 inches by 15
  181  inches in size, printed in an easily legible font and in at
  182  least 32-point type, which states in English and Spanish and any
  183  other language predominantly spoken in that area which the
  184  department deems appropriate substantially the following:
  185  
  186  “If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in an
  187  activity and cannot leave, whether it is prostitution,
  188  housework, farm work, factory work, retail work, restaurant
  189  work, or any other activity, call the Florida Human Trafficking
  190  Hotline, 1-855-FLA-SAFE, the National Human Trafficking Resource
  191  Center at 888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to 233-733 to access
  192  help and services. Victims of slavery and human trafficking are
  193  protected under United States and Florida law.”
  194         (3) For a violation committed on or after July 1, 2023, The
  195  division shall impose an administrative fine of $2,000 per day
  196  on a public lodging establishment that is not in compliance with
  197  this section and remit the fines to the direct-support
  198  organization established under s. 16.618, unless the division
  199  receives adequate written documentation from the public lodging
  200  establishment which provides assurance that each deficiency will
  201  be corrected within 45 days after the division provided the
  202  public lodging establishment with notice of its violation. For a
  203  second or subsequent violation of this subsection committed on
  204  or after July 1, 2023, the division may not provide a correction
  205  period to a public lodging establishment and must impose the
  206  applicable administrative fines.
  207         Section 6. Section 562.13, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  208  read:
  209         562.13 Employment of minors or certain other persons by
  210  certain vendors prohibited; exceptions.—
  211         (1) Unless otherwise provided in this section, it is
  212  unlawful for any vendor licensed under the Beverage Law to
  213  employ any person under 18 years of age.
  214         (2) This section shall not apply to:
  215         (a) Professional entertainers 17 years of age who are not
  216  in school.
  217         (b) Minors employed in the entertainment industry, as
  218  defined by s. 450.012(5), who have either been granted a waiver
  219  under s. 450.095 or employed under the terms of s. 450.132 or
  220  under rules adopted pursuant to either of these sections.
  221         (c) Persons under the age of 18 years who are employed in
  222  drugstores, grocery stores, department stores, florists,
  223  specialty gift shops, or automobile service stations which have
  224  obtained licenses to sell beer or beer and wine, when such sales
  225  are made for consumption off the premises.
  226         (d) Persons 17 years of age or over or any person
  227  furnishing evidence that he or she is a senior high school
  228  student with written permission of the principal of said senior
  229  high school or that he or she is a senior high school graduate,
  230  or any high school graduate, employed by a bona fide food
  231  service establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold,
  232  provided such persons do not participate in the sale,
  233  preparation, or service of the beverages and that their duties
  234  are of such nature as to provide them with training and
  235  knowledge as might lead to further advancement in food service
  236  establishments.
  237         (e) Persons under the age of 18 years employed as bellhops,
  238  elevator operators, and others in hotels when such employees are
  239  engaged in work apart from the portion of the hotel property
  240  where alcoholic beverages are offered for sale for consumption
  241  on the premises.
  242         (f) Persons under the age of 18 years employed in bowling
  243  alleys in which alcoholic beverages are sold or consumed, so
  244  long as such minors do not participate in the sale, preparation,
  245  or service of such beverages.
  246         (g) Persons under the age of 18 years employed by a bona
  247  fide dinner theater as defined in this paragraph, as long as
  248  their employment is limited to the services of an actor,
  249  actress, or musician. For the purposes of this paragraph, a
  250  dinner theater means a theater presenting consecutive
  251  productions playing no less than 3 weeks each in conjunction
  252  with dinner service on a regular basis. In addition, both events
  253  must occur in the same room, and the only advertised price of
  254  admission must include both the cost of the meal and the
  255  attendance at the performance.
  256         (h) Persons under the age of 18 years who are employed in
  257  places of business licensed under s. 565.02(6), provided such
  258  persons do not participate in the sale, preparation, or service
  259  of alcoholic beverages.
  260  
  261  However, a minor who qualifies for one of the exceptions in this
  262  subsection to whom this subsection otherwise applies may not be
  263  employed as or perform if the employment, whether as a
  264  professional entertainer or otherwise if such employment,
  265  involves nudity, as defined in s. 847.001, on the part of the
  266  minor and such nudity is intended as a form of adult
  267  entertainment, or be employed by an adult entertainment
  268  establishment, as defined in s. 847.001.
  269         (3)(a) It is unlawful for any vendor licensed under the
  270  beverage law to employ as a manager or person in charge or as a
  271  bartender any person:
  272         1. Who has been convicted within the last past 5 years of
  273  any offense against the beverage laws of this state, the United
  274  States, or any other state.
  275         2. Who has been convicted within the last past 5 years in
  276  this state or any other state or the United States of soliciting
  277  for prostitution, pandering, letting premises for prostitution,
  278  keeping a disorderly place, or any felony violation of chapter
  279  893 or the controlled substances act of any other state or the
  280  Federal Government.
  281         3. Who has, in the last past 5 years, been convicted of any
  282  felony in this state, any other state, or the United States.
  283  
  284  The term “conviction” shall include an adjudication of guilt on
  285  a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or forfeiture of a bond when
  286  such person is charged with a crime.
  287         (b) This subsection shall not apply to any vendor licensed
  288  under the provisions of s. 563.02(1)(a) or s. 564.02(1)(a).
  289         Section 7. Subsection (13) is added to section 787.06,
  290  Florida Statutes, to read:
  291         787.06 Human trafficking.—
  292         (13) When a contract is executed, renewed, or extended
  293  between a nongovernmental entity and a governmental entity, the
  294  nongovernmental entity must provide the governmental entity with
  295  an affidavit signed by an officer or a representative of the
  296  nongovernmental entity under penalty of perjury attesting that
  297  the nongovernmental entity does not use coercion for labor or
  298  services as defined in this section. For purposes of this
  299  subsection, the term “governmental entity” has the same meaning
  300  as in s. 287.138(1).
  301         Section 8. Subsection (4) of section 787.29, Florida
  302  Statutes, is amended to read:
  303         787.29 Human trafficking public awareness signs.—
  304         (4) The required public awareness sign must be at least 8.5
  305  inches by 11 inches in size, must be printed in at least a 16
  306  point type, and must state substantially the following in
  307  English and Spanish:
  308  
  309  “If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in an
  310  activity and cannot leave—whether it is prostitution, housework,
  311  farm work, factory work, retail work, restaurant work, or any
  312  other activity—call the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline, 1
  313  855-FLA-SAFE, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at
  314  1-888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to 233-733 to access help
  315  and services. Victims of slavery and human trafficking are
  316  protected under United States and Florida law.”
  317         Section 9. Section 787.30, Florida Statutes, is created to
  318  read:
  319         787.30Employing persons under the age of 21 years in adult
  320  entertainment establishments prohibited.—
  321         (1)As used in this section, the term:
  322         (a)“Adult entertainment establishment” has the same
  323  meaning as in s. 847.001.
  324         (b)“Nude” means the showing of the human male or female
  325  genitals, pubic area, or buttock with less than a fully opaque
  326  covering; or the showing of the female breast with less than a
  327  fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of
  328  the nipple; or the depiction of covered male genitals in a
  329  discernibly turgid state. A mother’s breastfeeding of her baby
  330  does not under any circumstance constitute nudity, regardless of
  331  whether the nipple is covered during or incidental to feeding.
  332         (2)(a)Except as provided in paragraph (b), an owner, a
  333  manager, an employee, or a contractor of an adult entertainment
  334  establishment who knowingly employs, contracts with, contracts
  335  with another person to employ, or otherwise permits a person
  336  younger than 21 years of age to perform or work in an adult
  337  entertainment establishment commits a misdemeanor of the first
  338  degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
  339         (b)An owner, a manager, an employee, or a contractor of an
  340  adult entertainment establishment who knowingly employs,
  341  contracts with, contracts with another person to employ, or
  342  otherwise permits a person younger than 21 years of age to
  343  perform or work while nude in an adult entertainment
  344  establishment commits a felony of the second degree, punishable
  345  as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
  346         (3)An owner, a manager, an employee, or a contractor of an
  347  adult entertainment establishment who permits a person to
  348  perform as an entertainer or work in any capacity for the
  349  establishment shall carefully check the person’s driver license
  350  or identification card issued by this state or another state of
  351  the United States, a passport, or a United States Uniformed
  352  Services identification card presented by the person and act in
  353  good faith and in reliance upon the representation and
  354  appearance of the person in the belief that the person is 21
  355  years of age or older.
  356         (4) For purposes of this section, a person’s ignorance of
  357  another person’s age or a person’s misrepresentation of his or
  358  her age may not be raised as a defense in a prosecution for a
  359  violation of this section.
  360         Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

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