Bill Text: NJ A2657 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs the development and posting of notices containing information for victims of human trafficking.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-08 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [A2657 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A2657-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman THOMAS P. GIBLIN
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Directs the development and posting of notices containing information for victims of human trafficking.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning posting notices to enable victims of human trafficking to obtain help and services and amending and supplementing P.L.2013, c.51.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L. 2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-237) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. There is hereby created, in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety, a commission to be known as the Commission on Human Trafficking, consisting of 15 members as follows: the Attorney General, or his designee; the Commissioner of Children and Families, or his designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or his designee; a county prosecutor, appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the County Prosecutors Association of the State of New Jersey; one member of the New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force established within the Department of Law and Public Safety, designated by the Attorney General; two public members appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the Senate President, one representing law enforcement and one representing a victim's assistance organization; one public member appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader representing either a non-profit health care facility or mental health services; two public members appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, one representing law enforcement and one representing a victim's assistance organization; one public member appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the Assembly Minority Leader representing either a non-profit health care facility or mental health services; and four public members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a representative of a child advocacy organization concerning missing, abducted, or exploited children, and one of whom shall be a human trafficking survivor. All public members shall have experience with, possess a background in, or demonstrate a specialized knowledge of, the legal, policy, educational, social, or psychological aspects of human trafficking.
b. (1) Of the public members first appointed:
(a) the following shall serve for a term of three years: one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Senate President; one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly; and two members appointed by the Governor; and
(b) the following shall serve for a term of two years: one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Senate President; one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly; each member appointed upon the recommendation of the Senate and Assembly Minority Leaders; and two members appointed by the Governor.
(c) Upon the conclusion of the initial terms, each public member shall be appointed for a term of three years.
(2) Each member appointed shall hold office for the term of appointment and until a successor shall have been appointed and qualified.
(3) Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as the original appointment was made.
c. (1) The commission shall organize upon the appointment of a majority of its authorized membership. The members shall elect one of the members to serve as chair and vice-chair, and the chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the commission.
(2) The commission shall meet at those times and places within the State of New Jersey as the commission shall determine. A majority of the commission's authorized membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, for the performance of any duty, or for the exercise of any power of the commission.
d. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.
e. The Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety shall, at the direction of the Attorney General, provide legal, stenographic, technical, clerical, and other staff and resource assistance to the commission, and additionally the commission may incur expenses as may be necessary in order to perform its duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.
f. It shall be the duty of the commission to:
(1) Evaluate the existing law concerning human trafficking and the enforcement thereof, and to make recommendations for legislation, if appropriate;
(2) Review existing victim assistance programs and analyze the costs, organization, and availability of these services for victims of human trafficking and to make recommendations for legislation, if appropriate;
(3) Promote a coordinated response by public and private resources for victims of human trafficking; and
(4) Develop mechanisms to promote public awareness of human trafficking, victim remedies and services, and trafficking prevention including the creation of a public awareness sign [promotion of] promoting the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline telephone service on human trafficking described under section 18 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.2C:13-11), and the promotion of training courses and other educational materials for use by persons required under section 19 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.2C:13-12) to undergo training on the handling of and response procedures for suspected human trafficking activities.
g. The commission shall report annually to the Governor and to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), its activities, as well as its findings and recommendations for any needed new services or resources for victims of human trafficking, and any proposed changes to the current law concerning human trafficking.
(P.L.2013, c.51, s.1)
2. New section. Display of Human Trafficking Public-Awareness Sign; Penalty for Failure to Display.
a. Pursuant to section 1 of P.L. 2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-237), the Commission on Human Trafficking shall develop a public-awareness sign that contains the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline telephone service on human trafficking described under section 18 of P.L. 2013, c.51 (C.2C:13-11) and otherwise meets the requirements contained in subsection c of this section.
b. The following establishments shall display the public-awareness sign described in subsection a. in a place that is clearly conspicuous and visible to employees and the public:
(1) Strip clubs or a sexually oriented businesses as defined in subsection a. of N.J.S. C:2C:33-12.2;
(2) Bars;
(3) Airports;
(4) Passenger rail or light rail stations;
(5) Bus stations;
(6) Truck stops;
(7) Emergency rooms within general acute care hospitals;
(8) Urgent care centers;
(9) Farm labor contractors and day haulers;
(10) Privately operated job recruitment centers;
(11) Safety rest areas located along interstate highways in New Jersey
(12) Hotels; and
(13) Businesses and establishments that offer massage or bodywork services by a person who is not a massage therapist.
c. The notice to be posted pursuant to subsection b. shall be no smaller than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches in size, in English and Spanish and shall state the following:
"If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave - whether it is commercial sex, housework, farm work or any other activity - call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline or the New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force Hotline to access help and services.
Victims of human trafficking are protected under international, federal and New Jersey law.
The toll-free hotlines are:
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Operated by a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization
Anonymous and confidential
Accessible in more than 160 languages
Able to provide help, referral to services, training, and general information.
d. A business or establishment that fails to comply with the requirements of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty of $300 for a first offense and $1000 for each subsequent offense.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill amends the "Human Trafficking Prevention, Protection, and Treatment Act," to direct the Commission on Human Trafficking to broaden its mission of develop public awareness of human trafficking to include awareness of victim remedies and services including the creation of a public awareness sign. The bill further requires certain establishments to post information on how victims can receive help from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC).
Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NHTRC provides victim advocates with up-to-date resources and provides law enforcement, social service providers and community members with the tools needed to facilitate victim identification in their communities.
