Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires AG to establish Human Trafficking and Underserved Communities Unit.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning human trafficking and underserved communities and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Attorney General shall establish in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety a unit to be known as the Human Trafficking and Underserved Communities Unit. The purpose of the unit shall be to address the specific needs and vulnerabilities related to human trafficking which are experienced by members of underserved communities, particularly girls and women of color.
b. The responsibilities of the unit shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) coordinating with the Division of State Police and municipal and county law enforcement agencies to investigate cases related to human trafficking in underserved communities;
(2) coordinating with relevant government entities, including, but not limited to the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2007, c.95 (C.52:4B-3.2) and the Commission on Human Trafficking, established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-237), and community-based organizations to create and administer programs to connect victims to appropriate and effective information and resources; and
(3) collecting and maintaining data related to human trafficking cases and trends concerning members of underserved communities.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of fourth month next following enactment, except that the Attorney General may take any anticipatory action in advance of that date as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Attorney General to establish a unit to address human trafficking related to members of underserved communities.
Under the bill, the Attorney General would be required to establish in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety a unit to be known as the Human Trafficking and Underserved Communities Unit. The purpose of the unit would be to address the specific needs and vulnerabilities related to human trafficking which are experienced by members of underserved communities, particularly girls and women of color.
The bill provides that the responsibilities of the unit would include, but not be limited to:
(1) coordinating with the Division of State Police and municipal and county law enforcement agencies to investigate cases related to human trafficking in underserved communities;
(2) coordinating with relevant government entities, including, but not limited to the Victims of Crime Compensation Office and the Commission on Human Trafficking), and community-based organizations to create and administer programs to connect victims to appropriate and effective information and resources; and
(3) collecting and maintaining data related to human trafficking cases and trends concerning members of underserved communities.