Bill Text: NJ S1989 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Expands crime of human trafficking to include individuals who benefit financially.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee [S1989 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1989-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Ruiz
SYNOPSIS
Expands crime of human trafficking to include individuals who benefit financially.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning human trafficking and amending P.L.2005, c.77.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2005, c. 77 (C.2C:13-8) is amended to read as follows:
1. Human trafficking. a. A person commits the crime of human trafficking if he:
(1) knowingly holds,
recruits, lures, entices, harbors, transports, provides or obtains, by any
means, another, to engage in sexual activity as defined in paragraph (2) of
subsection a. of
N.J.S.2C:34-1 or to provide labor or services:
(a) by causing or threatening to cause serious bodily harm or physical restraint against the person or any other person;
(b) by means of any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that the person or any other person would suffer serious bodily harm or physical restraint;
(c) by committing a violation of N.J.S.2C:13-5 against the person;
(d) by destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any passport, immigration-related document as defined in section 1 of P.L.1997, c.1 (C.2C:21-31), or other document issued by a governmental agency to any person which could be used as a means of verifying the person's identity or age or any other personal identifying information;
(e) by means of the abuse or threatened abuse of the law or legal process;
(f) by means of fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation against the person; or
(g) by facilitating access to a controlled dangerous substance or controlled substance analog as set forth in chapter 35 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes; or
(2) receives anything of value from participation as an organizer, supervisor, financier or manager or benefits financially in a scheme or course of conduct which violates paragraph (1) or (3) of this subsection; or
(3) knowingly holds, recruits, lures, entices, harbors, transports, provides or obtains, by any means, a child under 18 years of age, to engage in sexual activity as defined in paragraph (2) of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:34-1 or to provide labor or services, whether or not the actor mistakenly believed that the child was 18 years of age or older, even if that mistaken belief was reasonable.
b. An offense under this section constitutes a crime of the first degree.
c. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution for a violation of this section that, during the time of the alleged commission of the offense of human trafficking created by this section, the defendant was a victim of human trafficking.
d. Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.2C:43-6, the term of imprisonment imposed for a crime of the first degree under paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection a. of this section shall be either a term of 20 years during which the actor shall not be eligible for parole, or a specific term between 20 years and life imprisonment, of which the actor shall serve 20 years before being eligible for parole. Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.2C:43-3, the sentence for a conviction for a crime of the first degree under this section shall include a fine in an amount of not less than $25,000, which shall be collected as provided for the collection of fines and restitutions in section 3 of P.L.1979, c.396 (C.2C:46-4) and forwarded to the Department of the Treasury to be deposited in the "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund" established by section 2 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-238).
e. In addition to any other disposition authorized by law, any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be ordered to make restitution to any victim. The court shall award to the victim restitution which is the greater of:
(1) the gross income or value to the defendant of the victim's labor or services; or
(2) the value of the
victim's labor or services as determined by the "New Jersey Prevailing
Wage Act," P.L.1963, c.150
(C.34:11-56.25 et seq.), the "New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law,"
P.L.1966, c.113 (C.34:11-56a et seq.), the Seasonal Farm Labor Act, P.L.1945,
c.71 (C.34:9A-1 et seq.), the laws concerning the regulation of child labor in
chapter 2 of Title 34 of the Revised Statutes, or any other applicable State
law, and the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938," 29 U.S.C. s.201 et
seq., or any other applicable federal law.
(cf: P.L.2013, c.51, s.3)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill expands the reach of the statute by including those individuals who receive a "financial benefit" from participating in human trafficking without necessarily being an "organizer, supervisor, financier or manager" of the enterprise or scheme.
Under the current law, a person commits the crime of human trafficking if he:
(1) knowingly holds, recruits, lures, entices, harbors, transports, provides or obtains, by any means, another, to engage in unlawful sexual activity or to provide labor or services:
• by threats of serious bodily harm or physical restraint against the person or any other person;
• by means of any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that the person or any other person would suffer serious bodily harm or physical restraint;
• by criminal coercion; or
• by destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any passport, immigration-related document or other government document; or
• by means of the abuse or threatened abuse of the law or legal process; or
(2) receives anything of value from participation as an organizer, supervisor, financier or manager in a scheme or course of conduct which violates paragraph (1) of this subsection.
