SB2551

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2551
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING to human trafficking.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Chapter 371, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§371- Human trafficking awareness; transient accommodations; training; signage; reporting; noncompliance. (a) Every transient accommodation operator shall provide human trafficking awareness training. Training shall occur for every transient accommodation employee within one hundred eighty days of employment. Human trafficking awareness training shall include but not be limited to the following components:

(1) The definition of human trafficking and commercial exploitation of children;

(2) Guidance on how to identify individuals at risk for trafficking;

(3) Guidance on how to identify the signs of trafficking and individuals potentially engaged in the act of trafficking;

(4) Differences between labor and sex trafficking, specific to the transient accommodations sector;

(5) Guidance on the role of hospitality employees in reporting and responding to this issue; and

(6) The contact information for the National Human Trafficking Hotline tollfree number and text line or contact information for the local police department.

Each operator shall annually certify no later than December 31 of each year that all employees employed by the transient accommodation for more than one hundred eighty days have completed the training required by this section.

(b) No later than , every transient accommodation operator shall post in a location conspicuous to employees human trafficking awareness signage, printed in an easily legible font in English and any other language spoken by at least ten percent of the employees.

(c) No later than , every transient accommodation operator shall implement procedures for the reporting of suspected human trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline or to a local law enforcement agency and shall implement a human trafficking prevention policy which shall apply to all employees.

(d) A transient accommodations owner, operator, or employee who complies in good faith with this section shall not be liable for any act or omission arising out of or related to human trafficking committed by a third-party unless the owner, operator, or employee knowingly assists the commission of human trafficking.

(e) The department shall maintain and make available to other state agencies a list of transient accommodations that have been deemed to be out of compliance with this section. The department shall provide transient accommodations operators ninety days to cure violations of this section prior to inclusion on the out of compliance list. Each state agency shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, commercial lodging room nights for agency employees are booked in a transient accommodation that has not been deemed out of compliance with this chapter by the department.

(f) For purposes of this section, "transient accommodations" means the furnishing of a room, apartment, suite, single family dwelling, or the like to a transient for less than one hundred eighty consecutive days for each letting in a hotel, apartment hotel, motel, condominium or unit as defined in chapter 514B, cooperative apartment, dwelling unit, or rooming house that provides living quarters, sleeping, or housekeeping accommodations, or other place in which lodgings are regularly furnished to transients."

SECTION 2. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________