Bill Text: TX HB188 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to the composition, duties, and continuation of the human trafficking prevention task force.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-28 - Effective immediately [HB188 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB188-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to the composition, duties, and continuation of the human trafficking prevention task force.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-28 - Effective immediately [HB188 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB188-Introduced.html
84R1622 LEH-F | ||
By: Thompson of Harris | H.B. No. 188 |
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relating to the continuation and duties of the human trafficking | ||
prevention task force. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Sections 402.035(d) and (h), Government Code, | ||
are amended to read as follows: | ||
(d) The task force shall: | ||
(1) collaborate, as needed to fulfill the duties of | ||
the task force, with: | ||
(A) United States attorneys for the districts of | ||
Texas; and | ||
(B) special agents or customs and border | ||
protection officers and border patrol agents of: | ||
(i) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; | ||
(ii) the United States Drug Enforcement | ||
Administration; | ||
(iii) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, | ||
Firearms and Explosives; | ||
(iv) United States Immigration and Customs | ||
Enforcement; or | ||
(v) the United States Department of | ||
Homeland Security; | ||
(2) collect, organize, and periodically publish | ||
statistical data on the nature and extent of human trafficking in | ||
this state, including data described by Subdivisions (4)(A), (B), | ||
(C), (D), and (E); | ||
(3) solicit cooperation and assistance from state and | ||
local governmental agencies, political subdivisions of the state, | ||
nongovernmental organizations, and other persons, as appropriate, | ||
for the purpose of collecting and organizing statistical data under | ||
Subdivision (2); | ||
(4) ensure that each state or local governmental | ||
agency and political subdivision of the state and each state or | ||
local law enforcement agency, district attorney, or county attorney | ||
that assists in the prevention of human trafficking collects | ||
statistical data related to human trafficking, including, as | ||
appropriate: | ||
(A) the number of investigations concerning, | ||
arrests and prosecutions for, and convictions of: | ||
(i) the offense of trafficking of persons; | ||
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(ii) the offense of forgery or an offense | ||
under Chapter 43, Penal Code, if the offense was committed as part | ||
of a criminal episode involving the trafficking of persons; and | ||
(iii) an offense punishable under Section | ||
43.02(c)(3), Penal Code, regardless of whether the offense was | ||
committed as part of a criminal episode involving the trafficking | ||
of persons; | ||
(B) demographic information on persons who are | ||
convicted of offenses described by Paragraph (A) and persons who | ||
are the victims of those offenses; | ||
(C) geographic routes by which human trafficking | ||
victims are trafficked, including routes by which victims are | ||
trafficked across this state's international border, and | ||
geographic patterns in human trafficking, including the country or | ||
state of origin and the country or state of destination; | ||
(D) means of transportation and methods used by | ||
persons who engage in trafficking to transport their victims; and | ||
(E) social and economic factors that create a | ||
demand for the labor or services that victims of human trafficking | ||
are forced to provide; | ||
(5) work with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement | ||
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for law enforcement personnel, victim service providers, and | ||
medical service providers to identify victims of human trafficking; | ||
(6) work with the Texas Education Agency, the | ||
Department of Family and Protective Services, and the Health and | ||
Human Services Commission to: | ||
(A) develop a list of key indicators that a | ||
person is a victim of human trafficking; | ||
(B) develop a standardized curriculum for | ||
training doctors, nurses, emergency medical services personnel, | ||
teachers, school counselors, school administrators, and personnel | ||
from the Department of Family and Protective Services and the | ||
Health and Human Services Commission to identify and assist victims | ||
of human trafficking; | ||
(C) train doctors, nurses, emergency medical | ||
services personnel, teachers, school counselors, school | ||
administrators, and personnel from the Department of Family and | ||
Protective Services and the Health and Human Services Commission to | ||
identify and assist victims of human trafficking; | ||
(D) develop and conduct training for personnel | ||
from the Department of Family and Protective Services and the | ||
Health and Human Services Commission on methods for identifying | ||
children in foster care who may be at risk of becoming victims of | ||
human trafficking; and | ||
(E) develop a process for referring identified | ||
human trafficking victims and individuals at risk of becoming | ||
victims to appropriate entities for services; | ||
(7) on the request of a judge of a county court, county | ||
court at law, or district court or a county attorney, district | ||
attorney, or criminal district attorney, assist and train the judge | ||
or the judge's staff or the attorney or the attorney's staff in the | ||
recognition and prevention of human trafficking; | ||
(8) examine training protocols related to human | ||
trafficking issues, as developed and implemented by federal, state, | ||
and local law enforcement agencies; | ||
(9) collaborate with state and local governmental | ||
agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and nongovernmental | ||
organizations to implement a media awareness campaign in | ||
communities affected by human trafficking; | ||
(10) develop recommendations on how to strengthen | ||
state and local efforts to prevent human trafficking, protect and | ||
assist human trafficking victims, and prosecute human trafficking | ||
offenders; [ |
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(11) examine the extent to which human trafficking is | ||
associated with the operation of sexually oriented businesses, as | ||
defined by Section 243.002, Local Government Code, and the | ||
workplace or public health concerns that are created by the | ||
association of human trafficking and the operation of sexually | ||
oriented businesses; and | ||
(12) develop recommendations for addressing the | ||
demand for forced labor or services or sexual conduct involving | ||
victims of human trafficking, including recommendations for | ||
increased penalties for individuals who engage or attempt to engage | ||
in prostitution with victims younger than 18 years of age. | ||
(h) This section expires September 1, 2017 [ |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |