ENROLLED SENATE
BILL NO. 956	By:  Lamb, Stanislawski, Gumm, Jolley, Newberry and Brogdon of the Senate

			and

		Peterson, Nelson, Cooksey, Coody, Reynolds, Kern, Tibbs and Ortega of the House

An Act relating to crimes and punishments; amending Sections 1 and 2, Chapter 134, O.S.L. 2008 (21 O.S. Supp. 2009, Sections 748 and 748.2), which relate to human trafficking; adding and modifying definitions; prohibiting human trafficking; modifying what constitutes unlawful human trafficking; increasing age of certain victim for purposes of certain punishment; providing for certain victim to bring civil action for actual and punitive damages; allowing reasonable attorney fees in certain civil action; allowing civil action without criminal action; setting certain statute of limitations for certain recovery in civil action; amending 21 O.S. 2001, Section 1738, as last amended by Section 5, Chapter 2, O.S.L. 2009 (21 O.S. Supp. 2009, Section 1738), which relates to seizure of property; authorizing the seizure of certain property; authorizing the forfeiture of certain property; providing for certain exceptions; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     Section 1, Chapter 134, O.S.L. 2008 (21 O.S. Supp. 2009, Section 748), is amended to read as follows:

Section 748.  A.  As used in Sections 748 and 748.2 of this act title:

1.  “Coercion” means compelling, forcing or intimidating a person to act by:

a.	threats of harm or physical restraint against any person,

b.	any act, scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that performing, or failing to perform, an act would result in serious physical, financial, or emotional harm or distress to or physical restraint against any person,

c.	the abuse or threatened abuse of the law or legal process,

d.	knowingly destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating or possessing any actual or purported passport, labor or immigration document, or other government identification document, including but not limited to a driver license or birth certificate, of another person,

e.	facilitating or controlling a person’s access to any addictive or controlled substance other than for legal medical purposes,

f.	blackmail,

g.	demanding or claiming money, goods, or any other thing of value from or on behalf of a prostituted person where such demand or claim arises from or is directly related to the act of prostitution,

h.	determining, dictating or setting the times at which another person will be available to engage in an act of prostitution with a third party,

i.	determining, dictating or setting the places at which another person will be available for solicitation of, or to engage in, an act of prostitution with a third party, or

j.	determining, dictating or setting the places at which another person will reside for purposes of making such person available to engage in an act of prostitution with a third party;

2.  “Commercial sex” means any form of commercial sexual activity such as sexually explicit performances, prostitution, participation in the production of pornography, performance in a strip club, or exotic dancing or display;

3.  “Debt bondage” means the status or condition of a debtor arising from a pledge by the debtor of his or her personal services or of those of a person under his or her control as a security for debt if the value of those services as reasonably assessed is not applied toward the liquidation of the debt or the length and nature of those services are not respectively limited and defined;

4.  “Human trafficking” refers to means modern-day slavery that includes, but is not limited to, extreme exploitation and the denial of freedom or liberty of an individual for purposes of deriving benefit from that individual’s commercial sex act or labor;

2. 5.  “Human trafficking for forced labor” includes, but is not limited to, forced labor in households, agricultural fields, sweatshops, and any other workplace means:

a.	recruiting, enticing, harboring, maintaining, transporting, providing or obtaining, by any means, another person through deception, force, fraud, threat or coercion or for purposes of engaging the person in labor, or

b.	benefiting, financially or by receiving anything of value, from participation in a venture that has engaged in an act of trafficking for labor; and

3. 6.  “Human trafficking for forced sexual exploitation commercial sex” includes, but is not limited to, all forms of forced commercial sexual activity such as forced sexually explicit performances, forced prostitution, forced participation in the production of pornography, forced performance in strip clubs and forced exotic dancing or display means:

a.	recruiting, enticing, harboring, maintaining, transporting, providing or obtaining, by any means, another person through deception, force, fraud, threat or coercion for purposes of engaging the person in a commercial sex act, or

b.	benefiting, financially or by receiving anything of value, from participating in a venture that has engaged in an act of trafficking for commercial sex;

7.  “Legal process” means the criminal law, the civil law, or the regulatory system of the federal government, any state, territory, district, commonwealth, or trust territory therein, and any foreign government or subdivision thereof and includes legal civil actions, criminal actions, and regulatory petitions or applications; and

8.  “Minor” means an individual under eighteen (18) years of age.

B.  A person commits the crime of It shall be unlawful to knowingly engage in human trafficking for forced labor or forced sexual exploitation if the person recruits, harbors, transports or obtains a person through the use of force, fraud or coercion by:

1.  Threats of serious harm or physical restraint against that person or another person;

2.  Destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any passport, immigration documents, or other government identification document;

3.  Abuse or threatened abuse of the law or legal process; or

4.  Means of any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that the person or another person would suffer serious harm or physical restraint or if the person benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value, from participation in a venture that has engaged in an act of human trafficking.

C.  Any person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than five (5) years, or by a fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.  Any person violating the provisions of this section where the victim of the offense is under fourteen (14) eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the offense shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than ten (10) years, or by a fine of not more than Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.  The court shall also order the defendant to pay restitution to the victim as provided in Section 991f of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

D.  It is an affirmative defense to prosecution for a criminal offense that, during the time of the alleged commission of the offense, the defendant was a victim of human trafficking.

SECTION 2.   AMENDATORY     Section 2, Chapter 134, O.S.L. 2008 (21 O.S. Supp. 2009, Section 748.2), is amended to read as follows:

Section 748.2  A.  Human trafficking victims shall:

1.  Be housed in an appropriate shelter as soon as practicable;

2.  Not be detained in facilities inappropriate to their status as crime victims;

3.  Not be jailed, fined, or otherwise penalized due to having been trafficked;

4.  Receive prompt medical care, mental health care, food, and other assistance, as necessary;

5.  Have access to legal assistance, information about their rights, and translation services, as necessary; and

6.  Be provided protection if the safety of the victim is at risk or if there is a danger of additional harm by recapture of the victim by a trafficker, including:

a.	taking measures to protect trafficked persons and their family members from intimidation and threats of reprisals, and

b.	ensuring that the names and identifying information of trafficked persons and their family members are not disclosed to the public.

B.  Any person who is a victim of human trafficking aggrieved by a violation of subsection B of Section 748 of this title may file bring a civil action against the alleged perpetrator or perpetrators in state court person or persons who committed the violation to recover actual and punitive damages and reasonable attorney fees.  The court may award actual damages, punitive damages, reasonable attorney fees, and other costs reasonably incurred.  Any civil action filed pursuant to this subsection shall be stayed during the pendency of any criminal A criminal case or prosecution is not a necessary precedent to the civil action arising out of the same occurrence in which the claimant is the victim.  The statute of limitations for the cause of action shall not commence until the latter of the victim’s emancipation from the defendant or the victim’s twenty-first birthday.

SECTION 3.     AMENDATORY     21 O.S. 2001, Section 1738, as last amended by Section 5, Chapter 2, O.S.L. 2009 (21 O.S. Supp. 2009, Section 1738), is amended to read as follows:

Section 1738.  A.  Any commissioned peace officer of this state is authorized to seize any vehicle owned by or registered to the defendant used in the commission of any armed robbery offense defined in Section 801 of this title, or any vehicle owned by or registered to the defendant when such vehicle is used to facilitate the intentional discharge of any kind of firearm in violation of Section 652 of this title, or any vehicle, airplane, vessel, vehicles or parts of vehicles whose numbers have been removed, altered or obliterated so as to prevent determination of the true identity or ownership of said property and parts of vehicles which probable cause indicates are stolen but whose true ownership cannot be determined, or any vehicle owned by or registered to the defendant used in violation of the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act, or any equipment owned by or registered to the defendant which is used in the attempt or commission of any act of burglary in the first or second degree, motor vehicle theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, obliteration of distinguishing numbers on vehicles or criminal possession of vehicles with altered, removed or obliterated numbers as defined by Sections 1431, 1435, 1716, 1719 and 1720 of this title or Sections 4-104 and 4-107 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes, or any equipment owned by or registered to the defendant used in violation of the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act, or any vehicle, airplane, vessel or equipment owned by or registered to the defendant used in the commission of any arson offense defined in Section 1401, 1402, 1403, 1404 or 1405 of this title, or any vehicle or conveyance used in any manner to facilitate or participate in the commission of any human trafficking offense in violation of Section 748 of this title, or any vehicle or other conveyance owned, registered or used by any defendant when such vehicle or other conveyance is used in any manner by a prostitute, pimp or panderer to facilitate or participate in the commission of any prostitution offense in violation of Sections 1028, 1029 or 1030 of this title; provided, however, that the vehicle or conveyance of a customer or anyone merely procuring the services of a prostitute shall not be included.  Said property may be held as evidence until a forfeiture has been declared or a release ordered.  Forfeiture actions under this section may be brought by the district attorney in the proper county of venue as petitioner; provided, in the event the district attorney elects not to file such action, or fails to file such action within ninety (90) days of the date of the seizure of such equipment, the property shall be returned to the owner.

B.  In addition to the property described in subsection A of this section, the following property is also subject to forfeiture pursuant to this section:

1.  Property used in the commission of theft of livestock or in any manner to facilitate the theft of livestock;

2.  The proceeds gained from the commission of theft of livestock;

3.  Personal property acquired with proceeds gained from the commission of theft of livestock;

4.  All conveyances, including aircraft, vehicles or vessels, and horses or dogs which are used to transport or in any manner to facilitate the transportation for the purpose of the commission of theft of livestock;

5.  Any items having a counterfeit mark and all property that is owned by or registered to the defendant that is employed or used in connection with any violation of the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act;

6.  Any weapon possessed, used or available for use in any manner during the commission of a felony within the State of Oklahoma, or any firearm that is possessed by a convicted felon;

7.  Any police scanner used in violation of Section 1214 of this title;

8.  Any computer and its components and peripherals, including but not limited to the central processing unit, monitor, keyboard, printers, scanners, software, and hardware, when it is used in the commission of any crime in this state;

9.  All property used in the commission of, or in any manner to facilitate, a violation of Section 2 1040.12a of this act title; 

10.  All conveyances, including aircraft, vehicles or vessels, monies, coins and currency, or other instrumentality used or intended to be used, in any manner or part, to commit a violation of paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 1021 of this title, where the victim of the crime is a minor child, subsection B of Section 1021 of this title, Section 1021.2 of this title, paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 1111 of this title, or paragraphs 2 and 3 of subsection A of Section 1123 of this title; and

11.  All conveyances, including aircraft, vehicles or vessels, monies, coins and currency, or other instrumentality used in any manner or part, to commit any violation of the provisions set forth in Section 748 of this title; and

12.  Any and all property used in any manner or part to facilitate, participate or further the commission of a human trafficking offense in violation of Section 748 of this title, and all property, including monies, real estate, or any other tangible assets or property of or derived from or used by a prostitute, pimp or panderer in any manner or part to facilitate, participate or further the commission of any prostitution offense in violation of Sections 1028, 1029 or 1030 of this title; provided, however, any monies, real estate or any other tangible asset or property of a customer or anyone merely procuring the services of a prostitute shall not be included.

C.  Notice of seizure and intended forfeiture proceeding shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court for the county wherein such property is seized and shall be given all owners and parties in interest.

D.  Notice shall be given according to one of the following methods:

1.  Upon each owner or party in interest whose right, title, or interest is of record in the Oklahoma Tax Commission or with the county clerk for filings under the Uniform Commercial Code, served in the manner of service of process in civil cases prescribed by Section 2004 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

2.  Upon each owner or party in interest whose name and address is known, served in the manner of service of process in civil cases prescribed by Section 2004 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes; or

3.  Upon all other owners, whose addresses are unknown, but who are believed to have an interest in the property by one publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the seizure was made.

E.  Within sixty (60) days after the mailing or publication of the notice, the owner of the property and any other party in interest or claimant may file a verified answer and claim to the property described in the notice of seizure and of the intended forfeiture proceeding.

F.  If at the end of sixty (60) days after the notice has been mailed or published there is no verified answer on file, the court shall hear evidence upon the fact of the unlawful use and may order the property forfeited to the state, if such fact is proven.

G.  If a verified answer is filed, the forfeiture proceeding shall be set for hearing.

H.  At the hearing the petitioner shall prove by clear and convincing evidence that property was used in the attempt or commission of an act specified in subsection A of this section or is property described in subsection B of this section with knowledge by the owner of the property.

I.  The claimant of any right, title, or interest in the property may prove the lien, mortgage, or conditional sales contract to be bona fide and that the right, title, or interest created by the document was created without any knowledge or reason to believe that the property was being, or was to be, used for the purpose charged.

J.  In the event of such proof, the court may order the property released to the bona fide or innocent owner, lien holder, mortgagee, or vendor if the amount due such person is equal to, or in excess of, the value of the property as of the date of the seizure, it being the intention of this section to forfeit only the right, title, or interest of the purchaser, except for items bearing a counterfeit mark or used exclusively to manufacture a counterfeit mark.

K.  If the amount due to such person is less than the value of the property, or if no bona fide claim is established, the property may be forfeited to the state and may be sold pursuant to judgment of the court, as on sale upon execution, and as provided in Section 2-508 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes, except as otherwise provided for by law and for property bearing a counterfeit mark which shall be destroyed.

L.  Property taken or detained pursuant to this section shall not be repleviable, but shall be deemed to be in the custody of the petitioner or in the custody of the law enforcement agency as provided in the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act.  Except for property required to be destroyed pursuant to the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act, the petitioner shall release said property to the owner of the property if it is determined that the owner had no knowledge of the illegal use of the property or if there is insufficient evidence to sustain the burden of showing illegal use of such property.  If the owner of the property stipulates to the forfeiture and waives the hearing, the petitioner may determine if the value of the property is equal to or less than the outstanding lien.  If such lien exceeds the value of the property, the property may be released to the lien holder.  Property which has not been released by the petitioner shall be subject to the orders and decrees of the court or the official having jurisdiction thereof.

M.  The petitioner, or the law enforcement agency holding property pursuant to the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act, shall not be held civilly liable for having custody of the seized property or proceeding with a forfeiture action as provided for in this section.

N.  Attorney fees shall not be assessed against the state or the petitioner for any actions or proceeding pursuant to Section 1701 et seq. of this title.

O.  The proceeds of the sale of any property shall be distributed as follows, in the order indicated:

1.  To the bona fide or innocent purchaser, conditional sales vendor, or mortgagee of the property, if any, up to the amount of such person’s interest in the property, when the court declaring the forfeiture orders a distribution to such person;

2.  To the payment of the actual reasonable expenses of preserving the property;

3.  To the victim of the crime to compensate said victim for any loss incurred as a result of the act for which such property was forfeited; and

4.  The balance to a revolving fund in the office of the county treasurer of the county wherein the property was seized, to be distributed as follows: one-third (1/3) to the investigating law enforcement agency; one-third (1/3) of said fund to be used and maintained as a revolving fund by the district attorney for the victim-witness fund, a reward fund or the evidence fund; and one-third (1/3) to go to the jail maintenance fund, with a yearly accounting to the board of county commissioners in whose county the fund is established.  If the petitioner is not the district attorney, then the one-third (1/3) which would have been designated to that office shall be distributed to the petitioner.  Monies distributed to the jail maintenance fund shall be used to pay costs for the storage of such property if such property is ordered released to a bona fide or innocent owner, lien holder, mortgagee, or vendor and if such funds are available in said fund.

P.  Monies distributed into the revolving fund in the office of the county treasurer from forfeitures initiated under this section by the district attorney shall be limited to One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) at any one time in counties with population in excess of three hundred thousand (300,000) and Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) at any one time in counties with population less than three hundred thousand (300,000).  Any amount in excess of these figures shall be placed in the general fund of the county.

Q.  If the court finds that the property was not used in the attempt or commission of an act specified in subsection A of this section and was not property subject to forfeiture pursuant to subsection B of this section and is not property bearing a counterfeit mark, the court shall order the property released to the owner as the right, title, or interest appears on record in the Tax Commission as of the seizure.

R.  No vehicle, airplane, or vessel used by a person as a common carrier in the transaction of business as a common carrier shall be forfeited pursuant to the provisions of this section unless it shall be proven that the owner or other person in charge of such conveyance was a consenting party or privy to the attempt or commission of an act specified in subsection A or B of this section.  No property shall be forfeited pursuant to the provisions of this section by reason of any act or omission established by the owner thereof to have been committed or omitted without the knowledge or consent of such owner, and by any person other than such owner while such property was unlawfully in the possession of a person other than the owner in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state.

S.  Whenever any property is forfeited pursuant to this section, the district court having jurisdiction of the proceeding may order that the forfeited property may be retained for its official use by the state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency which seized the property.

SECTION 4.  It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage and approval.

Passed the Senate the 17th day of May, 2010.

	
Presiding Officer 	of the Senate

Passed the House of Representatives the 21st day of May, 2010.

	
Presiding Officer	of the House
	of Representatives