Human trafficking is happening here in the heartland.
This week, the Iowa Senate passed SF 450 to battle human trafficking, which is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. The legislation is part of a dedicated effort to expose it, punish the perpetrators and help the victims return to a better life.
The bill:
- Makes human trafficking a forcible felony, which means if a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to human trafficking, they will have to go to prison. It will also be a non-bailable offense with no deferred judgments, deferred sentences or suspended sentences.
- Requires the Crime Victim Assistance Division of the Attorney General’s Office to develop outreach, public awareness and training programs on human trafficking, and allows the division to use money from the Victim Compensation Fund to pay for those efforts.
- Requires certified law enforcement officers to have four hours of in-service training every five years on human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic abuse, stalking and harassment. The training will be developed by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in conjunction with the Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
- Requires the Division of Criminal & Juvenile Justice Planning to research and collect data on human trafficking and related crimes. This should help provide a clearer picture of human trafficking in Iowa and what we need to do to combat it.