This bill significantly enhances New Jersey's legal framework regarding human trafficking by expanding the definition of the crime, eliminating the statute of limitations for prosecution, and classifying attempts or conspiracies to commit human trafficking as a first-degree crime. It establishes county-based Human Trafficking Response Teams, which will include law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and experts in human trafficking investigations, to provide support and services to victims. The bill also mandates enhanced training for relevant personnel, including law enforcement and healthcare workers, to better recognize and respond to human trafficking situations. To support these initiatives, the bill appropriates $1 million to the Commission on Human Trafficking and allocates an additional $250,000 for the development and administration of training programs.

Moreover, the bill introduces several key amendments, such as creating an affirmative defense for defendants who were victims of human trafficking themselves at the time of the offense and establishing a mandatory minimum fine of $15,000 for certain convictions directed to the Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund. It also allows victims to pursue civil actions against offenders and those who benefit from human trafficking, ensuring they can seek damages. The legislation emphasizes the importance of protecting child victims by expanding the definition of "abused child" to include those subjected to human trafficking and imposing penalties for failing to report child abuse. Overall, the bill aims to strengthen the state's response to human trafficking, improve victim support, and hold offenders accountable.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2A:84A-32.4, 2A:156A-8, 2C:13-8, 2C:13-8.1, 2C:13-9, 2C:13-10, 2C:13-12, 9:6-8.9, 9:6-8.13, 9:6-8.14, 9:6-8.18, 40A:14-146.11, 59:2-1.3, 2C:34-1.2