The bill amends the existing "Human Trafficking Prevention Notice Act," renaming it to "The Human Trafficking Prevention Notice and Training Act." It introduces new definitions, including "human trafficking awareness training," which consists of various components aimed at educating hospitality employees about human trafficking. These components include the definition of human trafficking and commercial exploitation of children, guidance on identifying individuals at risk for trafficking, recognizing signs of trafficking, understanding the differences between labor and sex trafficking specific to the hotel sector, the role of hospitality employees in reporting and responding to trafficking, and contact information for the national human trafficking hotline and local law enforcement.

The bill mandates that all hotel employees and short-term rental property operators receive human trafficking awareness training within 180 days of employment or the first listing of a short-term rental property on a hosting platform. After the first year, annual training is required to be completed no later than December 31 of each year.

Additionally, the bill requires operators of hotels and short-term rental properties to implement procedures and adopt policies for reporting suspected human trafficking to the national human trafficking hotline or local law enforcement agencies. It also mandates that operators maintain records of employee or operator training for the duration of employment or operation, plus one year after it ends. These records must be provided to the Department of Business Regulation within ten business days of a written request.

The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
5563: 5-14.1-1