Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Senate File 340 - Introduced
                                  SENATE FILE 340
                                  BY ZAUN
                            A BILL FOR
An Act providing for a human trafficking task force and
  providing information in an annual report to the general
  assembly.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
                                         TLSB 2233SS (4) 90
                                         ko/rh
                                S.F. 340
    Section 1. NEW SECTION. 80.45B Human trafficking task
 force.
    1. The commissioner shall establish, by January 30, 2024, a
 task force that shall do all of the following:
    a. Collaborate with the office to combat human trafficking.
    b. Examine the extent of human trafficking of minors in the
 state.
    c. Identify current initiatives to eliminate human
 trafficking of minors in the state.
    d. Identify current services available in the state to minor
 victims of human trafficking.
    e. Research and recommend a model of rehabilitative services
 for minor victims of human trafficking that includes input from
 law enforcement, social services organizations, the judicial
 system, and mental health professionals.
    f. Identify barriers that prevent minor victims of human
 trafficking from seeking legal assistance or medical attention.
    g. Create a procedure to be followed by all law enforcement
 officers statewide if a law enforcement officer encounters a
 minor who may be a victim of human trafficking. For purposes
 of this section, “law enforcement officer” means an officer
 appointed by the director of the department of natural
 resources, a member of a police force or other agency or
 department of the state, county, city, or tribal government
 regularly employed as such and who is responsible for the
 prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the
 criminal laws of this state and all individuals, as determined
 by the Iowa law enforcement academy council, who by the nature
 of their duties may be required to perform the duties of a
 peace officer.
    h. Create a pathway for the implementation of a safe harbor
 law that prohibits the prosecution of minor victims of human
 trafficking, and directs minor victims of human trafficking to
 rehabilitative services.
    i. Investigate and identify potential routes to eliminate
                                           LSB 2233SS (4) 90
                               -1-         ko/rh                 1/4
                                S.F. 340
 human trafficking of minors in the state.
    j. Report on findings and make recommendations in the report
 submitted by the office to combat human trafficking to the
 general assembly under subsection 5.
    2. The task force shall consist of the following members:
    a. The commissioner or the commissioner’s designee.
    b. The coordinator of the office to combat human
 trafficking.
    c. The director of the law enforcement academy or the
 director’s designee.
    d. The attorney general or the attorney general’s designee.
    e. The director of health and human services or the
 director’s designee.
    f. Two judges, each from a different juvenile court in this
 state.
    g. The following members who shall be appointed by the
 governor:
    (1) The chief of police or head law enforcement official of
 a city in this state with a population of two hundred thousand
 or more as determined by the most recent population estimates
 issued by the United States bureau of census.
    (2) The chief of police or head law enforcement official of
 a city in this state with a population of less than two hundred
 thousand as determined by the most recent population estimates
 issued by the United States bureau of census.
    (3) A county sheriff.
    (4) Two county attorneys who serve on child protection
 assistance teams under section 915.35, subsection 4, paragraph
 “a”.
    (5) Three members of the multidisciplinary team created by
 the department of health and human services for child abuse
 investigations.
    (6) Six members of the general public who are former human
 trafficking victims.
    3. a. The members of the task force appointed by the
                                           LSB 2233SS (4) 90
                               -2-         ko/rh                 2/4
                                         S.F. 340
 governor shall serve six-year terms, except that of the members
 first appointed, four shall serve an initial two-year term,
 four shall serve an initial four-year term, and six shall serve
 an initial six-year term. Thereafter, all other appointed
 members shall serve a six-year term.
    b. The governor shall appoint a new member to fill a vacancy
 that occurs before the end of the term of a member appointed by
 the governor, and the newly appointed member shall serve for
 the remaining period of the term.
    c. A member of the task force may be appointed to serve more
 than one term.
    d. A member of the task force shall not continue to serve
 on the task force beyond the date at which the member no longer
 holds the office, employment, or status by which the member had
 been eligible to serve on the task force.
    e. A member of the task force appointed by the governor
 may be removed from the task force for being absent from three
 regularly scheduled meetings of the task force during any
 six-month period.
    f. Eleven members of the task force shall constitute a
 quorum and the task force shall have the power to act by a
 majority of the members present at any meeting at which a
 quorum is present.
    4. The commissioner or the commissioner’s designee shall
 serve as the chairperson of the task force.
    5. The commissioner or the commissioner’s designee shall
 provide the findings and recommendations of the task force
 to the coordinator of the office to combat human trafficking
 for inclusion in the annual report submitted by the office to
 the general assembly pursuant to section 80.45, subsection 3,
 paragraph “h”.
                           EXPLANATION
         The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
          the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill directs the commissioner of public safety to
                                                        LSB 2233SS (4) 90
                                       -3-              ko/rh                       3/4
                                S.F. 340
 establish a human trafficking task force to investigate human
 trafficking (trafficking) of minors in the state, identify
 services available for minor victims of trafficking, identify
 barriers that prevent minor victims of trafficking from
 seeking legal assistance or medical attention, research and
 recommend a model of rehabilitative services for minor victims
 of trafficking, create a procedure to be followed by all law
 enforcement officers statewide if a law enforcement officer
 encounters a minor who may be a victim of trafficking, and
 create a pathway for the implementation of a safe harbor law
 that prohibits the prosecution of minor victims of trafficking
 and directs minor victims of trafficking to rehabilitative
 services. The members of the task force are specified in
 the bill. The bill requires the commissioner to provide
 the findings and recommendations of the task force to the
 coordinator of the office to combat human trafficking for
 inclusion in the annual report submitted to the general
 assembly.
                                           LSB 2233SS (4) 90
                               -4-         ko/rh                  4/4