HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2690        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2540

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Thomas P. Walsh and Joan B. Lovely

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act requiring human trafficking recognition training for certain hospitality workers.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2690        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2540

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2148 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act requiring human trafficking recognition training for certain hospitality workers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 140 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 6B the following section:-

Section 6C. (a) For the purposes of this section, “qualified accommodation” shall mean a hotel, motel, lodging house or bed and breakfast establishment, as defined in section 1 of chapter 64G, except for accommodations exempt from the room occupancy excise pursuant to section 2 of said chapter 64G.

(b) Every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation shall establish a human trafficking recognition training program, and shall require every employee of such accommodation to participate in the training program. The training program shall be approved by the attorney general, and may be provided by organizations or providers approved by the attorney general pursuant to subsection (d).  The training program may be developed by a federal, state or nonprofit organization, and may be incorporated as part of the innholder’s existing training programs. Human trafficking recognition training programs required pursuant to this section shall include, but shall not be limited to training relative to:

(i)the nature of human trafficking;

(ii)how human trafficking is defined pursuant to section 50 and 51 of chapter 265;

(iii)how to identify victims of human trafficking, as defined in section 20M of chapter 233;

(iv)relief and recovery options for survivors; and

(v)social and legal services available to victims.

(c) Every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation shall post in plain view, in the lobby and in any public restroom of such qualified accommodation, a written notice developed by the attorney general, which shall include the national human trafficking hotline telephone number and the number for the human trafficking hotline established by the attorney general pursuant to subsection (d).

(d) The attorney general shall: (i) make available a list of approved human trafficking recognition training programs for use by a licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation pursuant to this section; (ii) develop a standard written notice to be posted in every qualified accommodation pursuant to subsection (c); and (iii) establish a toll-free hotline for reporting human trafficking.

(e) The attorney general shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement this section.