HOUSE  .   .   .   .   .   .   .  No. 4360

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, July 29, 2025.                         

The committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the Bill requiring human trafficking recognition training for certain hospitality workers (House, No. 2726), reports recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment substituting therefor the accompanying bill (House, No. 4360).

For the committee,

AARON MICHLEWITZ.

        FILED ON: 7/29/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4360

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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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 those terms are defined in section 1 of chapter 64G; provided, that “qualified accommodation” shall not include accommodations exempt from the room occupancy excise established in section 2 of chapter 64G.

(b) Every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation shall require every employee of the qualified accommodation to complete a human trafficking recognition training program. The training program shall be approved by the attorney general and shall be provided by organizations or providers approved by the attorney general and included on the list pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (d). The training program may be incorporated in the innholder’s existing training programs.

(c) Every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation shall post in plain view, in the lobby or common area and in any public restroom of the qualified accommodation, a written notice developed by the attorney general pursuant to subsection (e).

(d)(1) The attorney general shall make available a list of approved human trafficking recognition training programs that meet the criteria of paragraph (2) for use by a licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation pursuant to subsection (b); provided, that a training program may be developed by a federal, state or nonprofit organization.

(2) Human trafficking recognition training programs required under this section shall include, but shall not be limited to, training on: (i) the nature of human trafficking; (ii) how human trafficking is defined pursuant to sections 50 and 51 of chapter 265; and (iii) how to identify a human trafficking victim, as defined in section 20M of chapter 233.

(e) The attorney general shall develop a standard written notice to be posted by every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation pursuant to subsection (c); provided, that the standard written notice shall include the national human trafficking hotline telephone number and other resources as determined by the attorney general.

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