HB 12-1151: Human Trafficking and Prostitution

• Creates civil liability allowing victims of trafficking (adults or children) and involuntary servitude to recover damages and obtain injunctive relief from perpetrators without requiring a prior criminal conviction.

• Designates properties used for trafficking in adults, trafficking in children, or coercion of involuntary servitude as Class 1 public nuisances subject to civil abatement procedures.

• Requires escort bureaus and massage parlors to provide written notices to employees listing state prohibitions against human trafficking and contact information for victim assistance organizations.

• Allows trafficking victims to petition for expungement of criminal records for prostitution-related offenses if they can prove they were sold, exchanged, bartered, leased, or coerced into committing the offense; includes similar sealing provisions for adult criminal records.

• Expands the definition of "victim" in victim rights statutes to include minors trafficked or coerced into involuntary servitude; effective 90 days after adjournment subject to referendum petition.