HB 16-1224 Summary

• Adds human trafficking of minors for sexual servitude as a category of child abuse under Colorado law, classified alongside other forms of child abuse and neglect.

• Defines "commercial sexual exploitation of children" as crimes of a sexual nature committed against juvenile victims for financial or other economic reasons.

• Requires county departments to immediately offer social services to trafficking victims and their families, and mandates notification to local law enforcement when reasonable cause exists to suspect human trafficking.

• Establishes that county departments may decline to interview alleged perpetrators in third-party human trafficking cases and must confer with law enforcement before conducting such interviews.

• Requires implementation of a uniform screening tool by the state department and all county departments to identify children who are victims of or at risk of human trafficking, pursuant to the federal "Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act."