CS for CS for SB 1826 - Human Trafficking

• Creates a confidentiality privilege for communications between human trafficking victim advocates or trained volunteers and trafficking victims, protecting these communications from disclosure without the victim's written consent.

• Expands the definition of human trafficking to include "purchasing, patronizing, and procuring" and applies criminal penalties when a person engages in trafficking acts with an adult believed to be a child under 18 years of age.

• Eliminates filing fees for human trafficking victim expunction petitions and allows multiple eligible cases to be treated as a single petition without requiring petitioners to have no other pending expunction or sealing petitions.

• Requires courts to impose mandatory conditions on probationers or community controllees convicted of specified human trafficking offenses committed on or after July 1, 2021, including curfews, residency restrictions, and sex offender treatment participation.

• Encourages state attorneys to adopt pro-prosecution policies for human trafficking offenses, allowing prosecution even without victim cooperation or over victim objection when necessary.