1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
---|
2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1764 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
---|
3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2726 |
---|
4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
---|
5 | 5 | | _________________ |
---|
6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
---|
7 | 7 | | Thomas P. Walsh and Joan B. Lovely |
---|
8 | 8 | | _________________ |
---|
9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
---|
10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
---|
11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
---|
12 | 12 | | An Act requiring human trafficking recognition training for certain hospitality workers. |
---|
13 | 13 | | _______________ |
---|
14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
---|
15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Thomas P. Walsh12th Essex1/15/2025Sally P. Kerans13th Essex3/12/2025Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable3/12/2025 1 of 2 |
---|
16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1764 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
---|
17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2726 |
---|
18 | 18 | | By Representative Walsh of Peabody and Senator Lovely, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, |
---|
19 | 19 | | House, No. 2726) of Thomas P. Walsh relative to requiring human trafficking recognition |
---|
20 | 20 | | training for certain hospitality workers. Public Safety and Homeland Security. |
---|
21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
---|
22 | 22 | | _______________ |
---|
23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
---|
24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
---|
25 | 25 | | _______________ |
---|
26 | 26 | | An Act requiring human trafficking recognition training for certain hospitality workers. |
---|
27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
---|
28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
---|
29 | 29 | | 1 Chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby |
---|
30 | 30 | | 2amended by inserting after section 6B the following section:- |
---|
31 | 31 | | 3 Section 6C. |
---|
32 | 32 | | 4 (a) For the purposes of this section, “qualified accommodation” shall mean a hotel, motel, |
---|
33 | 33 | | 5lodging house or bed and breakfast establishment, as defined in section 1 of chapter 64G, except |
---|
34 | 34 | | 6for accommodations exempt from the room occupancy excise pursuant to section 2 of said |
---|
35 | 35 | | 7chapter 64G. |
---|
36 | 36 | | 8 (b) Every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation shall establish a |
---|
37 | 37 | | 9human trafficking recognition training program, and shall require every employee of such |
---|
38 | 38 | | 10accommodation to participate in the training program. The training program shall be approved by |
---|
39 | 39 | | 11the attorney general, and may be provided by organizations or providers approved by the |
---|
40 | 40 | | 12attorney general pursuant to subsection (d). The training program may be developed by a federal, 2 of 2 |
---|
41 | 41 | | 13state or nonprofit organization, and may be incorporated as part of the innholder’s existing |
---|
42 | 42 | | 14training programs. Human trafficking recognition training programs required pursuant to this |
---|
43 | 43 | | 15section shall include, but shall not be limited to training relative to: |
---|
44 | 44 | | 16 (i) the nature of human trafficking; |
---|
45 | 45 | | 17 (ii) how human trafficking is defined pursuant to the federal Victims of Trafficking and |
---|
46 | 46 | | 18Violence Protection Act of 2000; |
---|
47 | 47 | | 19 (iii) how to identify victims of human trafficking, as defined pursuant to the federal |
---|
48 | 48 | | 20Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000; |
---|
49 | 49 | | 21 (c) Every licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation shall post in plain |
---|
50 | 50 | | 22view, in the lobby and in any public restroom of such qualified accommodation, a written notice |
---|
51 | 51 | | 23developed by the attorney general, which shall include the national human trafficking hotline |
---|
52 | 52 | | 24telephone number. |
---|
53 | 53 | | 25 (d) The attorney general shall: |
---|
54 | 54 | | 26 (i) make available a list of approved human trafficking recognition training programs for |
---|
55 | 55 | | 27use by a licensed innholder operating a qualified accommodation pursuant to this section; |
---|
56 | 56 | | 28 (ii) develop a standard written notice to be posted in every qualified accommodation |
---|
57 | 57 | | 29pursuant to subsection (c). |
---|
58 | 58 | | 30 (e) The attorney general shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement this section. |
---|