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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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30	30	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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32	32	HOUSE BILL 1214 By: Jenkins
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38	38	AS INTRODUCED
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40	40	An Act relating to human trafficking; enacting the
41	41	Justice for Noncitizen Minors and Human Trafficking
42	42	Accountability Act of 2025; recog nizing findings;
43	43	directing the Human Trafficking Response Unit to
44	44	submit report; providing information report shall
45	45	contain; directing the Attorney General to establish
46	46	standards; providing certain duties; directing the
47	47	Unit to perform certain task; defini ng terms;
48	48	amending Section 2, Chapter 296, O.S.L. 2022 (74 O.S.
49	49	Supp. 2024, Section 18r), which relates to the Human
50	50	Trafficking Response Unit; modifying
51	51	responsibilities; providing for noncodification;
52	52	providing for codification; and providing an
53	53	effective date.
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62	62	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
63	63	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
64	64	codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
65	65	This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Justice for
66	66	Noncitizen Minors and Human Trafficking Accountability Act of 2025 ".
67	67	SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
68	68	codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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95	95	The Oklahoma Legislature recognizes and declares the following:
96	96	1. Grave injustices and irreparable harm are caused by human
97	97	trafficking, particularly to noncitizen minors, who are among the
98	98	most vulnerable and exploited individuals in society;
99	99	2. Reports have revealed that entities, including certain
100	100	nongovernmental organizations, have failed to exercise reasonable
101	101	due diligence in the placement of unaccompanied minors, resulting in
102	102	their exposure to trafficking, forced labor, and other forms of
103	103	abuse;
104	104	3. The safety and welfare of minor children, regardle ss of
105	105	citizenship status, is a moral imperative and every effort must be
106	106	made to ensure their protection and opportunity to thrive;
107	107	4. It is the duty of the Legislature to provide victims of
108	108	human trafficking with a pathway to seek justice, including the
109	109	tools and evidentiary standards necessary to hold traffickers and
110	110	complicit organizations accountable in a court of law;
111	111	5. The Legislature will demonstrate leadership and courage in
112	112	the fight against human trafficking and set a standard for the
113	113	nation in defending the rights of minors who have suffered
114	114	unimaginable wrongs; and
115	115	6. The Legislature commits to protect the lives and dignity of
116	116	noncitizen minors, ensure justice for victims of human trafficking,
117	117	and provide the framework through which they may seek redress and
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144	144	accountability, thereby affirming Oklahoma 's role as a defender of
145	145	human rights and a beacon of justice.
146	146	SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
147	147	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 18r -1 of Title 74, unless there
148	148	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
149	149	A. Not later than December 31, 2026, the Human Trafficking
150	150	Response Unit shall submit a comprehensive report to the Governor,
151	151	the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, the Speaker
152	152	of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the Oklahoma Department of
153	153	Libraries, and the transparency portal established pursuant to
154	154	Section 34.11.3 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes. This report
155	155	shall:
156	156	1. Document, to the fullest extent possi ble, the number of
157	157	minor persons trafficked by organizations that meet the definition
158	158	of "minor child trafficking organizations ", defined pursuant to
159	159	subsection D of this section, or transported through the state by
160	160	such organizations, during the period be ginning January 20, 2021,
161	161	and ending January 20, 2025;
162	162	2. Identify and record relevant data on trafficking patterns,
163	163	suspected organizations, individual perpetrators, and victims
164	164	trafficked within, into, or through the state, ensuring compliance
165	165	with privacy protections and de -identification standards; and
166	166	3. Provide findings in a manner consistent with evidentiary
167	167	standards suitable for future civil legal actions by victims,
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194	194	ensuring the admissibility of such data in judicial proceedings
195	195	under applicable rules of evidence.
196	196	B. The Office of the Attorney General shall establish sta ndards
197	197	and methodologies for the collection, validation, and preservation
198	198	of data for the report required pursuant to subsection A of this
199	199	section, including:
200	200	1. Coordinating with state and federal law enforcement
201	201	agencies, victim advocacy groups, and other relevant stakeholders to
202	202	gather reliable data;
203	203	2. Ensuring data is maintained in formats compliant with
204	204	evidentiary rules pursuant to the Oklahoma Evidence Code in Title 12
205	205	of the Oklahoma Statutes and federal standards for civil litigation;
206	206	and
207	207	3. Providing guidance and training to agency personnel on
208	208	maintaining chain-of-custody procedures for data collection to
209	209	preserve its integrity for use in future legal proceedings.
210	210	C. To support the preparation of the report described in
211	211	subsection A of this section, the Human Trafficking Response Unit
212	212	shall seek voluntary cooperation from nongovernmental organizations
213	213	and private entities. Such cooperation shall include sharing de -
214	214	identified data or other nonconfidential information that may aid in
215	215	identifying trends or perpetrators of the trafficking of noncitizen,
216	216	minor children.
217	217	D. For purposes of this section:
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244	244	1. "Minor child trafficking organizations " means any entity,
245	245	whether formal or informal, that:
246	246	a. engaged in the transport of unaccompanied minors who,
247	247	at the time of transport, were not citizens of the
248	248	United States of America,
249	249	b. facilitated or arranged the placement of such minors
250	250	into the custody of individuals or enti ties without
251	251	first performing reasonable due diligence to verify a
252	252	prior custodial relationship existed between the minor
253	253	and the receiving individual or entity and failed to
254	254	ensure the placement complies with applicable state
255	255	and federal laws concerning t he welfare of minors, and
256	256	c. either have a physical nexus in Oklahoma or have
257	257	transported the minor into or through the state during
258	258	the period described in subsection A of this section;
259	259	2. "Minor child" or "minor" means any individual who was not a
260	260	citizen of the United States of America and was under the age of
261	261	sixteen (16) at the time of the trafficking or placement described
262	262	in subsection A of this section;
263	263	3. "Reasonable due diligence " means the performance of a
264	264	thorough and documented investigation to verify the safety and
265	265	suitability of placing a minor with a sponsor, which shall include,
266	266	but not be limited to:
267	267	a. identity verification, including:
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294	294	(1) conducting comprehensive background checks on all
295	295	prospective sponsors, including searches for
296	296	criminal records, gang affiliations, and other
297	297	indications of potential harm to th e child, and
298	298	(2) requiring official documentation to confirm the
299	299	identity of the sponsor,
300	300	b. custodial relationship verification, including:
301	301	(1) confirming the existence of a pri or custodial or
302	302	familial relationship between the sponsor and the
303	303	minor child, supported by credible evidence such
304	304	as birth certificates, legal guardianship
305	305	documents, or other verifiable records, and
306	306	(2) investigating discrepancies or lack of
307	307	documentation through interviews, home visits, or
308	308	third-party verification,
309	309	c. home and environmental safety assessment, including:
310	310	(1) conducting on-site home studies to ensure the
311	311	placement location is suitable and free from
312	312	conditions that may endanger the minor 's welfare,
313	313	such as abandoned properties, uninhabitable
314	314	structures, or fields with no physical address,
315	315	and
316	316	(2) ensuring that the sponsor is capable of providing
317	317	adequate care and supervision for the minor,
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344	344	d. capacity assessment, including ensuring that the
345	345	sponsor has not previously taken custody of an
346	346	unreasonable number of minors i n a manner indicative
347	347	of trafficking or exploitation,
348	348	e. follow-up procedures, including:
349	349	(1) establishing a process for post -placement
350	350	monitoring, including mandatory check -ins with
351	351	minors and sponsors at regular intervals to
352	352	verify the child's safety and well being, and
353	353	(2) requiring sponsors to report changes in living
354	354	arrangements or custody status within a
355	355	designated time frame, and
356	356	f. transparency and accountability, includi ng:
357	357	(1) documenting all steps taken in the vetting
358	358	process, maintaining record s in compliance with
359	359	state and federal evidence standards to support
360	360	potential civil or criminal actions, and
361	361	(2) providing clear findings to relevant oversight
362	362	authorities when sponsors fail to meet minimum
363	363	standards of care.
364	364	SECTION 4. AMENDATORY Section 2, Chapter 296, O.S.L.
365	365	2022 (74 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 18r), is amended to read as
366	366	follows:
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393	393	Section 18r. There is hereby created within the Office o f the
394	394	Attorney General the Human Trafficking Response Unit, which shall:
395	395	1. Maintain data in a central location on human trafficking
396	396	that shall be shared with law enforcement, criminal justice
397	397	entities, social service agencies, and victim services program s and
398	398	document information including, but not limited to, offenders,
399	399	locations, victims, types of trafficking, and trafficking
400	400	techniques. Provided, however, that any personal identifying
401	401	information shall be de -identified using tokens or a similar method
402	402	prior to the sharing of data in order to protect individuals '
403	403	privacy rights;
404	404	2. Develop training programs that address prevention efforts
405	405	and best practices on identifying and assisting victims of human
406	406	trafficking and support agencies in identifying at -risk environments
407	407	for human trafficking;
408	408	3. Review current state agency policies to ensure they include
409	409	best practices to identify human trafficking victims and encourage
410	410	reporting;
411	411	4. Create an incentive program to encourage state agencies to
412	412	have personnel attend training programs and review policies;
413	413	5. Appropriate targeted f unding for victim services programs;
414	414	and
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441	441	6. Publish public service announcements on various media
442	442	platforms to educate the public about the dangers of human
443	443	trafficking; and
444	444	7. Carry out the reporting requirements pursuant to Section 3
445	445	of this act.
446	446	SECTION 5. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
447	447
448	448	60-1-10990 CMA 01/02/25

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1214 Compare Versions