Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1886 Latest Draft

Bill / Amended Version Filed 04/23/2025

                             
 
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SENATE FLOOR VERSION 
April 22, 2025 
AS AMENDED 
 
ENGROSSED HOUSE 
BILL NO. 1886 	By: May and Stark of the House 
 
  and 
 
  Gillespie of the Senate 
 
 
 
 
An Act relating to human trafficking; creating the 
Oklahoma Human Trafficking Justice for Victims and 
Advocacy Act of 2025; amending 21 O.S. 2021, Section 
748, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 20, O.S.L. 2022 
(21 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 748), which relates to 
human trafficking offenses and related penalties; 
increasing penalties for certain unlawful act; 
providing additional restitution for psychological 
evaluations and counseling services; creating a 
statewide Human Trafficking Awareness and Education 
Program; requiring the Director of the Human 
Trafficking Response Unit to develop, promote, and 
coordinate a public awareness program; providing 
specifics of the program; granting production and 
determination of program materials and curriculum to 
the Director of the Unit; providing for the 
promulgation of rules; amending 21 O.S. 2021, Section 
748.2, as amended by Section 2, Chapter 20, O.S.L. 
2022 (21 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 748.2), which 
relates to rights of human trafficking victims; 
adding provisions to t he list of rights for human 
trafficking victims; providing for noncodification; 
providing for codification; and providing an 
effective date. 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law not to be 
codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:   
 
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This act shall be known and may be cite d as the "Oklahoma Human 
Trafficking Justice for Victims and Advocacy Act of 2025". 
SECTION 2.     AMENDATORY     21 O.S. 2021, Section 748, as 
amended by Section 1, Chapter 20, O.S.L. 2022 (21 O.S. Supp. 2024, 
Section 748), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 748.  A.  As used in Sections 748 and 748.2 of this 
title: 
1.  "Coercion" means compelling, forcing or intimidating a 
person to act by: 
a. threats of harm or physical restraint against any 
person, 
b. any act, scheme, plan, or patt ern intended to cause a 
person to believe that performing, or failing to 
perform, an act would result in serious physical, 
financial, or emotional harm or distress to or 
physical restraint against any person, 
c. the abuse or threatened abuse of the law or legal 
process, 
d. knowingly destroying, concealing, removing, 
confiscating or possessing any actual or purported 
passport, labor or immigration document, or other 
government identification document, including but not 
limited to a driver license or birth ce rtificate, of 
another person,   
 
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e. facilitating or controlling a person's access to any 
addictive or controlled substance other than for legal 
medical purposes, 
f. blackmail, 
g. demanding or claiming money, goods, or any other thing 
of value from or on behal f of a prostituted person 
where such demand or claim arises from or is directly 
related to the act of prostitution, 
h. determining, dictating or setting the times at which 
another person will be available to engage in an act 
of prostitution with a third pa rty, 
i. determining, dictating or setting the places at which 
another person will be available for solicitation of, 
or to engage in, an act of prostitution with a third 
party, or 
j. determining, dictating or setting the places at which 
another person will reside for purposes of making su ch 
person available to engage in an act of prostitution 
with a third party; 
2.  "Commercial sex" means any form of commercial sexual 
activity such as sexually explicit performances, prostitution, 
participation in the product ion of pornography, performance in a 
strip club, or exotic dancing or display;   
 
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3.  "Debt bondage" means the status or condition of a debtor 
arising from a pledge by the debtor of his or her personal services 
or of those of a person under his or her control as a security for 
debt if the value of those services as reasonably assessed is not 
applied toward the liquidation of the debt or the length and nature 
of those services are not respectively limited and defined; 
4.  "Human trafficking" means modern -day slavery that includes, 
but is not limited to, extreme exploitation and the denial of 
freedom or liberty of an individual for purposes of deriving benefit 
from that individual's commercial sex act or labor; 
5.  "Human trafficking for labor" means: 
a. recruiting, enticing, harboring, maintai ning, 
transporting, providing or obtaining, by any means, 
another person through deception, force, fraud, threat 
or coercion or for purposes of engaging the person in 
labor, or 
b. benefiting, financially or by receiving anyt hing of 
value, from participation in a venture that has 
engaged in an act of trafficking for labor; 
6.  "Human trafficking for commercial sex" means: 
a. recruiting, enticing, harboring, maintaining, 
transporting, providing or obtaining, by any means, 
another person through deception, for ce, fraud, threat   
 
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or coercion for purposes of engaging the person in a 
commercial sex act, 
b. recruiting, enticing, harboring, maintaining, 
transporting, providing, purchasing or obtaining, by 
any means, a minor for purposes of engaging the minor 
in a commercial sex act, or 
c. benefiting, financially or by receiving anything of 
value, from participating in a venture that has 
engaged in an act of trafficking for commercial sex; 
7.  "Legal process" means the criminal law, the c ivil law, or 
the regulatory system of the federal government, any state, 
territory, district, commonwealth, or trust territory therein, and 
any foreign government or subdivision thereof and includes legal 
civil actions, criminal actions, and regulatory pet itions or 
applications; 
8.  "Minor" means an individual under eighteen (18) years of 
age; and 
9.  "Victim" means a person against whom a violation of any 
provision of this section has been committed. 
B.  It shall be unlawful to knowingly engage in human 
trafficking. 
C.  1. Any person violating the provisions of this section 
shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony punishable by 
imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a   
 
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term of not less than five (5) years or for life, or by a fine of 
not more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00), or by both 
such fine and imprisonment. 
2. Any person violating the provisions of this section where 
the victim of the offense is under eighteen (18) years of age at the 
time of the offense shall, upon conviction, be guilt y of a felony 
punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of 
Corrections for a term of not less than fifteen (15) ten (10) years 
or, for life, or for life without parole , or by a fine of not more 
than Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00), or by both 
such fine and imprisonment. 
3. The court shall also order the defendant to pay restitution 
to the victim as provided in Section 991f of Title 22 of the 
Oklahoma Statutes.  In addition, the court shall require the 
defendant to pay for a psychological evaluation to determine the 
extent of counseling necessary for the human trafficking victim and 
any necessary psychological counseling deemed necessary to 
rehabilitate the victim.  Such evaluations and couns eling may be 
performed by psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed professional 
counselors, or social workers. 
4. If the person is convicted of human trafficking, the person 
shall serve eighty-five percent (85%) of the sentence before being 
eligible for parole consideration or any earned credits.  The terms 
of imprisonment specified in this subsection shall not be subject to   
 
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statutory provisions for suspension, deferral or probation, or state 
correctional institution earned credits accruing from and after 
November 1, 1989, except for the achievement earned credits 
authorized by subsection H of Section 138 of Title 57 of the 
Oklahoma Statutes.  To qualify for such achievement earned credits, 
such inmates must also be in compliance with the standards for Class 
level 2 behavior, as defined in subsection D of Section 138 of Title 
57 of the Oklahoma Statutes. 
D.  It is an affirmative defense to prosecution for a criminal, 
youthful offender, or delinquent offense that, during the time of 
the alleged commission of th e offense, the defendant or alleged 
youthful offender or delinquent was a victim of human trafficking. 
E.  The consent of a victim to the activity prohibited by this 
section shall not constitute a defense. 
F.  Lack of knowledge of the age of the victim sha ll not 
constitute a defense to t he activity prohibited by this section with 
respect to human trafficking of a minor. 
SECTION 3.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified 
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 748.1 of Title 21, unles s there 
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: 
A.  There is hereby created a statewide "Human Trafficking 
Awareness and Education Program".  The Director of the Human 
Trafficking Response Unit within the Office of the Attorney General 
shall develop, promote, and coordin ate a public awareness program to   
 
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be utilized by law enforcement agencies, communities, and local 
schools and school districts throughout the State of Oklahoma. 
B.  The Human Trafficking Awareness and Education Program shall 
include: 
1.  Objective criteria, guidelines, and a comprehensive 
integrated curriculum for human trafficking programs; 
2.  Establish and review annually model policies for human 
trafficking issues; 
3.  Develop and implement guideline s, strategies, and cri teria 
which encourage all school s to be trained in human trafficking 
awareness and prevention, and recognizing tactics used by 
traffickers to recruit victims through social media, gaming 
platforms, and any other digital spaces; and 
4.  Develop and implemen t guidelines, strategies, and criteria 
to require all law enforcement agencies within this state to be 
trained in human trafficking awareness and prevention, and 
recognizing tactics used by traffickers to recruit victims through 
social media, gaming platfo rms, and any other digital space s. 
C.  Final determination of the materials created and produced by 
the Human Trafficking Response Unit to be used and the means of 
implementation of the curriculum shall be made by the Director of 
the Human Trafficking Resp onse Unit.   
 
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D.  The Human Trafficking Response Unit shall promulgate rules 
to implement the provisions of the Human Trafficking Awareness and 
Education Program. 
SECTION 4.     AMENDATORY     21 O.S. 2021, Section 748.2, as 
amended by Section 2, Chapter 20, O.S.L. 2022 (2 1 O.S. Supp. 2024, 
Section 748.2), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 748.2.  A.  Human trafficking victims shall: 
1.  Be housed in an appropriate shelter as soon as practicable; 
2.  Not be detained in facilities inappro priate to their status 
as crime victims; 
3.  Not be jailed, fined, or otherwise penalized due to having 
been trafficked; 
4.  Receive prompt medical care, mental health care , including 
counseling services and rehabilitation services , food, resources for 
safe housing, and other assistance, as necessary; 
5.  Have access to legal assistance, information about their 
rights, and translation services, as necessary; and 
6.  Be provided protection if the safety of the victim is at 
risk or if there is a danger of add itional harm by recapture of the 
victim by a trafficker, including: 
a. taking measures to protect trafficked persons and 
their family members from intimidation and threats of 
reprisals, and   
 
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b. ensuring that the names and identifying information of 
trafficked persons and their family memb ers are not 
disclosed to the public ; 
7.  Be treated with fairness and respect for the safety, 
dignity, and privacy of the victim and treated as a true crime 
victim rather than a defendant in a criminal case; 
8.  Be informed of financial assistance and other social 
services as a result of being a human trafficking victim; and 
9.  Be informed in writing of all constitutional and statutory 
rights, as provided for in the provisions of the Oklahoma Victim's 
Rights Act. 
B.  Any person aggrieved by a violation of subsection B of 
Section 748 of this title may bring a civil action against the 
person or persons who committed the violation to recover actual and 
punitive damages and reasonable attorney fees and costs.  The civil 
action brought under this section may be instituted in the district 
court in this state in the county in which the prospective defendant 
resides or has committed any act which subjects him or her to 
liability under this section.  A criminal case or prosecution is n ot 
a necessary precedent to the civil action.  The statute of 
limitations for the cause of action shall not commence until the 
latter of the victim's emancipation from the defendant, the victim's 
twenty-first birthday, or the plaintiff discovers or reasona bly 
should have discovered that he or she was a victim of human   
 
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trafficking and that the defendant caused, was responsible for or 
profited from the human trafficking. 
C.  Upon availability of funds, the Attorney General is 
authorized to establish an emerge ncy hotline number for victims o f 
human trafficking to call in order to request assistance or rescue.  
The Attorney General is authorized to enter into agreements with the 
county departments of health to require posting of the rights 
contained in this sect ion along with the hotline number for 
publication in locations as directed by the State Department of 
Health. 
D.  Any peace officer who comes in contact with a human 
trafficking victim shall inform the victim of the human trafficking 
emergency hotline numb er and give notice to the victim of certain 
rights.  The notice shall consist of handing the victim a written 
statement of the rights provided for in subsection A of this 
section. 
E.  1.  Any peace officer or employee of a district court, 
juvenile bureau or Office of Juvenile Affairs who has reasonable 
suspicion that a minor may be a victim of human trafficking and is 
in need of immediate protection shall assume protective custody over 
the minor and immediately notify the Department of Human Services.  
The minor shall be transferred to th e emergency custody of the 
Department pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 -4-201 of Title 
10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.  While in custody of the Department,   
 
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the minor shall be provided with any necessary emergency social 
services which include, but shall not be limited to, medical 
examination or treatment, or a mental health assessment. 
Law enforcement and the Department of Human Services shall 
conduct a joint investigation into the claim. 
The minor shall remain in the cus tody of the Department of Human 
Services until the investigation has been completed, but for no 
longer than two (2) judicial days, for the show -cause hearing.  The 
Department may release the minor to the custody of a parent or legal 
guardian if it determin es the minor will not be subject to further 
exploitation.  If no such determination is made, the minor shall be 
subject to the deprived child provisions of the Oklahoma Children's 
Code and made eligible for appropriate child welfare services. 
2.  The minor shall not be subject to juvenil e delinquency 
proceedings or child -in-need-of-supervision proceedings for 
prostitution offenses or misdemeanor or nonviolent felony offenses 
committed as a result of being a victim of human trafficking. 
SECTION 5.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2025. 
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY 
April 22, 2025 - DO PASS AS AMENDED