SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Hotel and motel employees would receive training on how to recognize instances of human trafficking under legislation sponsored by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, which passed the House on Wednesday.
“Curbing human trafficking has been an important issue for me since I took office in 2017,” Stuart said. “Giving hotel and motel workers the resources to spot human trafficking activity and alert the appropriate authorities will help bring perpetrators to justice.”
Stuart’s House Bill 3101 creates the Lodging Establishment Human Trafficking Recognition Training Act. Employees of lodging establishments like hotels and motels will receive training to be on the front lines of identifying and alerting authorities of human trafficking operations. Under this legislation, the Department of Labor will develop a training curriculum that will give lodging employees the skills to recognize human trafficking and the protocols for reporting such activity to law enforcement. Human trafficking is one of the most under-reported crimes across the United States.
“This legislation is important because it gives employees the tools they need to take an active role in human trafficking prevention,” continued Stuart. “We need to be doing more as a state to prevent human trafficking, and this legislation will prepare a new line of defense for protecting victims.”
House Bill 3101 passed the House with bipartisan support and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Rep Katie Stuart
(D-Edwardsville)
112th District
Springfield Office:
250-W Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-8018
(217) 782-0882 FAX
District Office:
2105 Vandalia St.
Unit #16
Collinsville, IL 62234
Phone: (618) 365-6650