Trafficking in persons; penalties. (HB716)

Introduced By

Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) with support from co-patron Del. Vivian Watts (D-Annandale)

Description

Trafficking in persons; penalties. Creates new felonies for trafficking in persons for forced labor or sexual servitude and adds the new felonies as a predicate criminal act under the criminal gang statute, as racketeering crimes, and to the functions of a multijurisdiction grand jury, and also allows seizure and forfeiture of property used in committing such felonies. The new felonies and the existing felony of receiving money for procuring a person are added to the rape shield statute. The bill also makes sexual servitude an affirmative defense to the crime of prostitution and allows a petition for a child in need of services to be substituted for a delinquency petition for certain minors arrested for prostitution, disallows the release of certain victim information, specifies law-enforcement protocol for victims who may not be legally present, requires persons convicted of the new felonies to pay restitution that compensates for the victim's labor, and creates a civil action for trafficked persons. The Secretary of Public Safety is required to convene an anti-trafficking committee and the Virginia Prevention of Human Trafficking Victim Fund is created, which will be administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History