Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 390	House Author:  Thompson, Senfronia et al.
Effective:  See below	Senate Sponsor:  Huffman et al.

            House Bill 390 amends the Business & Commerce Code to set out signage and annual employee training requirements relating to human trafficking awareness and prevention for operators of commercial lodging establishments. The bill requires the attorney general to establish the requirements for an operator to comply with the required training, create and make available a template for the required signage, and designate a telephone number for reporting a suspected act of human trafficking or a violation of the bill's provisions. The bill prohibits an operator from disciplining, retaliating against, or otherwise discriminating against an employee who in good faith reports a suspected act of human trafficking to any appropriate authority.

            House Bill 390 authorizes a peace officer to enter the premises of a commercial lodging establishment during certain hours to ensure compliance with the bill's provisions. If the attorney general has reason to believe that an establishment's operator has violated the bill's provisions, the attorney general must provide notice of the violation to the operator. The bill makes the establishment liable for a civil penalty if the operator fails to cure the violation before the 30th day after receiving such notice. The bill authorizes the attorney general to bring an action to recover the civil penalty or for injunctive relief.

House Bill 390 requires the attorney general to adopt rules necessary to implement the bill's provisions. That requirement takes effect September 1, 2021, while all other provisions of the bill take effect January 1, 2022.