| TO: | Honorable Aaron Pena, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB3370 by Thompson (Relating to the prosecution and punishment of the offense of trafficking of persons and a report concerning the offense. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would amend the Penal Code by broadening the definition of forced labor or services as it relates to the offense of trafficking of persons. The bill would also broaden the definition of traffic to include obtaining another person for transport by any means.
The bill would amend the Penal Code by including in the offense of trafficking of persons: 1) trafficking another person with the knowledge the trafficked person will engage in forced labor or services or conduct that constitutes public indecency and 2) intentionally or knowingly benefiting from a venture that involves forced labor or services or conduct that constitutes public indecency. The bill would also amend the offense of tracking of persons by changing the age of the person trafficked from 14 years of age to 18 years of age for application of the felony of the first degree punishment.
The bill would also require the Attorney General, in consultation with the Health and Human Services Commission, to prepare and issue a report relating to how existing laws address the needs of victims of human trafficking; and recommending areas of improvement. A report would also be required by the Health and Human Services Commission, in consultation with the Attorney General, relating to the how existing social service programs address the needs of victims of human trafficking; and recommending areas of improvement. Both reports would be prepared no later than September 1, 2008.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2007 and apply to an offense committed on or after that date.
Broadening the definition of the types of behavior punishable is expected to result in increased demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to an increase in offenses. It is assumed the number of persons convicted under this statute would not result in a significant impact on programs and workload of state corrections agencies or on the demand for resources and services of those agencies. It is also assumed that the reports required by the Attorney General and by the Health and Human Services Commission can be produced with existing agency resources.
| Source Agencies: | 696 Department of Criminal Justice
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, ES, GG, TM
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