Mayer, Paulin Combat Human Trafficking

(Albany, NY) – New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer and Assemblymember Amy Paulin today announced their legislation (S244B/A887C) to require hotel, motel and other lodging facility employees who interact with the public to be trained on how to identify human trafficking within their first 60 days of employment has been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. 

Senator Mayer said: “Human trafficking victims, including children, are amoung us in urban, suburban, and rural communities across New York State. Hotel and motel workers can play a critical role in spotting and stopping it if they have the proper training, which is why I was proud to sponsor this bill in the Senate. Thank you to Assemblymember Amy Paulin for her partnership in this effort and to Governor Kathy Hochul for signing this important measure into law.” 

Assemblymember Paulin said: “We know that sex traffickers often bring victims to hotels to meet up with men, who pay the traffickers for sexual services. Training hotel staff to spot and report signs of sex trafficking therefore is critically important. If employees know what to look for, they are more likely to identify red flags of trafficking and ultimately help victims out of their horrendous situations. I thank New York State Senator Shelley Mayer for her advocacy and Governor Hochul for once again making New York State a model for fighting sex trafficking.”

The law requires employees to be trained on the nature of human trafficking, how human trafficking is defined by law, how to identify human trafficking victims, relief and recovery options for survivors, and social and legal services available to victims. Programs are subject to approval by the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in conjunction with the New York State Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking.

This law will become effective on July 20, 2023.