HB 1181

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to human trafficking; creating within the
3	Executive Office of the Governor the Florida Statewide
4	Task Force on Human Trafficking; prescribing the
5	membership of the task force; inviting participation by
6	agencies of the United States Government; providing for
7	meetings; requiring that the first hearing be conducted by
8	a specified date; providing for a quorum; providing that
9	meetings and records of the task force are subject to
10	public-meetings and open-records requirements; providing
11	for members of the task force to be reimbursed for per
12	diem and travel expenses; requiring that the certain
13	specified agencies provide staff support; providing
14	specific responsibilities and duties of the task force;
15	requiring that the task force file preliminary and final
16	reports and recommendations with the Governor and the
17	Legislature; requiring cooperation by state agencies;
18	abolishing the task force on a specified date; providing
19	an effective date.
20
21	WHEREAS, the trafficking in persons across and within
22	borders is a modern form of slavery, and it is the largest
23	manifestation of slavery today, and
24	WHEREAS, annually, thousands of persons, primarily women
25	and children, are trafficked within or across international
26	borders, and
27	WHEREAS, approximately 50,000 men, women, and children are
28	trafficked into the United States each year, and
29	WHEREAS, trafficking in persons is not limited to the sex
30	industry, but also includes forced labor with significant
31	violations of labor, public health, and human rights standards
32	worldwide, and
33	WHEREAS, traffickers primarily target women and girls, who
34	are disproportionately affected by poverty, a lack of access to
35	education, chronic unemployment, discrimination, and the lack of
36	economic opportunities in their countries of origin, and
37	WHEREAS, there are not adequate services and facilities to
38	meet the needs of trafficking victims regarding health care,
39	housing, education, and legal assistance, and which safely
40	reintegrate trafficking victims into their home countries, NOW,
41	THEREFORE,
42
43	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
44
45	Section 1.  Florida Statewide Task Force on Human
46	Trafficking.--
47	(1)  The Legislature declares that the purpose of this act
48	is to create a public and private task force to examine and
49	analyze the problem of human trafficking and to plan for a
50	coordinated, humane response for victims of human trafficking
51	through a review of existing programs, a clarification of
52	existing options for such victims, a clearinghouse for
53	coordinated efforts to help persons in need, and revised policy
54	efforts to coordinate governmental and private efforts.
55	(2)(a)  There is created within the Executive Office of the
56	Governor the Florida Statewide Task Force on Human Trafficking,
57	a task force as defined in s. 20.03, Florida Statutes. The task
58	force is created for the express purpose of examining the
59	problem of human trafficking and recommending strategies and
60	actions for reducing or eliminating the unlawful trafficking of
61	men, women, and children into this state.
62	(b)  The task force shall consist of the following members,
63	or a designee:
64	1.  The executive director of the Department of Law
65	Enforcement, who shall serve as co-chair.
66	2.  The Secretary of Children and Family Services, who
67	shall serve as co-chair.
68	3.  The Chief Financial Officer.
69	4.  The Commissioner of Agriculture.
70	5.  The Attorney General.
71	6.  The State Surgeon General.
72	7.  The director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
73	8.  The Secretary of Community Affairs.
74	9.  A state attorney.
75	10.  A public defender.
76	11.  A sheriff.
77	12.  A police chief.
78	13.  A representative of the Florida League of Cities.
79	14.  A representative of the Florida Association of
80	Counties.
81	15.  Eleven members representing governmental and
82	nongovernmental organizations that provide direct services and
83	assistance to the victims of human trafficking, such as refugee
84	assistance organizations, immigration legal services, faith-
85	based organizations, domestic and sexual violence centers,
86	community mental health centers, labor organizations, and county
87	health units.
88	(c)  The Governor shall appoint the task force members
89	described in subparagraphs (b)9.-15., by July 1, 2008. The
90	appointees must be representative of the geographic regions and
91	ethnic and gender diversity of this state and, to the extent
92	possible, members of the task force, or their designee, must
93	have experience providing services to trafficked persons or have
94	knowledge of human trafficking issues.
95	(d)  The Governor may invite persons representing agencies
96	of the Federal Government to serve as nonvoting ex officio
97	members of the task force. The federal agencies that may
98	participate include, but are not limited to, the Federal Bureau
99	of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the
100	Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau
101	of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
102	(e)  The first meeting of the task force must be by
103	September 15, 2008. All actions of the task force, including
104	recommendations, shall be made by majority vote. Thirteen
105	members constitute a quorum.
106	(f)  The task force shall meet at the call of the chairs
107	and shall conduct at least three public meetings in the state.
108	The meetings must be held in localities throughout this state
109	which may be significant portals for traffickers to bring
110	victims into this state. Meetings of the task force are open to
111	the public and are subject to the requirements of chapter 286,
112	Florida Statutes. Records of the task force are public records
113	and subject to the requirements of chapter 119, Florida
114	Statutes, except to the extent that public access to any of
115	those records may be restricted pursuant to chapter 119, Florida
116	Statutes.
117	(g)  Members of the task force shall serve without
118	compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and
119	travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
120	(h)  The Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of
121	Health, and the Department of Children and Family Services shall
122	provide staff support for the task force within existing
123	appropriations.
124	(3)  The task force shall carry out the following
125	activities:
126	(a)  Collect and organize data concerning the nature and
127	extent of trafficking in persons in Florida and measure and
128	evaluate the progress in the state in preventing trafficking,
129	protecting and providing assistance to victims of trafficking,
130	and prosecuting persons engaged in trafficking activities;
131	(b)  Identify available federal, state, and local programs
132	that provide services to victims of trafficking, which include,
133	but are not limited to, health care, human services, housing,
134	education, legal assistance, job training or preparation,
135	interpreting services, English as a Second Language classes, and
136	victim's compensation;
137	(c)  Evaluate approaches to increase public awareness of
138	trafficking, particularly the risks of becoming a trafficking
139	victim; the common recruitment techniques; the use of debt
140	bondage, blackmail, forced labor and services, prostitution, and
141	other coercive tactics; the crime victims' rights; and the
142	reporting of recruitment activities involved in trafficking;
143	(d)  Analyze the current state, local, and federal criminal
144	statutes for their adequacy in addressing trafficking and, if
145	the analysis determines that those statutes are inadequate,
146	recommend revisions to those statutes or the enactment of new
147	statutes that specifically define and address trafficking;
148	(e)  Consult with governmental and nongovernmental
149	organizations, especially those specializing in stopping
150	trafficking or representing diverse communities
151	disproportionately affected by trafficking, in developing
152	recommendations to strengthen state and local efforts to prevent
153	trafficking, protect and assist victims of trafficking, and
154	prosecute traffickers; and
155	(f)  Explore any other subject that is relevant to reducing
156	or eliminating the risks of unlawful trafficking of human beings
157	in this state and protecting victims of the trafficking.
158	(4)  The task force shall submit a preliminary draft report
159	of its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the
160	President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
161	Representatives by July 1, 2009. The final report shall be filed
162	with the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker
163	of the House of Representatives by October 1, 2009. In addition
164	to the findings and recommendations included in the final
165	report, the report must include a draft of proposed rules and
166	proposed legislation for any recommendations requiring a change
167	in rules or legislation.
168	(5)  Each state agency shall fully cooperate with the task
169	force in the performance of its duties.
170	(6)  All meetings of the task force and all business of the
171	task force for which reimbursement may be requested shall be
172	concluded before the final report is filed.
173	(7)  The task force is abolished on July 1, 2010.
174	Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.