ASSEMBLY, No. 1729

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

220th LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex)

Assemblywoman  VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblywoman  ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Jimenez and Assemblyman McClellan

SYNOPSIS

     Requires AG to establish Human Trafficking and Underserved Communities Unit.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning human trafficking and underserved communities and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.  a.  The Attorney General shall establish in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety a unit to be known as the Human Trafficking and Underserved Communities Unit. The purpose of the unit shall be  to address the specific needs and vulnerabilities related to human trafficking which are experienced by members of underserved communities, particularly girls and women of color.

     b.  The responsibilities of the unit shall include, but not be limited to:

     (1)  coordinating with the Division of State Police and municipal and county law enforcement agencies to investigate cases related to human trafficking in underserved communities;

     (2)  coordinating with relevant government entities, including, but not limited to the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2007, c.95 (C.52:4B-3.2)  and the Commission on Human Trafficking, established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-237), and community-based organizations to create and administer programs to connect victims to appropriate and effective information and resources; and

     (3)  collecting and maintaining data related to human trafficking cases and trends concerning members of underserved communities.

     2.    This act shall take effect on the first day of fourth month next following enactment, except that the Attorney General may take any anticipatory action in advance of that date as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

     This bill requires the Attorney General to establish a unit to address human trafficking related to members of underserved communities.

     Under the bill, the Attorney General would be required to establish in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety a unit to be known as the Human Trafficking and Underserved Communities Unit. The purpose of the unit would be  to address the specific needs and vulnerabilities related to human trafficking which are experienced by members of underserved communities, particularly girls and women of color.

     The bill provides that the responsibilities of the unit would include, but not be limited to:

     (1)  coordinating with the Division of State Police and municipal and county law enforcement agencies to investigate cases related to human trafficking in underserved communities;

     (2)  coordinating with relevant government entities, including, but not limited to the Victims of Crime Compensation Office and the Commission on Human Trafficking),  and community-based organizations to create and administer programs to connect victims to appropriate and effective information and resources; and

     (3)  collecting and maintaining data related to human trafficking cases and trends concerning members of underserved communities.