SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1211

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 13, 2023

      The Senate Judiciary Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1211.

      This bill would provide for civil actions against persons or entities knowingly profiting from the commission of human trafficking offenses, or maintaining the victims of such offenses (e.g., supporting, sustaining, or keeping victims in their state of continued existence), even though such parties are not “acting in concert” with the offender and thus not involved in any agreed-upon conspiracy with the offender.  In other words, these parties could be subject to a civil suit if they are aware of human trafficking offenses and allow such offenses to continue while receiving a pecuniary benefit from such, or by maintaining the trafficking victims.

      The bill thus would expand the statute providing for human trafficking civil actions, section 4 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.2C:13-8.1), beyond its current scope, which addresses suits against any person who commits the human trafficking offense and any conspiring parties who are “acting in concert” with that person.