A bill to regulate the punishment of people convicted of human trafficking, abduction and sexual servitude has passed the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Members voted unanimously to pass the bill, which co-sponsor Delegate Meshea Poore, D-Kanawha, said is a strong one.
"I think it's a great piece of legislation," she said. "I know it was a bipartisan cooperation, and I think we worked very hard on this strong piece of legislation."
The bill, House Bill 4053, establishes penalties for kidnapping, human trafficking and sexual servitude, among other offenses, and also provides funding for additional law enforcement training. Poore said the Legislature wouldn't mandate any specific type of training or tell law enforcement officials how to do their jobs, but the bill does establish standards to govern this training and curricula. She said that although human trafficking isn't an epidemic in West Virginia, it is a problem across the country and law enforcement needs to know how to investigate cases and handle evidence properly.
"One of our responsibilities as legislators is to make certain we are on task, that we know we are prepared for anything that may come to citizens of West Virginia and any way a person may attempt to abuse a citizen of West Virginia," Poore said. "So we have to make certain we have laws in place that govern how things are to be prosecuted and handled. We cannot wait until an epidemic happens or someone becomes a victim. We have to make sure we have guidelines and training for our police officers and that the proper services are provided in the communities so we can actually protect the victims of this type of crime."
The bill also provides supplemental funding for additional law enforcement training. Poore said that a handful of cases involving human trafficking or abduction were brought to the Judiciary Committee's attention as the bill was being debated.
"It is proactive," she said of the legislation. "We have maybe a handful of cases that reflect that we have some issues. We want to make certain we are on task and we have something in line and in place so if it becomes an issue we know how to prosecute individuals who have conducted this type of behavior."
The bill will now go to the Senate for its consideration.
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