Hotel worker sex trafficking awareness bill passed by House

Employees of lodging establishments may be better equipped to spot sex trafficking.

Rep. Abigail Whelan

Sponsored by Rep. Abigail Whelan (R-Ramsey), HF3287/SF3367* would mandate that every hotel and motel in Minnesota, with the exception of resorts, train its employees to identify sex trafficking at their establishment within 90 days of hiring them or 120 days after the enactment of the bill.

Passed by the House 125-0, as amended to include the House language, Tuesday, the bill returns to the Senate where Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) is the sponsor. Its version was passed 65-0 on May 7.

The bill calls for the Department of Health to consult with the Minnesota Lodging Association and others to determine training that would be required. However, the training must include what sex trafficking is, as well as how to recognize trafficking victims and activities. Any costs associated with the annual training would be paid for by the hotels.

An amendment offered by Rep. Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal), and amended by Whelan, would exempt minor employees, restaurant workers, and those who do not have direct contact with guests, from the requirements. It would also offer civil immunity for employees for being sued for reporting what they believe is sex trafficking.

When the bill was heard by the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee earlier this year, a sex trafficking survivor told them her firsthand experiences.

Lori Paul, communications and development specialist at Breaking Free, explained how she was roped into “the life” by a man who pretended to be interested in her romantically. The man took her to a hotel, and although she didn’t say what happened next, she said it made her very happy when the hotel was torn down decades later.