HARRISBURG – Berks County Sen. Judy Schwank has issued a co-sponsorship memo on her proposal to require employers in the lodging and truck stop industry to provide Human Trafficking Awareness training to employees. Human trafficking is a crime and a human rights abuse in which perpetrators use force, coercion, or fraud to compel victims into servitude or commercial sexual exploitation. Act 130, commonly referred to as Safe Harbor, was signed into law in 2018. The proposed legislation would build on Safe Harbor and help individuals who are likely to interact with human trafficking victims identify warning signs. Currently, the PA Restaurant and Lodging Association does connect members and their staff with free human trafficking prevention training via BEST – Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking. BEST offers comprehensive human trafficking prevention training across the nation. The training is offered as a courtesy program to its members and staff. The proposal would require those industries to receive training once every two years. The training must be 20 minutes long and must be within six months of the beginning of employment.
SEN. JUDY SCHWANK