Directs the commissioner of DMV to establish a sex trafficking awareness and prevention program to provide education and awareness literature and educational materials to all drivers with a commercial motor vehicle license.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3485
SPONSOR: Gonzalez-Rojas TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a sex trafficking awareness and prevention program
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would require the Commissioner of the Department of Motor
Vehicles, in conjunction with New York State's Interagency Task Force on
Human Trafficking, and the Commissioners of the Department of Transpor-
tation and Division of Criminal Justice Services, respectively, to
develop and implement a sex trafficking awareness and prevention program
to provide education and awareness to all CDL bearing drivers.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:'
Section 1 establishes requirements of the awareness and prevention
program and authorizes additional coordination in (1) collecting state-
wide data; (2) identifying state, federal and local programs for victims
and survivors; (3) consultation with stakeholders in developing addi-
tional programmatic recommendations; (4) measure and evaluate the
state's progress in prevention and serving justice; and (5) evaluate the
effectiveness of the program established by this bill. Also provided is
a requirement for annual reporting from NYS DMV as well as authority for
DMV to obtain information and data from any New York State government
entity.
Section 2 provides for an effective date after 90 days with the excep-
tion that subdivision (c) of section 1 will take effect after 180 days.
JUSTIFICATION:
Despite a concerted multi-disciplinary effort to combat human traffick-
ing across the United States, New York State remains among the top five
states by cases reported. While a number of collaborative efforts have
occurred between transportation agencies and New York State's Inter-a-
gency Task Force on Human Trafficking, no formal relationships exist.
Under this legislation, the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles will devel-
op a sex trafficking awareness and prevention program in conjunction
with the Inter-agency Task Force on Human Trafficking and the Department
of Transportation. Not only will this legislation result in increased
awareness among New York's CDL holders, It will also encourage more
robust communication and collaboration among agencies that can signif-
icantly advance efforts to combat human trafficking. Such collaboration
is a key recommendation in a recent US DOT publication "Combating Human
Trafficking" appearing in the Winter 2021 issue of Public Roads
(FHWA-HRT-21-002).
This bill recognizes the significant efforts to combat trafficking on
part of leaders in the private freight industry Including, but not
limited to: Truckers Against Trafficking, Transportation Leaders Against
Human Trafficking and Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking. For
instance, Truckers Against Trafficking has provided training and
outreach to over 700,000 members of the industry (US DOT Advisory
Committee on Human Trafficking July 2019 Final Report). New York State's
vast multi-modal transportation sector plays a key role in detecting and
combating trafficking, and this legislation will ensure better coordi-
nation at the agency level. New York State's transportation sector
reflects its leading role as an international transshipment and inter-
modal hub, not to mention a large consumer market. The majority of trade
between the United States and Canada passes between New York's borders
with the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, connected by 15 border cross-
ings and myriad seaports. The Port of New York receives international
cargo from nearly every continent via air and water for distribution
across North America via rail, boat and truck.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: A3039
2021-22: A8045
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined subject to appropriation.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90 days after becoming law with agency reporting requirements taking
effect after 180 days.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3485
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 28, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a sex trafficking awareness and prevention program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 224-b to read as follows:
3 § 224-b. Sex trafficking awareness and prevention program. (a) The
4 commissioner, in conjunction with the interagency task force on human
5 trafficking, the commissioner of the division of criminal justice
6 services and the commissioner of transportation, shall develop a sex
7 trafficking awareness and prevention program. The sex trafficking aware-
8 ness and prevention program shall be established for the purpose of
9 providing education and awareness for the prevention of sex trafficking
10 in this state. Within amounts appropriated, the program shall provide
11 education and awareness literature and educational materials to all
12 drivers with a commercial motor vehicle license as defined in section
13 five hundred one-a of this chapter. The materials shall include, but not
14 be limited to, warning signs of potential sex trafficking and entities
15 to whom a driver may report suspected activity that might constitute sex
16 trafficking. The commissioner may coordinate with the interagency task
17 force on human trafficking in providing relevant literature and materi-
18 als to such drivers.
19 (b) The commissioner may additionally coordinate with the interagency
20 task force on human trafficking: (i) to collect and organize data on the
21 nature and extent of trafficking in persons in the state; (ii) to iden-
22 tify available federal, state and local programs to provide services to
23 victims of trafficking; (iii) to consult with governmental and non-go-
24 vernmental organizations in developing recommendations to strengthen
25 state and local efforts to prevent trafficking; (iv) to measure and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06474-01-5
A. 3485 2
1 evaluate the state's progress in preventing trafficking, and prosecuting
2 persons engaged in trafficking; and (v) to evaluate the effectiveness of
3 the sex trafficking awareness and prevention program.
4 (c) The commissioner shall report annually on the program's effective-
5 ness in its annual report.
6 (d) For purposes of this section, "interagency task force on human
7 trafficking" shall mean the interagency task force on human trafficking
8 established by section four hundred eighty-three-ee of the social
9 services law.
10 (e) To effectuate the purposes of this section, the commissioner may
11 request and shall receive from any department, division, board, bureau,
12 commission or other agency of the state or any state public authority
13 such assistance, information and data as will enable the sex trafficking
14 awareness and prevention program to properly carry out its powers and
15 duties.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
17 have become a law; provided, however, subdivision (c) of section 224-b
18 of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by section one of this act,
19 shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have
20 become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
21 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
22 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
23 on or before such effective date.
