Anti-trafficking bill written in response to Turn To Tara investigation heads to committee
The bill was written in response to Turn To Tara’s “Trafficking in the Tri-State” investigation that revealed widespread noncompliance of laws by hotels.
A bill that would strengthen New York's anti-trafficking laws is heading to the state Assembly’s Consumer Affairs Protection Committee this week.
It was written in response to Turn To Tara’s “Trafficking in the Tri-State” investigation that revealed widespread noncompliance of laws by hotels.
"It was shocking that the hotels are not complying, and it was very upsetting because we know that victims of human trafficking need to be able to make those phone calls," said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin.
Paulin wrote and fought for the original signage law in 2018, which required all New York hotels to post hotline signs in bathrooms to reach victims in private spaces - away from their traffickers.
The Turn To Tara Team visited more than 100 hotels over one year to see if they were following that law but found more than 80% of them were ignoring it.
"The hotel industry recognized that there's a liability that they have with having trafficking victims in their in their in their rooms. So, I didn't expect to see such poor compliance. I really didn't. And thank you for exposing it because now we know we have to do more," said Paulin.
The new legislation would add civil penalties for hotels that fail to comply: $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second.
"They can just keep accumulating," she says. “So we give some teeth to the Attorney General's Office to ensure that hotels are now complying with the law," she says.
MORE: Related stories:
Trafficking in the Tri-State: The Next Front
Trafficking in the Tri-State: Rooms Without Rescue
Turn to Tara yearlong investigation finds hotels ignoring trafficking law
Turn to Tara: Human trafficking survivor describes 2-decade nightmare
Turn to Tara trafficking investigation provokes bipartisan push for changes
Westchester DA on ‘Trafficking in the Tri-State’ investigation: ‘Things have to change’
