Public Act 0323 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1599 Enrolled LRB102 11443 LNS 16776 b

Public Act 102-0323

AN ACT concerning human rights.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Human Trafficking Task Force Act.

Section 2. Findings. The General Assembly finds the following:

(1) A 2014 study by the Urban Institute found that sexual predators believed that if they were caught trafficking women and girls of color, they would get less jail time. According to the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, 40.4% of victims of sex trafficking are black women, yet black women only make up 13.1% of the United States population.

(2) Black women are 7% of the national population but constitute 10% of missing persons cases. Their disappearances are less likely to be reported in the media and less likely to be solved by police. Missing children cases among the country's black population are also dated cases that are more often left open, compared with white children during the same time spans. Many missing persons cases that involve black women and girls are classified as "runaways", a classification that may not reflect the fact they are victims.

Section 5. Human Trafficking Task Force created.

(a) There is created the Human Trafficking Task Force to address the growing problem of human trafficking across this State. The Human Trafficking Task Force shall consist of the following persons:

(1) three members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(2) three members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(3) three members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate;

(4) three members of the Senate, appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(5) one representative of the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force, appointed by the Governor; and

(6) one representative of the Central Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force, appointed by the Governor.

(b) The Task Force shall include the following ex officio members:

(1) the Director of the Illinois State Police, or his or her designee;

(2) the Director of the Department of Children and Family Services, or his or her designee;

(3) the Secretary of the Department of Human Services, or his or her designee; and

(4) the Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or his or her designee.

(c) Members of the Human Trafficking Task Force shall serve without compensation.

Section 10. Administrative support. The Department of Children and Family Services shall provide administrative and other support to the Human Trafficking Task Force.

Section 15. Duties of Human Trafficking Task Force. The Human Trafficking Task Force shall conduct a study on the human trafficking problem in this State and shall hold hearings in furtherance of:

(1) developing a State plan to address human trafficking;

(2) implementing a system for the sharing of human trafficking data between governmental agencies in a manner that ensures that the privacy of victims of human trafficking is protected and that data collection respects the privacy of victims of human trafficking;

(3) establishing policies to enable State government to work with nongovernmental organizations and other elements of the private sector to prevent human trafficking and provide assistance to victims of human trafficking who are United States citizens or foreign nationals;

(4) evaluating various approaches used by state and local governments to increase public awareness of human trafficking, including trafficking of United States citizens and foreign national victims;

(5) developing methods for protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking, taking into account the need to consider the human rights and special needs of women and minors;

(6) evaluating the necessity of treating victims of human trafficking as crime victims rather than criminals;

(7) developing methods for promoting the safety of victims of human trafficking;

(8) evaluating human trafficking training and education for professionals who may interact with victims of human trafficking;

(9) distributing human trafficking training and education models for professionals who may interact with victims of human trafficking;

(10) reviewing research into the disparity between the clearance rate on white missing persons compared to black missing persons;

(11) reviewing comprehensive, nationwide data collection on missing persons, including data disaggregated by race, geography, and socioeconomic status;

(12) reviewing better assessments and analysis on how law enforcement agencies address implicit bias during investigation of these cases;

(13) reviewing research to identify factors that contribute to the disparity in outcomes in missing women cases;

(14) reviewing research to identify best practices and effective solutions for State government to help black women and girls who are missing right now;

(15) reviewing research to identify effective long-term implementations that will address problems going forward; and

(16) producing an annual report detailing the Task Force's finding based upon its review of research conducted under this Section, including specific recommendations, if any, and other information the Task Force may deem proper in furthermore of its duties under this Act.

Section 20. Report. On or before June 30, 2024, the Human Trafficking Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, by filing copies of its report as provided in Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act, and to the Governor.

Section 25. Task force abolished; Act repealed. The Human Trafficking Task Force is abolished and this Act is repealed on July 1, 2024.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/6/2021