HB2318 S JUD AMT

Lovell 7980

The Committee on the Judiciary moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. Com. Sub. for House Bill 2318--A Bill to repeal §61-2-17 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §15-9A-2 of said code; to amend and reenact §15-12-2 of said code; to amend and reenact §49-1-201 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §61-14-1, §61-14-2, §61-14-3, §61-14-4, §61-14-5, §61-14-6, §61-14-7, §61-14-8 and §61-14-9; and to amend and reenact §62-1D-8 of said code, all relating generally to human trafficking; designating the Division of Justice and Community Services to be the state administrative agency responsible for criminal justice and juvenile justice systems for the planning and development of state programs and grants relating to human trafficking; adding offenses that require registration under the Sex Offender Registration Act; defining terms; creating criminal felony offenses and penalties for human trafficking of an individual; creating criminal felony offenses and penalties for using victim of human trafficking in forced labor; creating criminal felony offenses and penalties for using victim of human trafficking in debt bondage; creating criminal felony offenses and penalties for compelling a victim of human trafficking through coercion to engage in commercial sexual activity; creating a criminal felony offense for maintaining or making available a minor victim of human trafficking for the purpose of engaging in commercial sexual activity; clarifying that consent of minor and misbelief as to age are not defenses to prosecution for sexual servitude offenses; creating a criminal felony offense of unknowingly patronizing an individual victim of human trafficking to engage in commercial sexual activity; creating offense of patronizing a minor victim of human trafficking; creating criminal penalties; clarifying that each victim constitutes a separate offense; limiting ability for parole in circumstances where the court makes a finding of aggravated circumstances; defining aggravated circumstances; providing for restitution to victims and the enforcement of a judgment order for restitution; directing unclaimed restitution to be paid to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund; providing for forfeiture of profits from human trafficking and debarment from state and local government contracts for persons or entities convicted of human trafficking offenses; making certain victims of human trafficking eligible for compensation under the Crime Victims Compensation Fund; specifying the notification procedure to be followed by a law-enforcement officer upon encountering a child who appears to be a victim of an offense under this article; providing for immunity for offense of prostitution for minors; defining a minor victim of sex trafficking as an abused child and establishing a child’s eligibility for services therefor; providing for expungement of prostitution conviction for victims of trafficking; and authorizing the use of wiretaps to conduct investigations of human trafficking offenses.