A bill clarifying and amending state human trafficking law soared through committee Monday and is now on its way to the Senate floor.
HB20, sponsored by Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, has yet to draw an opposing vote, having passed unanimously through the full House and a Senate committee. The measure would clarify that there is no statute of limitation to the crime of child trafficking; clarify that victims can pursue legal action against both a trafficker and anyone who knowingly benefits from the crime; and would increase protections for vulnerable adults, meaning anyone older than 65 or with a mental or physical disability that diminishes their capacity to that of a child.
“We look at vulnerable adults the same way we look at children so what this bill does is it creates a first degree felony for trafficking a vulnerable adult,” Romero said.