Ohio House passes Human Trafficking Prevention Act, raises penalties for kidnapping and trafficking

The Ohio House of Representatives on June 3 passed House Bill 47, the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, by a voice and roll call reflected as 89 affirmative votes and 0 negative, increasing penalties for certain kidnapping, abduction and human‑trafficking offenses.

Supporters described the measure as closing gaps in current law and giving prosecutors stronger tools against traffickers and those who abduct minors or hold people in forced servitude. Representative Williams, the bill sponsor, told the chamber the statute will broaden the maximum penalties for offenders, saying, “In this bill, if an individual kidnaps a minor in the state of Ohio with the intention to have *** with them against the will, they will face a potential life sentence as they should be.”

The bill’s backers framed the change as a response to Ohio’s trafficking patterns and local hotspots.…