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Senate rejects amendment to require hotel and shelter worker training on human trafficking
Summary
An amendment to require training for hotel and emergency shelter workers to recognize and report human trafficking was debated at length but failed on a roll call; proponents said the measure is a long‑overdue front‑line tool, while opponents raised implementation and labor concerns.
The Senate debated and ultimately rejected an amendment that would have required training for hotel and certain shelter staff to identify and report suspected human trafficking.
Senator Mark C. Montigny offered amendment number 924, which would require establishment of training protocols for hotel workers and emergency shelter staff, with the Attorney General convening stakeholders and approving training content. Montigny framed the measure as a narrow, front‑line step after years of unsuccessful attempts to enact broader trafficking reforms: “All it does is say that hotel workers will be trained, that the attorney general will approve it, and that these establishments will ensure that it actually helps catch the trafficker,” he said.
Opponents raised implementation concerns, particularly about imposing a broad training mandate on potentially tens of thousands of workers without consultation on logistics, labor schedules and collective bargaining. Senator Roberts urged colleagues to vote no, citing the need for “extensive discussions with our friends in Local 26, the labor unions that represent the employees,” and the operational burden on employers and workers.
Supporters, including Senator Mike Hedley and others, said the proposal had been developed with advocates and that there was broad stakeholder support, including from hotel managers; Hedley said the proposal “gives the bill does not prescribe the details. It says the attorney general shall work with them to develop a plan.” Several senators noted frustration that comprehensive trafficking reforms have been studied for years without full implementation and argued that front‑line training could save lives.
The clerk called the roll after floor debate. The clerk announced 12 members in the affirmative and 28 in the negative; the amendment was not adopted. Senators on both sides said they would continue to pursue broader trafficking reforms and survivor services in other vehicles.
