Philadelphia's Committee on Public Health and Human Services voted to report bill 250,990 with a favorable recommendation after a daylong public hearing in which prosecutors, survivor leaders and service providers urged the council to add human-trafficking victim status to the city's Fair Practices Ordinance.

Council members heard detailed testimony about the barriers survivors face when seeking and keeping work and about gaps in the investigative and referral process that make prosecution of traffickers rare. Chair Nina Ahmed opened the hearing by saying the change 'is about whether survivors are allowed a fair chance to rebuild' and read national and local hotlines for survivors.

District Attorney Larry Krasner told the committee his office is committed to prosecuting traffickers and protecting victims, but said his prosecutors receive very few trafficking referrals. "We prosecute these cases very vigorously when we get them," Krasner said, while acknowledging that "we get very few, simply put." He and his staff described a family violence and sex-assault unit that handles trafficking matters and said the office has requested funds for a DA-level human trafficking task force to improve coordination.

Katrina Waddes, supervisor of the DA's family violence and sex-assault unit, told council members that trafficking cases referred for prosecution have been consistently low. "In fact, I was saying, to the DA that it's probably been about a decade since I've seen a real flow of those cases come in," she said, describing how referrals across partner agencies often amount to only a single case in a year.

Witnesses representing anti-trafficking organizations and survivor-led groups described the economic and practical obstacles survivors face. Megan Lundstrom, CEO of Polaris and a survivor, cited findings from Polaris's National Survivor Study showing long-term economic harm after exploitation and argued the ordinance should not require a formal certification or forced disclosure. "Survivors should not have to disclose their trafficking history to be treated fairly," Lundstrom said, urging clear employer guidance.

Service providers also gave concrete data about local needs. Jasmine Austin of Salvation Army New Day reported that New Day served 1,335 survivors last year, connected 92 to housing, enrolled 342 in intensive case management, delivered 2,326 nights of safe housing and provided thousands of meals and basic services. Advocates said workplace protections are a stabilizing force that reduce the risk of re-exploitation.

Survivors who testified described direct harms in hiring and retention. Carissa Wenk, who said she was trafficked as a juvenile in Philadelphia, explained the risk that public testimony or visibility could be used against someone in a job search and welcomed the bill's assurance that it does not require disclosure. "By testifying publicly today, I'm naming myself as a survivor in a way that any employer can find," Wenk said; the ordinance, she said, would ensure survivors do not have to "choose between telling their truth and earning a living."

Several council members pressed the DA about whether new employment protections would lead to more reporting and stronger prosecutions. Krasner answered that protections could remove barriers to cooperation and help investigations, and he highlighted investigative tools'from cell-phone forensics to social-media analysis'that could make trafficking prosecutions more effective if deployed broadly.

After public comment by a survivor who urged passage, Council member Lozada moved to report the bill from committee with a favorable recommendation and to suspend council rules to permit first reading at the next session. The motion was seconded and the ayes carried.

The committee 's action sends bill 250,990 to the full council with a favorable recommendation and a request that the rules be suspended for first reading. If enacted, the ordinance would make human-trafficking victim status a protected characteristic under Philadelphia's Fair Practices Ordinance and prohibit employment discrimination based on that status. Committee members and witnesses said the ordinance should be paired with training, public awareness, and interagency coordination to increase referrals, support prosecutions and ensure survivors can access accommodations without risking disclosure or stigma.

Next steps: the bill will be placed on the council docket for first reading at the next council session, per the committee vote.