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Council introduces Bill 25‑24 to bar county contracts with companies tied to human trafficking
Summary
Councilmember Lukey introduced Bill 25‑24 to prevent Montgomery County from contracting with businesses that have violated state or federal human‑trafficking laws; the measure was framed as a procurement best practice and a public hearing was set for Dec. 3, 2024.
Montgomery County Council on Oct. 29 introduced Bill 25‑24, legislation that would prohibit the county from awarding contracts to businesses found to have violated state or federal human‑trafficking laws.
Sponsor remarks: Councilmember Lukey, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the measure raises procurement standards, extends oversight obligations to prime contractors' subcontractors and is modeled on similar policies adopted elsewhere. "We have to make sure that businesses that we do business with are not engaging in this type of coercion and fraud with their employees," Lukey said. (Councilmember Lukey)
Implementation and process: Lukey said county procurement staff and the Human Trafficking Prevention Committee have been consulted on implementation mechanics. He emphasized that the bill is not premised on any allegation about current county contractors. A public hearing on the measure is scheduled for Dec. 3, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room.
Council response: Several colleagues asked to be added as cosponsors during the introduction. Staff indicated no immediate questions from county staff were raised at the time of introduction.
Next steps: The bill will proceed to a public hearing and committee review; staff said detailed implementation conversations with procurement are ongoing.
Context: Lukey noted local outreach and school systems' education efforts on human trafficking and said the policy would help raise the bar across the business community contracting with the county.
