HB 2576

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Creates, within the Department of Criminal Justice Services, a Sex Trafficking Response Coordinator (the Coordinator) who shall (i) create a statewide plan for local and state agencies to identify and respond to victims of sex trafficking; (ii) coordinate the development of standards and guidelines for treatment programs for victims of sex trafficking; (iii) maintain a list of programs that provide treatment or specialized services to victims of sex trafficking and make such list available to law-enforcement agencies, attorneys for the Commonwealth, crime victim and witness assistance programs, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education, and school divisions; (iv) oversee the development of a curriculum to be completed by persons convicted of solicitation of prostitution; and (v) promote strategies for the awareness of sex trafficking, for education and training related to sex trafficking, and for the reduction of demand for commercial sex. The bill requires the Coordinator to report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly and include a summary of activities for the year and any recommendations to address sex trafficking within the Commonwealth. The bill as introduced was a recommendation of the Virginia State Crime Commission. This bill is identical to