HB 18-1115

House Bill 18-1115, which has been signed into law, requires Colorado's Department of Public Safety to provide training on human trafficking to various groups including law enforcement agencies, organizations that help victims, school personnel, and parents. The training will be developed with input from the Colorado Human Trafficking Council and prioritized for areas lacking access to such resources. Starting in 2019, the council must report annually on the training provided. Additionally, schools are required to include awareness and prevention of human trafficking in their safety materials and trainings. This bill aims to better equip professionals and communities to recognize and respond to cases of human trafficking across Colorado.

Official Summary

The bill requires the division of criminal justice to provide human trafficking training to law enforcement agencies and entities that provide services to human trafficking victims. The training may include: Train-the-trainer programs; Direct trainings; and Online training programs. The training may be provided to law enforcement agencies, organizations that provide direct services to human trafficking victims, school personnel and parents or guardians of students, and any other organization, agency, or group that would benefit from such training. The training must be developed in consultation with the Colorado human trafficking council. When considering requests for training, the division should give priority to requests from areas of the state that have limited access to training resources. Beginning in 2019, the council's annual human trafficking report must include an update on the training provided. The bill requires the school safety resource center to include awareness and prevention of human trafficking in the materials and training that it provides. The bill appropriates $69,922 and 0.8 FTE to the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety from the general fund to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

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