A bill that backers say will strengthen Iowa’s anti-human trafficking law has cleared the House and Senate unanimously.
The bill ensures people can be charged with human trafficking in state court if they are caught by an undercover officer who’s posing as a potential victim or as someone in a human trafficking network.
Representative Mark Thompson of Clarion led House debate of the bill. “We’re trying to, again, give more tools to our investigators and our prosecutors,” Thompson said.
Under current Iowa law, there must be an ongoing relationship with a victim for someone to be charged with human trafficking. Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant said the bill changes that as well, to cover what are considered “spontaneous” relationships. “Making the attempt to traffic them will be sufficient to make them a victim,” he said, “even if somehow they escape.”
The bill passed the House unanimously a month ago and Senators approved it on a 48-0 vote yesterday. The Iowa County Attorneys Association, the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance and the Network Against Human Trafficking are all registered in support of the bill.