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10 Anti-Trafficking Bills Survived the First Funnel

The 2024 Legislative Session is nearly halfway through, and the legislature just wrapped up their seventh week of session with approximately eight to go!  This gives us time to continue working on several human trafficking bills that survived the funnel deadline. Now that the first funnel is behind us, the focus switches to passing legislation on the chamber floor before March 15th, the second funnel deadline. We expect the budget process to start in earnest after the week of March 15th when the Revenue Estimating Committee will make their predictions and give legislators their FY25 budget target. Below you will find a list of the current bills NAHT is tracking, and where the bills stand at this point in time.

HF 594 would exempt murder offenders who are victims of human trafficking from the restitution requirements. The restitution requirement calls for $150,000 to the victim’s estate or their heirs. This bill is on the House Calendar. The NAHT is supporting this bill.

HF 2546 would require public schools to teach internet safety, the DOE to create a curriculum for students in grades 6 through 12, and provides that school districts prohibit student access to social media platforms on school connection. The bill is eligible for debate on the House Floor. The NAHT is supporting this bill.

SF 2162 gives the Secretary of State the authority to not forward mail to victims of domestic abuse and/or assault, sexual abuse, assault, stalking, human trafficking, and other violent crimes. The mail can go to a separate address, cancel the mail certification, or hold the mail for up to 30 days. The bill is eligible for debate on the Senate Calendar. The NAHT is supporting this bill.

SF 470 is still eligible from the 2023 session. The bill relates to sexual exploitation of a minor, prosecuting offenders, and creates applicable penalties. The bill is on the Senate Calendar. The NAHT is supporting this bill.

HF 2460 / SF 2170 provides that at the time of sentencing, the court must determine when a person convicted of human trafficking shall first become eligible for parole and work release. The bill also expands the appointment of a guardian ad litem for prosecuting witnesses with mental disabilities. These bills are eligible for debate on their respective calendar. The NAHT is monitoring this bill.

HF 2241 / SF 2243 clarifies sexual exploitation tactics with minors, regarding AI, creation, adaption, or modification of a visual depiction to give the appearance that an identifiable minor is engaged in a prohibited sexual act, and the applicable penalties. Both bills are eligible for debate on their respective calendar. The NAHT is tracking this bill.

HF 2239 would increase the penalty for the dissemination of child sexual content. The bill is on the House Calendar. The NAHT is tracking this bill.

SF 2186 provides that if someone creates, adapts, or modifies an image of another person in a state of full or partial nudity, or engaging in a sexual act will be charged with an aggravated misdemeanor. The bill passed the Senate Unanimously and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The NAHT is tracking this bill.

Similar to SF 2186, House File 2240 defines harassment of another person as using “an individual, recognizable by the person’s face, likeness or other distinguished features” whose image is created, adapted, or modified in a visual description of sexual acts. The harassment would be classified as an aggravated misdemeanor. The bill is on the House Calendar. The NAHT is tracking this bill.

HF 2523 would require a social media platform to gain consent from the guardian of a minor before permitting the minor to create an account. The bill is on the House Calendar. The NAHT is tracking this bill.

These 10 bills, along with their companions, are what Advocacy Strategies is tracking on behalf of NAHT. With the first funnel in the rearview, we are gearing up to push these bills through the opposite chamber before the second funnel deadline of March 15th. Both chambers must pass the bill on their floor and the opposite chamber must pass it through a subcommittee and a full committee to remain eligible for consideration through the second funnel deadline.

In the meantime, Maggie Tinsman and Advocacy Strategies are having conversations with the members of the Judiciary Budget Committee appropriators in both chambers requesting a $5 million allocation for HT Victim Services.

Five Unsung Anti-Trafficking Heroes

On January 11th, Governor Kim Reynolds and  Secretary of State Paul Pate signed a proclamation declaring January 2024 as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Iowa. This event was held at the Rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol Building and was organized and sponsored by the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery. Despite the snow and low temperatures, 72 concerned Iowans from across the state attended.

Governor Reynolds signed the proclamation but departed in order to attend the funeral of Ahmir Jolliff, the six grader who was murdered at his school in Perry, Iowa. Following the proclamation signing, Outstanding Anti-Trafficking Service Awards were presented to five Iowa heroes. This award honors individuals and organizations that have made remarkable contributions to ending trafficking in Iowa. Substituting for the governor, Secretary of State Paul Pate and Lieutenant Governor Gregg Abbott are shown below with each awardee.

If you know of an Iowan who has made a significant contribution to Iowa’s fight to end trafficking, please nominate them by completing the nomination form found here: Outstanding Anti-Trafficking Service Award Nomination Form (PDF).

Wings of Refuge – Ames, IA (Kelly Butcher):

Helping a survivor move from a trafficking victim back to normal life is a long and intensive process, requiring both professional expertise and emotional support. Our first awardee today, Wings of Refuge in Ames, plays this key role by providing restorative services to survivors of human trafficking. Wings of Refuge is a faith-based organization that provides opportunities for healing and restoration to women survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. Their program encompasses three elements: a restoration home, a trauma-informed work environment for learning practical job skills, and transitional housing.

Here is an excerpt from their nomination letter. “There are at least four other safe homes in the state of Iowa now that provide housing and programming to survivors and plenty of groups that provide training and awareness to the community. So what makes Wings of Refuge stand out? I believe it’s their conviction and unique ability to empower survivors to step into positions of leadership . . . Wings of Refuge believes in the power of survivors to change our world.”

In 2023, Wings of Refuge achieved two milestones: they marked their tenth anniversary of serving survivors of sex trafficking and also achieved accreditation by the National Trafficking Sheltered Alliance. Accepting the award for Wings of Refuge is Kelly Butcher.

Sparker Solutions – Story City, IA (Susan Parker):

The Secretary of State’s Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking (IBAT) program encourages Iowa businesses to “see something, do something” about trafficking in Iowa. IBAT includes some of Iowa’s largest businesses but many small businesses as well. This year’s IBAT anti-trafficking awardee shows that a small business can have a big impact in the fight against trafficking. Susan Parker, owner and CEO of Sparker Solutions in Story City, hosts an annual archery tournament to raise funds for Wings of Refuge. The 2024 Target Trafficking event in August 2023 attracted more than 70 sponsors, 175 archers, and 300 spectators and raised more than $88,000 for Wings of Refuge.

Here is an excerpt from the nomination letter of Sparker Solutions: “Do what you love to fight what you hate” is a mission taken seriously by Susan Parker of Sparker Solutions. This past August I was able to attend the third annual event and see firsthand the amount of support they had from their community. They also insured that there is an educational piece to tie into the fundraiser. They placed signs around the targets with information on trafficking information on their tables. It was incredible to see an event where the IBAT business truly brought the community together to fight something they hate by utilizing their passion. We look forward to seeing this event continue for years to come.”

Kim Smith – Boone, IA:

Raising awareness of human trafficking means addressing multiple audiences. No audience is more important when it comes to human trafficking awareness than the students and staff in Iowa schools. Raising awareness in schools is a huge factor in preventing trafficking in Iowa. Because Human Trafficking is not part of the Iowa school curriculum, this work is done by volunteers invited into individual schools by school administrators. Our next awardee is one of these tireless volunteers.

Here is an excerpt from George Belitsos’s nomination formr: “Very few of us have left a full-time job to become a full-time volunteer in the fight to end modern slavery. Kim is one of those few people. She has specialized as a trainer in protecting children and youth from being groomed [for trafficking]. She has distinguished herself as an expert on online safety here in Iowa. She linked up with Shared Hope International in 2018 and became a training ambassador. Her work in developing an Iowa curriculum for online safety was recognized by Shared Hope International and they placed her as their lead [trainer] in preparing a national school online safety curriculum. This curriculum was tested with proven results with 4,000 Iowa children and teens. Kim’s online training has now been adopted nationally by Shared Hope International. There are very few Iowans who have made a positive difference in preventing human trafficking in not only Iowa but the whole nation.”

Bernadette Rixner – Sioux City, IA:

A key component in the anti-trafficking effort is raising community awareness. Iowa is fortunate to have 12 regional coalitions dedicated to raising awareness and fostering cooperation in the fight against human trafficking. Our next awardee is the founder of the Sioux City Coalition Against Human Trafficking. The two words that first come to mind with regard to Bernadette Rixner are “tireless” and “volunteer.”

Here’s an excerpt from her nomination letter: “Bernadette Rixner has spent most of her adult life as a volunteer social justice advocate, focusing for most of the past 10 years primarily on human trafficking. Bernadette currently serves as Outreach Coordinator for the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking (SCAHT). As Outreach Coordinator (a volunteer position) she takes care of all the day-to-day matters and overseeing most of the Coalition’s projects, such as having five different anti-trafficking billboards placed around the Siouxland area. For the past few years, [the organization] has promoted the January observation of Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by working with the Siouxland Chambers of Commerce to encourage businesses to light up in blue for the month. Bernadette has given numerous presentations on human trafficking to groups from 5 to 275 in number and as varied as Girl Scout troops and local banks. It was the [Siouxland Coalition] that originally promoted January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Iowa. This became the model for the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking’s event here today.”

Pieper Lewis’s Legal Defense Team – Des Moines, IA (Matthew Sheeley):

Many caught in human trafficking do not even know they are victims of this crime. Unless someone in the situation identifies a human trafficking situation, the legal system will view the victim without regard to the trauma they have experienced. 15-year-old Pieper Lewis faced a murder charge for killing the buyer who raped her. In the case of Pieper Lewis, however, staff in the Iowa Office of the Public Defender recognized her as a victim of Human Trafficking. This made all the difference. That’s why Matthew Sheeley, Magdalena Reese, Paul White and Brandon Adams of the State Public Defender’s Office have received the 2024 Outstanding Human Trafficking Service Award.

Here is an excerpt from their nomination letter: “Due to this team, Pieper now resides in a safe place of restoration and healing. This would not have happened were it not for this team’s dedication, hard work, willingness to think outside the box, patience, and perseverance. Pieper’s legal defense team worked long and countless hours on this case, often extending into evenings and weekends. They all fought extremely hard on this case, and continually went above and beyond typical attorney duties, serving as social workers, counselors, personal shoppers, advocates, researchers, answering services, mentors, father figures, bankers, media agents, and crisis line operators.” Matthew Sheeley, lead attorney, spoke on behalf of the four-member legal team.

Underground Railroad Quilt Auctioned at Fundraiser in Iowa

Written by: Melody Stone

underground railroad quiltThe North Central Iowa Coalition Against Human Trafficking, NCICAHT,  held a silent quilt auction during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January. This quilt was on public display at the State Capitol Building (see photo) during the January 11th Proclamation signing and awards. Melody Stone, NCICAHT’s founder, commissioned some talented quilters to design and sew a unique Underground Railroad quilt. Quilt block designs, depicting symbols once served as a map, guiding slaves to freedom. This quilt is a poignant reminder of dark times in our nation’s past, clashing with the stark reality that slavery is swiftly growing, becoming the #1 criminal enterprise today! As abolitionists in Iowa, we will not stop fighting to end this scourge!

The winning bid for the quilt was $850 and these funds have been released to support a courageous survivor and her young child through The Foundation For Charitable Giving. We thank The Community Foundation For Inspired Giving for their assistance in distributing these funds and to the director of an organization in Iowa (unnamed to protect confidentiality) who helped point us to a special survivor. The woman and her child will be moving to community housing soon. They have been receiving professional services and also have a caring network of friends and family.

Although numerous challenges lie ahead, we hope that this survivor will be encouraged as she bravely forges a new path for herself and her child. If you are a person of faith, please keep them consistently in your prayers and make a note to do this in your planner.

My faith holds firm within a veil, that this young woman will continue to overcome obstacles on her daunting journey! We trust that she will see a brighter future and that her hard-won wisdom and strength will be used to point others towards paths of hope and freedom!

Thank you for your interest and support in following our quilt project. It has been a joy for NCICAHT to participate in this endeavor!

Minnesota Major Resource on Trafficking

Submitted by: Pastor Alvin Erickson

I have much admiration for what the Iowa Network of Human Trafficking is doing to address human trafficking. I commend you all for stretching out in so many ways to address this challenging tragedy. We are in the Minneapolis area, a trafficking hub.

My third daughter was trafficked in 1987 from the same street corner where George Floyd was later killed. Her disappearance left my family in shock. My wife and I went to a support group for three years. Our group decided to start an organization to make people aware of the trafficking going on. I was chosen to be the director of what we now call, Adults Saving Kids.

In the fifteen years when I worked directly with human trafficking, I worked with an exploited woman from Iowa and that story is on our website: www.adultssavingkids.org It is “The Other Iowan Young Woman”’ now on our home page. Scan through five pages under Blog. Many articles are there worth reading.

Addressing human trafficking is often left to the professionals. That usually means intercepting traffickers or helping those being trafficked. All that is good. We have turned to prevention. That means getting our young people wised up and prepared to fend off traffickers and other schemers. We have a curriculum for churches that seek to train parents and grandparents to prepare their offspring. We would love to hear from any of you to know your thoughts. Call 612-708-1875.

On our website, also find five videos of ex-traffickers and a survivor. See Registration under Curriculum, click that, read the directions, put your email in under Partner Registration and a link will be sent to you. Hitting + to the right of the video name, its contents are described. A former Iowan trafficker is interviewed in the video Wise As Serpents.

TV News Clips & Articles

By on March 1, 2024   /   News