Continued from September 2026 blog
His Senate Bill 45 would move prostitution statutes into the human trafficking section of the commonwealth’s crimes code, increasing penalties for facilitation and solicitation (not for survivors). Introduced last week, the measure also would divert any fines, fees and restitution to fund grants for anti-human trafficking efforts.
“We’re moving it over into the human trafficking section, where it rightly belongs,” Dush explained. “So it gives the Attorney General now the ability to investigate. Whereas under public indecency, they didn’t have – they don’t have – the authority to do that.”
Forthcoming legislation from Rep. Danilo Burgos (D-Philadelphia) would standardize screening for survivors by healthcare providers across the state. That would include trauma-informed training and protocol for engaging referral services developed by the state Department of Health, according to Burgos.
HB1286 would require hospitality companies, like hotels, to train workers to recognize and report human trafficking. The bill awaits third consideration by the Senate after passing the House at the end of last year.
Since then, it’s been changed so that third parties such as Vrbo or Airbnb can choose how users prove they’ve handled training; prior versions required the rental listing platforms to obtain documentation from operators.