HB 264: "An Act requiring the Department of Family and Community Services to adopt a uniform screening tool; requiring shelters for runaway minors to screen minors for victimization relating to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation; requiring the Department of Family and Community Services to screen children in need of aid for victimization relating to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation; and relating to the duty of the Department of Family and Community Services to investigate the experiences of missing children in need of aid who have been located."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 264 01 "An Act requiring the Department of Family and Community Services to adopt a 02 uniform screening tool; requiring shelters for runaway minors to screen minors for 03 victimization relating to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and commercial sexual 04 exploitation; requiring the Department of Family and Community Services to screen 05 children in need of aid for victimization relating to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and 06 commercial sexual exploitation; and relating to the duty of the Department of Family 07 and Community Services to investigate the experiences of missing children in need of aid 08 who have been located." 09 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 10 * Section 1. AS 47.10.394(c) is amended to read: 11 (c) In this section, 12 (1) "child abuse or neglect" has the meaning given in AS 47.17.290;
01 (2) "commercial sexual exploitation" means the sexual abuse or 02 exploitation of a child for the financial benefit of any person or in exchange for 03 anything of value given or received by any person. 04 * Sec. 2. AS 47.10.394 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 05 (d) A shelter for runaway minors shall use the uniform screening tool adopted 06 under AS 47.14.100(u) to screen minors receiving services to determine whether the 07 minor is a victim, or at risk of becoming a victim, of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, or 08 commercial sexual exploitation. A shelter for runaway minors shall screen a minor 09 upon intake and any time the shelter receives information that circumstances exist 10 indicating that the minor is at a heightened risk for sexual abuse, sex trafficking, or 11 commercial sexual exploitation. 12 * Sec. 3. AS 47.14.100(t) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 13 (4) "commercial sexual exploitation" means the sexual abuse or 14 exploitation of a child for the financial benefit of any person or in exchange for 15 anything of value given or received by any person. 16 * Sec. 4. AS 47.14.100 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 17 (u) The department shall adopt a uniform screening tool to screen children 18 committed to the department to identify whether a child is a victim, or at risk of 19 becoming a victim, of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, or commercial sexual exploitation. 20 The department shall use the tool to screen a child committed to the department each 21 time the child is committed to the department or the department receives information 22 that circumstances exist indicating that the child is at a heightened risk for sexual 23 abuse, sex trafficking, or commercial sexual exploitation. 24 (v) Upon locating a child committed to the custody of the department who was 25 missing, abducted, or ran away, the department shall 26 (1) investigate the child's experiences while absent from the custody of 27 the department; 28 (2) determine the primary factors that caused or contributed to the 29 child's absence; and 30 (3) screen the child to determine whether the child is a victim of sexual 31 abuse, sex trafficking, or commercial sexual exploitation.