02/29/2012 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

              SB 212-HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:42:20 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR FRENCH announced the consideration of SB 212.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  LESIL MCGUIRE,  sponsor of  SB 212,  explained that  the                                                               
bill  establishes a  task force  to look  at the  issue of  human                                                               
trafficking.  It   will  consist  of  representatives   from  the                                                               
Department of Law  (DOL), the Department of  Public Safety (DPS),                                                               
and  the Department  of Health  and Social  Services (DHSS).  The                                                               
attorney general or their designee  will serve as chair. The task                                                               
force  will report,  by January  15, 2013,  the following  to the                                                               
Legislature: 1)  the number of  human trafficking  cases reported                                                               
to state  and local law  enforcement agencies since 2007;  2) the                                                               
number of  human trafficking cases  prosecuted under  Alaska law;                                                               
3)  the number  of human  trafficking cases  state and  local law                                                               
enforcement  agencies  have   investigated  in  cooperation  with                                                               
federal  agencies; and  4) the  services  currently available  to                                                               
victims  of  human  trafficking   for  medical  or  psychological                                                               
counseling,  emergency shelter,  translation services,  and other                                                               
assistance related to safe housing and legal services.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MCGUIRE  expressed hope  that the  task force  would also                                                               
reflect on the  possibility of a civil remedy to  aid victims and                                                               
deter criminals that might have  a financial incentive to run sex                                                               
trafficking rings.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR FRENCH  said he liked  the approach, and would  be thinking                                                               
about the intersection between trafficking and prostitution.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:48:09 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR PASKVAN and Senator Coghill joined the committee.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:49:34 PM                                                                                                                    
JAMES DOLD,  Policy Counsel,  Polaris Project,  Washington, D.C.,                                                               
explained that this organization  works to stop human trafficking                                                               
primarily  doing  three things.  First,  it  offers survivors  of                                                               
labor  and sex  trafficking  offering  holistic case  management,                                                               
group  therapy  session,  and transitional  housing.  Second,  it                                                               
operates  the  national  human trafficking  resource  center  and                                                               
hotline for  the U.S.  Department of  Health and  Human Services.                                                               
Finally,  it engages  in  policy advocacy  to  help build  strong                                                               
legal frameworks  so communities  and states can  more adequately                                                               
respond to human trafficking.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
He said two types of  activity occur under the federal definition                                                               
of  trafficking. One  type involves  individuals  who use  force,                                                               
threats and  other coercive tactics  to compel or  induce another                                                               
person  to engage  in a  commercial sex  act or  forced labor  of                                                               
services.  The other  type  involves  facilitators that  recruit,                                                               
entice, solicit,  harbor, or  transport individuals  knowing they                                                               
will  be  in  a  forced  labor  of  services  or  commercial  sex                                                               
exploitation  situation.  He  noted  that  federal  law  makes  a                                                               
distinction when a child is under  age 18. All children under age                                                               
18  who are  engaged in  commercial sex  - regardless  of whether                                                               
there  is a  third-party controller  - are  viewed as  victims of                                                               
trafficking under federal law. Some  states, too, have recognized                                                               
how  vulnerable children  may be  and have  responded by  passing                                                               
safe-harbor laws so that these  children are viewed as victims of                                                               
a crime instead of prostitutes.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. DOLD stated that SB 212  is a much-needed first step to begin                                                               
addressing the overall  needs of victims of  human trafficking in                                                               
Alaska. He mentioned  the importance of getting  the right people                                                               
to the  table and suggested  expanding the task force  to include                                                               
non-governmental  organizations and  service  providers that  are                                                               
based  in Alaska  and  to  encourage the  task  force to  develop                                                               
legislative recommendations.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:03:58 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  COGHILL asked  what agencies  the Polaris  Project works                                                               
with horizontally.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR. DOLD said  it is part of a national  working group called The                                                               
Alliance  to  End  Slavery  and  Trafficking  (ATEST)  and  works                                                               
closely with  Shared Hope International. Polaris  also works with                                                               
domestic and sexual violence coalitions in individual states.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  COGHILL  stated support  for  using  the expertise  from                                                               
organizations like Shared Hope International.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:06:34 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  PASKVAN asked  if it  would  be appropriate  for a  task                                                               
force to look  into state or region-specific  predictors of where                                                               
trafficking might arise.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DOLD   said  yes,  and   Alaska  Natives  appear  to   be  a                                                               
particularly vulnerable population.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR FRENCH closed public testimony  and announced he would hold                                                               
SB 212 in committee.