News

Actions

Governor Ralph Northam to sign bill cracking down on human trafficking

Posted at 11:58 AM, Jun 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-20 11:58:10-04

NORFOLK, Va. – Human trafficking is a $150 billion global enterprise, and it reaches closer to home than you might expect – in 2017 alone, Virginia ranked 15th for the most reported cases by state.

Now in a new effort to combat trafficking, Governor Ralph Northam will sign a bill addressing human trafficking in Hampton Roads Monday, June 25.

The bill, which was proposed by Del. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, and Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, adds four crimes to the list of human trafficking charges that are not granted bail. The charges include taking or detaining a person for the purposes of trafficking; receiving money from trafficking someone for the purpose of sex; receiving money from the earnings of a trafficking victim; and commercial sex trafficking.

Northam will sign the bill at 1 p.m. at the Norfolk Police Department, with Mullin, Adams, Attorney General  Mark Herring and the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force in attendance.