Bill > B20-0714

This bill, the Sex Trafficking of Children Prevention Amendment Act of 2014, aims to strengthen protections for minors by requiring behavioral health screenings by the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to identify children at risk of or already victims of sex trafficking, with specific reference to the Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Amendment Act of 2010. It also mandates that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) immediately report any knowledge or suspicion of a child engaging in or offering to engage in sexual acts or contact for anything of value to CFSA, and that CFSA file missing person reports with MPD for any child in their custody who goes missing. Furthermore, the bill mandates training on human trafficking for law enforcement, social workers, and case managers, requires certain businesses like bus stations and hotels to post a human trafficking hotline number, grants immunity from prosecution to children under 18 who engage in or offer to engage in sexual acts for value, and directs law enforcement to refer such children to victim services. The bill also amends existing laws to broaden the definition of what constitutes receiving "anything of value" in prostitution-related offenses and clarifies when a child may be considered neglected or in need of intervention due to involvement in sex trafficking.