Bill > HB1609

This bill amends Arkansas law to create an enhanced criminal penalty for human trafficking involving particularly vulnerable populations. Specifically, if a person is convicted of a human trafficking offense and is found to have recruited, enticed, or obtained a trafficked person from specific high-risk settings, they can receive an additional prison term of up to five years. These vulnerable settings include shelters for runaway youth, foster children, or homeless persons; correctional facilities; adoptive or foster homes; childcare institutions; and detention facilities or training schools for children determined to be delinquent. The bill includes an emergency clause, which means it would become effective immediately upon approval by the Governor, recognizing the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations from human trafficking. The emergency clause emphasizes that human trafficking remains a significant concern in the state and that additional legal mechanisms are necessary to deter such crimes and protect those most at risk.

Justice

https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1609&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R