Bill > SB32

This bill makes several changes to laws concerning human trafficking and the exploitation of children. It extends the time limit for prosecuting certain human trafficking crimes, specifically allowing prosecution for a second-degree human trafficking crime within six years of when it's reported to law enforcement. The bill also increases the age of victims for sexual exploitation by prostitution from sixteen to eighteen, meaning individuals who profit from or hire children under eighteen for sexual acts will face harsher penalties, and it prohibits the defense that the perpetrator believed the victim was under eighteen if the victim was actually a peace officer posing as a child. Furthermore, the bill broadens the definition of human trafficking to include actions like harboring or patronizing victims, and it clarifies that benefiting from a victim's labor or services is trafficking if the perpetrator knew or should have known force, fraud, or coercion was used, or if the victim is compelled to repay a debt. The bill also defines "harm" in the context of coercion as any physical or non-physical harm that would compel a reasonable person to perform compelled labor or services to avoid it, and it prohibits certain defenses in human trafficking cases, such as the victim's sexual history or consent of a minor. Importantly, victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children are now explicitly included in the Victims of Crime Act, meaning they are eligible for services and compensation. Finally, the bill prohibits individuals convicted of human trafficking from earning meritorious deductions, which are reductions in prison time for good behavior or program completion, from their sentences.

https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=S&legtype=B&legno=32&year=26