Relates to human trafficking awareness and training for public transit employees; mandates displaying human trafficking resource materials created by the state public transportation safety board and the department of transportation in all public transit modes of transportation.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3933
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to human trafficking
awareness and training for public transit employees and mandated
displayed materials created by the state public transportation safety
board and the department of transportation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section
2 217-a to read as follows:
3 § 217-a. Human trafficking awareness and training. 1. Human traffick-
4 ing recognition training program. (a) For purposes of this section,
5 "public transit" shall mean any mode of transportation that is publicly
6 available in the state and can accommodate for more than eight passen-
7 gers or is funded by the state or any other local municipality.
8 (b) Every public transit system shall require all employees who are
9 likely to interact or come into contact with guests to undergo a human
10 trafficking recognition training program to provide training in the
11 recognition of a human trafficking victim as defined in section four
12 hundred eighty-three-aa of the social services law. Such training
13 program shall be established or approved by the division of criminal
14 justice services and the office of temporary and disability assistance
15 in consultation with the New York state interagency task force on human
16 trafficking. The training program may be developed by a federal, state,
17 or non-profit organization, and may be incorporated as part of the
18 public transit system's existing training programs or may be provided by
19 organizations or providers identified by the commissioner of the divi-
20 sion of criminal justice services or the commissioner of the office of
21 temporary and disability assistance, provided that the training includes
22 all of the requirements of this section. Established or approved train-
23 ing programs may be made available through methods including, but not
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03334-01-5
A. 3933 2
1 limited to, in-person instruction, electronic and video communication,
2 or online programs.
3 (c) Any human trafficking recognition training program established or
4 approved by the division of criminal justice services and the office of
5 temporary and disability assistance in consultation with the New York
6 state interagency task force on human trafficking as required in this
7 section shall address no less than the following issues:
8 (i) the nature of human trafficking;
9 (ii) how human trafficking is defined in law;
10 (iii) how to identify victims of human trafficking;
11 (iv) relief and recovery options for survivors; and
12 (v) social and legal services available to victims.
13 (d) The commissioner of the division of criminal justice services and
14 the commissioner of the office of temporary and disability assistance
15 shall make available a list of established or approved human trafficking
16 recognition programs for use by a public transit system.
17 (e) All new employees required to receive human trafficking recogni-
18 tion training shall receive such training within their first month of
19 employment.
20 (f) The training shall take place at a location determined by the
21 public transit system and shall be considered compensable time.
22 2. Record keeping requirements of human trafficking recognition train-
23 ing. Every keeper of each public transit system shall maintain records
24 indicating that each employee required to undergo an established or
25 approved human trafficking recognition training program pursuant to this
26 section has completed such training. Such records shall be kept on file
27 by the public transit system for the period during which the employee is
28 employed by the public transit system and for one year after such
29 employment ends.
30 3. Human trafficking prevention materials determined by the department
31 in collaboration with the board shall be displayed in all public transit
32 modes of transportation. Such materials may include, but shall not be
33 limited to, the human trafficking assistance hotline and where to find
34 online or local resources.
35 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
36 law; provided however that all applicable current employees of a public
37 transit system on the effective date of this act shall receive human
38 trafficking recognition training within four months of the effective
39 date of this act.
