New York top elected officials are vowing to take action on a proposed bill that would crack down on violators of New York’s human trafficking laws. <\/p>\n
It comes after a significant enforcement gap was exposed in a Turn To Tara investigation last year. <\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul signaled support for the legislation proposed in direct response to News 12’s Turn To Tara investigation last year that exposed major failures in the enforcement of the state’s anti-trafficking laws.<\/p>\n
I will be on board with whatever it takes to protect these individuals and to shut down the people who abuse them,” said Hochul in an interview with our senior reporter Tara Rosenblum. <\/p>\n
The law requires that all hotels post trafficking hotline signs in their bathrooms, which is one of the few places victims can safely ask for help.<\/p>\n
The Turn To Tara team found little oversight on the books for years. Over the course of a year, Tara Rosenblum visited more than 100 hotels and more than 80% of them were not compliant.<\/p>\n
In response, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin is pushing a bill to crack down on violators. <\/p>\n
“I will look at that very closely because human trafficking is abhorrent,” said Hochul.<\/p>\n
Paulin’s bill would add fines for hotels that ignore the law.<\/p>\n
Attorney General Letitia James, the state\u2019s top law enforcer, is vowing to support it and hold violators accountable.<\/p>\n
“We will enforce the law, and we will also support Amy Paulin\u2019s bill,” said James. <\/p>\n
James also warned that fear around immigration enforcement is keeping trafficking victims from coming forward.<\/p>\n
“More and more, what we are seeing are individuals who are immigrants afraid to report crimes to law enforcement officers because they’re afraid that they will be deported,” said James in an interview with Rosenblum.<\/p>\n
Paulin’s legislation would hit hotels with a $500 fine for a first violation and $1,000 for each additional offense.<\/p>\n
She hopes the penalties will finally force compliance. <\/p>\n
“Thank you for exposing it because now we know we have to do more,” said Paulin.<\/p>\n
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