General Assembly Advances Bill to Display Human Trafficking Warning Signs

The House and Senate have passed a Republican sponsored bill, Senate Bill 43S, that seems to require posting signs warning about human trafficking on every flat surface in the state. Increasing awareness and getting the public to know what to look out for with respect to human trafficking is a good thing and that is why this bill passed unanimously.

But I am cynical and see that this bill as a definite Republican messaging bill. In their minds, Democrats are human traffickers and so are all gays and transgendered people. Don’t believe me, read their forums. Watch Fox, OANN, and Newsmax. So a bill like this keeps their narrative in the news.

The bill would require signs to be placed at the following locations:

• State service centers.
• Wellness centers.
• Residential child care facilities.
• Transitional and independent living service providers for youth aging out of foster care.
• Shelters for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault or individuals experiencing homelessness or food insecurity.
• Hotels.
• Convenience stores along a major highway.
• Gas stations along a major highway.
• Casinos.
• Restaurants with liquor licenses.
• Poultry processing plants.
• Bus or train stations.
• Bars.
• Massage establishments.
• Shopping malls.
• Adult Entertainment Establishments

The bill heads to the Governor.

Senate Bill 43 – DISPLAY OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING PUBLIC AWARENESS SIGNS	Currrent Status – Senate Passed 20-0-1. House Passed 39-0-2. Sent to the Governor.
House Sponsors – Smith, Ramone // Williams, Baumbach, Heffernan, Minor-Brown	Senate Sponsors – Richardson, Buckson, Hocker, Lawson, Pettyjohn, Wilson // Poore, Gay, Sokola, Walsh
House Yes Votes – Baumbach Bolden Bush Carson Chukwuocha Cooke Dorsey-Walker Griffith Harris Heffernan Johnson Lambert Longhurst Lynn Matthews Minor-Brown Moore Morrison Neal Osienski Parker-Selby Phillips Romer Schwartzkopf Williams // Briggs King Collins Dukes Gray Hensley Hilovsky Morris Postles Ramone Short Shupe Smith Spiegelman Vanderwende	Senate Yes Votes – Brown Gay Hansen Hoffner Huxtable Lockman Mantzavinos Paradee Pinkney Poore Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh // Buckson Hocker Lawson Pettyjohn Richardon Wilson
House No Votes – None	Senate No Votes – None
House Absents or Not Voting – Wilson Anton, Yearick	Senate Absent or Not Voting – McBride