Houston Republic

Houston lawmakers proposed a city ordinance which would require all hotels and motels in the city to create human trafficking prevention training programs for employees or the hotels would face noncompliance fees. 

Currently, there is only one ordinance similar to this in the U.S., Minal Patel Davis, Houston Mayor's Special Advisory on Human Trafficking, Community Impact Newspaper reported. If the Houston City Council passes the ordinance, it will be the second in the nation. 

A report from the nonprofit Children at Risk was shared with the council and showed over 202,000 advertisements for illegal human trafficking in Houston between May 1, 2019, and Feb. 13, 2020, according to Community Impact Newspaper. Many of the ads are for indoor prostitution such as hotels. 

Jamey Caruthers, senior staff attorney for Children at Risk, told Community Impact Newspaper many "bad actors" will ignore human trafficking when spotted to ensure a steady income. 

But Jin Laxmidas, vice president of government affairs for the Small Independent Motel Owners Association (SIMA), told Community Impact Newspaper that many times hotel and motel staff don't actually recognize human trafficking when they see it, which causes them to accidentally overlook it. 

“I am one of those accidental hoteliers,” Laxmidas told Community Impact Newspaper. “I moved here and got into this industry through people I know, not even realizing there is a greater issue out there. It is very important for SIMA members to be safeguarded against all of these heinous crimes. We run these hotels and live in them with our families.”

Patel Davis and Caruthers said that the Houston Police Department (HPD) has made 674 charges and identified 74 victims in the past four years at 116 hotels and motels in Houston, according to Community Impact Newspaper. HPD reported that many of its 269 anti-trafficking operations came from tips from hotel and motel staff that were trained to recognize sex trafficking. 

But with 524 hotels in the area, Patel Davis said there were bound to be some cases overlooked. 

“These efforts were effective, but they were scattered,” she told Community Impact Newspaper.

With the proposed ordinance, hotel and motel operators would be required to train employees within the first 30 days of hiring them, according to Community Impact Newspaper. Operators would also have to keep records of the training sessions. 

The ordinance would provide free online tools to help with training, according to Community Impact Newspaper. 

If any hotel or motel fails to train employees, they will be fined $100, Community Impact Newspaper reported. A $100 fine will also be given for any hotel or motel that doesn't hang a sign about trafficking, that doesn't turn in their training session records or for retaliating against staff for reporting the business for violations, according to Community Impact Newspaper. A second offense for any of the violations will result in a $500 fine. 

The ordinance would cost the city $40,611 to start, followed by a yearly payment of $12,750 as a portion of the salary for a Houston Administration for Regulatory Affairs employee that enforces the ordinance, according to Community Impact Newspaper.