Human trafficking bill goes to Iowa governor

DES MOINES - Lawmakers sent the governor legislation Wednesday that would create a central point of contact for efforts to combat sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Senate File 2191, approved 98-0 by the House on Wednesday and 50-0 by the Senate last month, would create an Office to Combat Human Trafficking within the Department of Public Safety. The idea is to coordinate with state and local law enforcement agencies to address what floor manager Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Bondurant, called a 'dark underworld” of trafficking.

The office would consult with governmental and nongovernmental agencies that have expertise in human trafficking prevention, victim protection, law enforcement and prosecution, Nunn said. It also will collect and maintain criminal history data on human trafficking crimes.

He said thousands of Iowans as young as 11 years old are victimized by human traffickers each year.

Although he supported the proposal, Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, who is House Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee chairman, warned that lawmakers have added duties and responsibilities to the DPS, which has struggled to retain its staffing during lean budget years. Also, he said, that despite the Legislature earmarking money for the state Department of Justice to train law enforcement and others to recognize human trafficking, no training has occurred in almost a year.

The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, however, is training officers, said Rep. Todd Taylor, D-Cedar Rapids.

Nunn credits Rep. Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, and Sen. Kevin Kinney, D-Oxford, for getting the legislation written and passed.