12/18/13 - Some local legislators are taking aim at human trafficking and child prostitution with a bill that recently passed the State House. House Bill 5012 was introduced in September by Eileen Kowall of White Lake (pictured) and has among its sponsors Representatives Cindy Denby of Handy Township and Joe Graves of Argentine Township. It changes prostitution laws so that, if a minor is found to be engaging in prostitution, police are to presume that they have been coerced into that offense by people engaged in human trafficking. Police must then report the incident to the Department of Human Services as a human trafficking violation, and the child arrested would be treated as a victim of a crime rather than a criminal. The bill passed the House unanimously on December 4th, and has since been referred to the Senate Committee on Families, Seniors, and Human Services. The Lake Spa on Torrey Road in Fenton was recently shut down on allegations of prostitution and suspicions of human trafficking. (TD)
↧