Pa. House Tourism Committee discusses bill to fight human trafficking
Hearing on training hospitality workers took place today in Essington
Philadelphia House Delegation October 2, 2025
HARRISBURG, Oct. 2 – The state House Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Committee today held a hearing on a bill to train Pennsylvania employees of hotels, motels, online lodging and reservation companies, and other establishments to identify and report signs of human trafficking.
House Bill 1286 is sponsored by state Rep. Regina Young, D-Phila./Delaware, and would provide for mandatory human trafficking awareness training for Pennsylvania workers in the hospitality industry, including online lodging and reservation companies.
“Since I’ve been a legislator, I’ve been working to end human trafficking,” Young said. “It’s an unfortunate evil that lurks in our region because of easy access to interstate and international transportation hubs. The heartfelt testimony we heard today confirms the need to train hotel, motel and other lodging employees to be aware of the warning signs and report them. We can end human trafficking through education and speaking up for these most vulnerable victims.”
The full hearing can be watched at https://youtube.com/live/MoNweqGt3eo.
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts in January 2025 revealed 1,235 human trafficking offenses filed across 366 cases in the state between 2020 and 2024. During the hearing, expert testimony laid out the case for Pennsylvania to do more in its fight against human trafficking.
Testifiers also detailed how human trafficking cases in Pennsylvania and across the country, increasingly focus on treating those coerced into providing sex or labor as victims rather than criminals. Prosecutors and courts work with service providers to connect survivors with counseling, housing, medical care and legal support, recognizing that traffickers often use threats, violence, debt or manipulation to trap people in exploitative situations.
“The Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation launch coincided with the enactment of Pennsylvania’s comprehensive human trafficking statute in the Fall of 2014,” said Shea Rhodes, director and co-founder of the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation. “Since that time, we have been consistently highlighting instances of sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and systems of prostitution that occur in hotels and motels throughout the commonwealth.
“House Bill 1286, which mandates training for all hotel and public lodging establishments, is long overdue. Passing this much-needed legislation into law would be common-sense law reform. Our commonwealth needs to re-establish its position as a leading jurisdiction in the fight against human trafficking. Hotels and the hospitality industry must be an ally in the fight against all forms of human trafficking and exploitation,” she added.
Testimony showed that many victims are initially reluctant to come forward because of fear, trauma or mistrust of authorities, so victim-centered approaches – such as trauma-informed interviews and confidential advocacy – are essential to building cases and helping survivors rebuild their lives. The goal is not only to hold traffickers accountable, but also to give victims a path to recovery.
“As a survivor, advocate and founder of Redeemed for a Cause Outreach – a woman- and minority-led nonprofit supporting survivors of human trafficking and exploitation – I know firsthand the devastating impact of human trafficking in overlooked spaces like hotels, motels and transit hubs,” said President and CEO of Redeemed for a Cause Outreach Dr. Sakinah L. Love.
“At Redeemed for a Cause Outreach, we meet victims and survivors in the spaces where exploitation is most likely to occur – through biweekly street outreach, in shelters, in reentry programs and by working directly with hotels where trafficking has taken place. This proximity gives us a unique lens on the urgent need for prevention and early intervention,” she added.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified over 4,800 trafficking victims in Pennsylvania since 2007. Pennsylvania also ranked 11th among U.S. territories for its percentage of reported cases and tips, with more than 600 calls, texts and online contacts made to the hotline in 2023. According to reports, sex trafficking accounted for 142 cases primarily in the residence-based commercial sex venue, followed by massage businesses.
“The more people who become trained to spot human trafficking, the more victims we can identify and help,” said House Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Committee Chair Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery. “Human trafficking is a major violation of human rights, exploits the vulnerable and has no place in society."