​Rep. Chrissy Sommer's Weekly Capitol Connection August 19, 2016

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Missouri General Assembly Acts to Improve Missouri’s System of Justice

During the course of the 2016 legislative session the Missouri General Assembly tackled several important issues designed to improve the state’s criminal justice system. These are issues that received a great deal of discussion and debate, and were thoroughly vetted throughout the legislative process. Whether it is taking steps to shut down human traffickers in the state, or giving Missourians with minor offenses a second chance, the legislature made some positive steps forward this year that will make a substantive difference in the lives of many Missourians. Listed below are brief descriptions of several of the bills that are now law, or soon will be.

Combating Human Trafficking (HB 1562)

This year the legislature took action to enact legislation to combat sex trafficking and protect the victims of these crimes. While it’s hard for some to believe that a form of slavery exists in modern times, human trafficking is all too real and a problem that has grown into a multi-billion dollar criminal industry. Each year, thousands of men, women, and children in the United States are exploited and forced into prostitution.

House Bill 1562 helps to fight sex traffickers by expanding the crime to include the act of advertising the availability of a minor or non-consenting adult for prostitution or pornography.

Currently, Missouri law does not comprehensively address advertising the availability of another person for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The goal of the bill is to shut down the internet sites that are used to help traffickers find buyers.

House Bill 1562 also includes two provisions to strengthen the protections provided through the Safe at Home Program. The program provides victims of sexual and domestic violence with a substitute address so that their actual physical address can remain confidential and inaccessible to their abusers. House Bill 1562 enhances the penalties for attempting to access the address of a participant in the Safe at Home Program. It also adds victims of human trafficking to the list of eligible participants.

In addition, House Bill 1562 limits the disclosure of related photographs and records to individuals who are part of an investigation or judicial proceeding. The goal with this change is to protect the confidentiality of children who are the victims of sexual offenses

The provisions of the bill become law on August 28.

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