STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 1428

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Senator RUIZ)

ADOPTED: MARCH 14, 2019

      These floor amendments require the Department of Education, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Children and Families, to develop and distribute to school districts guidelines concerning child trafficking.  The purpose of the guidelines is to provide direction for schools concerning awareness of child trafficking and how to prevent child trafficking.  The guidelines are required to include research-based information and guidance on certain topics as specified in the amendments, including risk factors that make children more susceptible to becoming a victim of child trafficking, indicators that a child may be a trafficking victim, how to report suspected cases of child trafficking, and strategies to prevent children from becoming victims of child trafficking.

      In addition, the amendments require the Commissioner of Education to provide school districts with guidance and resources regarding: (1) professional development opportunities for teachers and school staff regarding child trafficking awareness; and (2) developmentally appropriate resources regarding child trafficking awareness.

      The bill in its original form established a three-year Child Trafficking Awareness Pilot Program in the Department of Education to provide selected school districts with training about the warning signs and risk factors associated with child trafficking and how to prevent it.