Committee passes human trafficking bills to full Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - State officials say they are well aware of the human trafficking problem here in Oklahoma. On Tuesday, lawmakers at the Capitol took steps they hope will help to combat the problem.

Human trafficking has been a big topic for bills coming out the Oklahoma legislature for years.

“We are in the crossroads of American here, and just like for years, I was involved in drug trafficking. Now its human trafficking that has become a problem in our state,” said Senator Darrell Weaver.

The Republican from Moore served three decades in law enforcement. He was part of a Senate committee hearing two human trafficking bills already approved by the House.

One bill, HB4210 would require the Attorney General’s office to keep detailed records on human trafficking across multiple law enforcement agencies. The other, HB4224, would prevent victims from having to testify in court when human trafficking crimes were prosecuted.

Sen. Julie Daniels of Bartlesville saying, “We don’t want someone to fall through the cracks and be unnecessarily charged when they are a victim of human trafficking.”

“If you are being served some papers or something, a lot of times the handlers will go try to find those victims and try to coerce them back into trying to get back in that trade, into that hideous activity,” said Weaver.

Weaver says these bills in part come out of a task force last year to look into human trafficking across the state.

“It's real out here and it is a problem that is hideous. A lot of it is just very domestic. They find a vulnerable victim out there and they end up through a chain of events, they could end up in human trafficking. We really have to guard against it. Watch our neighbors. Watch our kids, watch our grandkids that they don’t get involved in something like that,” said Weaver.

Both of those bills passed unanimously in committee. They move on to the Senate floor.

If they pass there, it's onto the Governor’s desk.