MADISON, WI… Legislation aimed at preventing human trafficking and other illegal activity in strip clubs cleared an Assembly committee unanimously today, helping to protect women from becoming victims of sex slavery.
Sen. André Jacque, co-author of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act along with Rep. Ty Bodden, said Wisconsin has been considered the ‘Sex Trafficking Capital of the Midwest’ by law enforcement for several years, with reports in all 72 counties and corridors crisscrossing our state.
“Victims of human trafficking, especially women, are often forced into sexual servitude, which may involve prostitution under the guise of an escort service or working in a strip club,” Sen. Jacque said. “Pimps then traffic these victims around the state or across state lines from one establishment to another, capitalizing on the high demand for these services, the cash nature of the business, and the anonymity of the participants.”
Sen. Jacque said his bill would target the known connection between adult entertainment establishments and sex trafficking by:
· Prohibiting adult-entertainment establishments from being owned or operated by convicted human trafficking or sex offenders, or who has been an owner or operator of an adult-entertainment establishment that was declared a public nuisance or that knowingly employed a victim of a human trafficking offense
· Prohibiting adult-entertainment establishments from having employees under the age of 18, or employees who have been the victim of certain sex or human trafficking offenses.
· Prohibiting adult-entertainment establishments from knowingly allowing the violation of illegal drug, prostitution, or certain obscenity laws on the premises of the adult-entertainment establishment
· Requiring adult-entertainment establishments to post a state anti-human trafficking poster
· Requiring adult-entertainment establishments to furnish a list of their employees, operators, and owners to local law enforcement officials upon request
“The proposals have been suggested by investigators, prosecutors, and victims’ support and advocacy groups to prevent human trafficking,” Sen. Jacque said. “This legislation is virtually identical to 2021 SB 836 as passed by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and the full State Senate unanimously last session.”
Sen. Jacque’s Human Trafficking Prevention Act (Assembly Bill 60) passed the Assembly Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform 0n a unanimous bi-partisan vote of 9-0. It must next clear the full Senate and Assembly, and be signed by the Governor, to become law.
Senator André Jacque represents Northeast Wisconsin’s First Senate District, consisting of Door and Kewaunee Counties and portions of Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, and Outagamie counties.
