HARRISBURG – Following the historic signing of two major human trafficking-focused bills, endorsed by the first-ever bipartisan, bicameral Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Caucus, Sen. Cris Dush (R-25), caucus chairman, and co-chairs Sen. Maria Collett (D-12), Sen. Marty Flynn (D-22), Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-28), Rep. Danilo Burgos (D-197), Rep. Kate Klunk (R-169), Rep. Clint Owlett (R-68) and Rep. Regina G. Young (D-185) issued the following statement:

“The signing of this landmark legislation proves once again that ending human trafficking takes all of us: survivor voices, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, community leaders, employers and lawmakers.

“Assembled earlier this spring, the PA AHT Caucus is a WORKING Caucus. Regardless of the individual whose name appears first on any respective AHT Caucus-supported bill, our primary objective is to get them signed into law to protect children and vulnerable populations from becoming victims of sexual predators and labor traffickers.

“We are also striving to give all partnering survivor networks, human service agencies and law enforcement the tools they need to combat this scourge against all humanity — which is exploiting and enslaving millions of women and children and illegally generating more than $150 billion worldwide every year.

“We are especially grateful to see membership in the PA AHT Caucus growing rapidly. Fully recognizing that the Keystone State’s geographical location makes it a major hot spot for sex trafficking, labor trafficking, prostitution and organized crime, we will continue working together to shepherd more high-priority legislative initiatives across the finish line to prevent further destruction of innocent lives.”

The anti-human trafficking bills signed into law this week included:

Act 31 of 2026 (House Bill 1286) – Act 31 establishes mandatory human trafficking awareness training for Pennsylvania workers in the hospitality industry, including online lodging and reservation companies. Among other provisions, this new law includes training requirements approved through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for employees of public lodging establishments who have contact with guests or access to guest rooms, and for operators of short-term rentals.

Act 41 of 2026 (Senate Bill 45) – Requested and fully supported by the Office of Attorney General, Act 41 specifically increases criminal penalties for those who prey upon vulnerable individuals who have been groomed, manipulated and forced into “The Life.” The fundamental purpose of this new law remains and has always been giving the attorney general’s office full jurisdiction to comprehensively combat sex trafficking and prostitution across the commonwealth.

Through force, fraud and coercion, human traffickers push their victims into demeaning forms of abuse, including domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation.

More information on the PA AHT Caucus is available here. If you suspect someone is being trafficked, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.