Virginia § 9.1-116.5 - Human Trafficking Response Coordinator; duties; report

§ 9.1-116.5. Human Trafficking Response Coordinator; duties; report

A. There is established within the Department a Human Trafficking Response Coordinator (the Coordinator). The Coordinator shall:

1. Create a statewide plan for local and state agencies to identify and respond to victims of human trafficking;

2. Coordinate the development of standards and guidelines for treatment programs for victims of human trafficking;

3. Maintain a list of programs that provide treatment or specialized services to victims of human trafficking and make such list available to law-enforcement agencies, attorneys for the Commonwealth, crime victim and witness assistance programs, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education, and school divisions;

4. Oversee the development of a curriculum to be completed by persons convicted of solicitation of prostitution under § 18.2-346.01; and

5. Promote strategies for the education, training, and awareness of human trafficking and for the reduction of demand for commercial sex.

B. The Coordinator may request and shall receive from every department, division, board, bureau, commission, authority, or other agency created by the Commonwealth, or to which the Commonwealth is a party or any political subdivision thereof, cooperation and assistance in the performance of its duties. The Coordinator may also consult and exchange information with local government agencies and interested stakeholders.

C. The Coordinator shall report annually on or before October 1 to the Governor and the General Assembly. The report shall include a summary of activities for the year and any recommendations to address human trafficking within the Commonwealth. The Department shall ensure that such report is available to the public.

2019, cc. 486, 514; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 188; 2025, c. 375.