Indiana Attorney General, State Sen. Jim Buck discuss human trafficking legislation

During the event - held at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library South - Zoeller discussed the merits of the bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence May 7. Included in the bill are extended requirements on the adult entertainment industry and new property seizure regulations.

SEA 532 will take effect July 1.

“Drugs and criminal enterprises have now moved into [human trafficking] because it is much less risky,” said Zoeller, who chairs the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Task Force. “Too often we look at the real victims of human trafficking, who often start as early as age 14 or 15 … They get trafficked before they are 18, but once they turn 18, we suddenly look at them as criminals.”

SEA 532 and similar forms of legislation will attempt to shift the focus from young, exploited women onto the human traffickers themselves, Zoeller explained. After many of these women have been sexually abused, the state “rewards them by making them criminals,” which is something Indiana needs to change, he noted.

To help curb human trafficking, the bill - which includes wording from Senate Bill 375 - will allow the criminal location to be deemed an “indecent nuisance.” This will enable law enforcement to legally seize the property of defendants accused of trafficking young women.

Of the assets gained during seizure, 80 percent of the proceeds will be given to the Human Trafficking Prevention and Victim Assistance Fund, and the remaining 20 percent will be placed in the county prosecutor’s office.

Zoeller also has recently created the Victim Services and Outreach Division in the Attorney General's office. The new division is expected to allow for networking with victim assistance advocates and additional resources for victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking and sexual assault.

“I think we are going to have to change society’s views on this and really start looking at the underlying problem, which is men and the demand side of the commercial sex industry,” said Zoeller. “I want to personally thank Senator Buck for being man enough to stand up and lead this effort in the Indiana Senate, and helping our office to address this problem.”

Also included in the bill are additional requirements for licensed adult entertainment establishments – a portion of the legislation originally authored by Buck in Senate Bill 296. The legislation will now require proprietors to obtain proof of legal age and residency from all performers.

The bill will also require proprietors to maintain an ID photo of all performers, which they will be expected to produce for inspection during investigations by Indiana Excise Police and local law enforcement. Proprietors must also display human trafficking awareness posters on the premises, and employees must sign a document stating their awareness of human trafficking.

“If you abuse the rights of that form of establishment, there will be severe consequences,” Buck said.

Buck went on to describe the four issues he feels the licensing portion of the legislation will address, which he described as the elimination of human trafficking inside adult entertainment establishments; ensuing the legal age of entertainers; the following of all alcohol laws; and the proper licensing of two and three-way permits.

“We’ve already covered a part of the licensure aspect of what some, in a bipartisan way, have tried to address in the city council,” said Buck, referring to the debates held on the topic of adult-dancer licensing in Kokomo’s Common Council.

“We are not trying to restrict businesses, other than to protect the public and go after the people at fault,” added Zoeller. “As much as I’m not the biggest fan of over-regulation or red tape, where you have known risk, you need the ability of enforcement, which can be licensing or state involvement.”