Assembly BillChaptered/SignedCivil
AB 1918: Human trafficking: body art practitioners.
What AB 1918 does, verified October 3, 2026
The bill aims to enhance the awareness and prevention of human trafficking in California. It requires certain businesses and establishments, including body art facilities, to post a notice about slavery and human trafficking, including hotlines and available services and support information. Additionally, these establishments must provide their employees and registered practitioners with 20 minutes of training on human trafficking, which will cover how to recognize signs of human trafficking and include evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum developed by nonprofit organizations that represent human trafficking victims.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 837, Statutes of 2026. (2026-09-30)Alert me
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| Sep. 30, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 837, Statutes of 2026. |
| Sep. 30, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 04, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 6715.). |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
Latest bill textChaptered version, September 30, 2026 · 1,677 words
Assembly Bill No. 1918
CHAPTER 837
An act to amend Section 52.6 of the Civil Code, relating to human trafficking.
[ Approved by Governor September 30, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State September 30, 2026. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1918, Dixon. Human trafficking: body art practitioners.
Existing law requires certain businesses or establishments to post a notice relating to slavery and human trafficking, including hotlines and available services and support information. Existing law requires certain businesses or establishments to provide certain employees at least 20 minutes of training on human trafficking, as specified. Under existing law, the training must cover certain subjects, including how to recognize human trafficking. The training may also include information and material utilized by private nonprofit organizations that represent the interests of human trafficking victims and the Department of Justice, among other things.
This bill would additionally require body art facilities, by July 1, 2027, to post the above-described notice and to provide the human trafficking training to their employees and registered practitioners, as specified. The bill would instead authorize the training to include evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum developed by the above-described nonprofit organizations and information and material available on the Department of Justice’s internet website.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 52.6 of the Civil Code is amended to read:52.6.
(a) Each of the following businesses and other establishments shall, upon the availability of the model notice described in subdivision (d), post a notice that complies with the requirements of this section in a conspicuous place near the public entrance of the establishment or in another conspicuous location in clear view of the public and employees where similar notices are customarily posted:(1) On-sale general public premises licensees under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (Division 9 (commencing with Section 23000) of the Business and Professions Code).
(2) Adult or sexually oriented businesses, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 318.5 of the Penal Code.
(3) Primary airports, as defined in Section 47102(16) of Title 49 of the United States Code.
(4) Intercity passenger rail or light rail stations.
(5) Bus stations.
(6) Truck stops. For purposes of this section, “truck stop” means a privately owned and operated facility that provides food, fuel, shower or other sanitary facilities, and lawful overnight truck parking.
(7) Emergency rooms within general acute care hospitals.
(8) Urgent care centers.
(9) Facilities that provide pediatric care. For purposes of this section, “facilities that provide pediatric care” means a medical facility that provides pediatric services, as that term is defined in Section 16907.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(10) Farm labor contractors, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1682 of the Labor Code.
(11) Privately operated job recruitment centers.
(12) Roadside rest areas.
(13) Businesses or establishments that offer massage or bodywork services for compensation and are not described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 4612 of the Business and Professions Code.
(14) Hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast inns, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 24045.12 of the Business and Professions Code, not including personal residences.
(15) Hair, nail, electrolysis, and skin care, and other related businesses or establishments subject to regulation under Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 7301) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code.
(16) Body art facilities subject to regulation under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 119300) of Part 15 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code.
(b) The notice to be posted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be at least 81/2 inches by 11 inches in size, written in a 16-point font, and shall state the following:
“If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave—whether it is commercial sex, housework, farm work, construction, factory, retail, or restaurant work, or any other activity—text 233-733 (Be Free) or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or the California Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) at 1-888-KEY-2-FRE(EDOM) or 1-888-539-2373 to access help and services. | ||
Victims of slavery and human trafficking are protected under United States and California law. | ||
The hotlines are: | ||
| · | Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. | |
| · | Toll-free. | |
| · | Operated by nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations. | |
| · | Anonymous and confidential. | |
| · | Accessible in more than 160 languages. | |
| · | Able to provide help, referral to services, training, and general information.” | |
(c) The notice to be posted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be printed in English, Spanish, and in one other language that is the most widely spoken language in the county where the establishment is located and for which translation is mandated by the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10301 et seq.), as applicable. This section does not require a business or other establishment in a county where a language other than English or Spanish is the most widely spoken language to print the notice in more than one language in addition to English and Spanish.
(d) (1) On or before April 1, 2013, the Department of Justice shall develop a model notice that complies with the requirements of this section and make the model notice available for download on the department’s internet website.
(2) On or before January 1, 2019, the Department of Justice shall revise and update the model notice to comply with the requirements of this section and make the updated model notice available for download on the department’s internet website. A business or establishment required to post the model notice shall not be required to post the updated model notice until on and after January 1, 2019.
(e) (1) On or before January 1, 2021, a business or other establishment that operates a facility described in paragraph (4) or (5) of subdivision (a) shall provide at least 20 minutes of training to its new and existing employees who may interact with, or come into contact with, a victim of human trafficking or who are likely to receive, in the course of their employment, a report from another employee about suspected human trafficking, in recognizing the signs of human trafficking and how to report those signs to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
(2) On or before July 1, 2027, a business or other establishment that operates a facility described in paragraph (16) of subdivision (a) shall provide at least 20 minutes of training in recognizing the signs of human trafficking and how to report those signs to the appropriate law enforcement agency to both of the following:
(A) New and existing employees who may interact with, or come into contact with, a victim of human trafficking or who are likely to receive, in the course of their employment, a report from another employee about suspected human trafficking.
(B) Registered practitioners who practice in the body art facility and who may interact with, or come into contact with, a victim of human trafficking or who are likely to receive a report from an employee of the business or establishment about suspected human trafficking.
(3) For purposes of this section, “registered practitioner” means a person registered pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 119306) of Chapter 7 of Part 15 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code.
(f) The training pursuant to subdivision (e) shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) The definition of human trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
(2) Myths and misconceptions about human trafficking.
(3) Physical and mental signs to be aware of that may indicate that human trafficking is occurring.
(4) Guidance on how to identify individuals who are most at risk for human trafficking.
(5) Guidance on how to report human trafficking, including, but not limited to, national hotlines (1-888-373-7888 and text line 233733) and contact information for local law enforcement agencies that an employee or registered practitioners may use to make a confidential report.
(6) Protocols for reporting human trafficking when on the job.
(g) (1) The human trafficking training pursuant to subdivision (e) may include, but shall not be limited to, any of the following:
(A) Information and material utilized in training Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority employees.
(B) Evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum developed by private, nonprofit organizations that represent the interests of human trafficking victims.
(C) Information and material available on the Department of Justice’s internet website.
(2) The failure to report human trafficking by an employee or registered practitioner shall not, by itself, result in the liability of the business or other establishment that operates a facility described in paragraph (4), (5), or (16) of subdivision (a) or of any other person or entity.
(h) A business or establishment that fails to comply with the requirements of this section is liable for a civil penalty of one thousand dollars ($1,000) for a first offense and two thousand dollars ($2,000) for each subsequent offense. A government entity identified in Section 17204 of the Business and Professions Code may bring an action to impose a civil penalty pursuant to this subdivision against a business or establishment if a local or state agency with authority to regulate that business or establishment has satisfied both of the following:
(1) Provided the business or establishment with reasonable notice of noncompliance, which informs the business or establishment that it is subject to a civil penalty if it does not correct the violation within 30 days from the date the notice is sent to the business or establishment.
(2) Verified that the violation was not corrected within the 30-day period described in paragraph (1).
(i) This section does not prevent a local governing body from adopting and enforcing a local ordinance, rule, or regulation to prevent slavery or human trafficking. If a local ordinance, rule, or regulation duplicates or supplements the requirements that this section imposes upon businesses and other establishments, this section does not supersede or preempt that local ordinance, rule, or regulation.
(j) The Attorney General may enforce this section.
(k) Fines collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Survivor Support Fund.
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