S 4690: Relates to human trafficking awareness and training for public transit employees; mandates displaying human trafficking resource materials created by the state public transportation safety board and the department of transportation in all public transit modes of transportation.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4690 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 11, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to human trafficking awareness and training for public transit employees and mandated displayed materials created by the state public transportation safety board and the department of transportation The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section 2 217-a to read as follows: 3 § 217-a. Human trafficking awareness and training. 1. Human traffick- 4 ing recognition training program. (a) For purposes of this section, 5 "public transit" shall mean any mode of transportation that is publicly 6 available in the state and can accommodate for more than eight passen- 7 gers or is funded by the state or any other local municipality. 8 (b) Every public transit system shall require all employees who are 9 likely to interact or come into contact with guests to undergo a human 10 trafficking recognition training program to provide training in the 11 recognition of a human trafficking victim as defined in section four 12 hundred eighty-three-aa of the social services law. Such training 13 program shall be established or approved by the division of criminal 14 justice services and the office of temporary and disability assistance 15 in consultation with the New York state interagency task force on human 16 trafficking. The training program may be developed by a federal, state, 17 or non-profit organization, and may be incorporated as part of the 18 public transit system's existing training programs or may be provided by 19 organizations or providers identified by the commissioner of the divi- 20 sion of criminal justice services or the commissioner of the office of 21 temporary and disability assistance, provided that the training includes 22 all of the requirements of this section. Established or approved train- 23 ing programs may be made available through methods including, but not EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03334-01-5 
 S. 4690 2 1 limited to, in-person instruction, electronic and video communication, 2 or online programs. 3 (c) Any human trafficking recognition training program established or 4 approved by the division of criminal justice services and the office of 5 temporary and disability assistance in consultation with the New York 6 state interagency task force on human trafficking as required in this 7 section shall address no less than the following issues: 8 (i) the nature of human trafficking; 9 (ii) how human trafficking is defined in law; 10 (iii) how to identify victims of human trafficking; 11 (iv) relief and recovery options for survivors; and 12 (v) social and legal services available to victims. 13 (d) The commissioner of the division of criminal justice services and 14 the commissioner of the office of temporary and disability assistance 15 shall make available a list of established or approved human trafficking 16 recognition programs for use by a public transit system. 17 (e) All new employees required to receive human trafficking recogni- 18 tion training shall receive such training within their first month of 19 employment. 20 (f) The training shall take place at a location determined by the 21 public transit system and shall be considered compensable time. 22 2. Record keeping requirements of human trafficking recognition train- 23 ing. Every keeper of each public transit system shall maintain records 24 indicating that each employee required to undergo an established or 25 approved human trafficking recognition training program pursuant to this 26 section has completed such training. Such records shall be kept on file 27 by the public transit system for the period during which the employee is 28 employed by the public transit system and for one year after such 29 employment ends. 30 3. Human trafficking prevention materials determined by the department 31 in collaboration with the board shall be displayed in all public transit 32 modes of transportation. Such materials may include, but shall not be 33 limited to, the human trafficking assistance hotline and where to find 34 online or local resources. 35 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 36 law; provided however that all applicable current employees of a public 37 transit system on the effective date of this act shall receive human 38 trafficking recognition training within four months of the effective 39 date of this act.