SECONDWEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION SENATEIntroduced BILLNO.Senate Bill 922 By Senator Chapman [Introduced February 11, 2026;

1365referred 103RDto GENERALASSEMBLYthe INTRODUCEDCommittee BYon SENATORHealth CARTER.and Human Resources;

5179S.01Iand KRISTINAMARTIN,then Secretaryto ANACTthe ToCommittee repealon sectionthe 315.005,Judiciary] RSMo,Intr andSB 922 2026R4082 A BILL to enactamend inthe lieuCode thereofof twoWest Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new sectionssection, designated §16-6-26, relating to humanpermitting traffickinghotels awarenessand trainingpublic for lodging andestablishments vacationto rentalprovide operations.human trafficking awareness training to employees;

Beestablishing itpermissive enactedannual bytraining; the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:

Sectionestablishing A.reporting procedures;

Sectionproviding 315.005,that RSMo,no isprivate repealedcause andof twoaction newis sectionscreated; enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 315.005 and 315.081, to read as follows:

315.005.and authorizing rulemaking.

AsBe usedit inenacted sectionsby 315.005 to [315.065] 315.081, unless the contextLegislature clearlyof indicatesWest otherwise,Virginia: the following terms mean:

(1)ARTICLE "Code",6. the standards relating to fire safety, sanitation, electrical wiring, fuel-burning appliances, plumbing, swimming pools and spas, sewage and waste treatment and disposal as adopted by the department.

TheHOTELS departmentAND inRESTAURANTS. its discretion, may incorporate, in whole or in part, the standards or codes promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, Building Officials and Code Administration International, Inc., Great Lakes Upper Mississippi River Board of State Sanitary Engineers, and American Society of Sanitary Engineers;

(2)§16-6-26. "Department", the director of the department of health and senior services or an agent of the director of the department of health and senior services;

EXPLANATION-MatterHuman enclosedtrafficking inawareness bold-facedtraining bracketsand [thus]policies infor thisemployees billof ishotels not enacted and ispublic intendedlodging toestablishments; be omitted in the law.

SBrulemaking. 1365 2 (3) "Guest room", any room or unit where sleeping accommodations are regularly furnished to the public;

(4)(a) "HostingA platform",hotel an electronic platform used by a rental operator to advertise or facilitatepublic thelodging rentalestablishment ofmay: a short-term rental;

(5)(1) "HumanProvide trafficking",annual thetraining useregarding human trafficking awareness to employees of force,the fraud,establishment orwho coercionperform tohousekeeping obtainduties somein typethe ofrental laborunits or commercialwho sexwork actat asthe definedfront desk or reception area where guests ordinarily check in 22or U.S.C.check out;

Section(2) 7102By andJanuary 1, 2027, implement a procedure for the commissionreporting of ansuspected offensehuman createdtrafficking byto sectionsthe 566.200National Human Trafficking Hotline or to 566.223;a local law enforcement agency;

(6)and "Human(3) By January 1, 2027, post in a conspicuous location in the establishment which is accessible to employees a human trafficking public awareness training",sign trainingat establishedleast or11 approvedinches by the15 departmentinches in size, printed in an easily legible font and in at least 32-point type, which states in English and Spanish and any other language predominantly spoken in that includes,area butwhich isthe notlocal limitedboard to,of health deems appropriate substantially the following components:or similar language having the same meaning:

(a)"If Theyou definitionor ofsomeone humanyou traffickingknow is being forced to engage in an activity and commercialcannot exploitationleave, ofwhether children;it is prostitution, housework, farm work, factory work, retail work, restaurant work, or any other activity, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to 233-733 to access help and services.

Victims of slavery and human trafficking are protected under United States and West Virginia Law." (b) GuidanceThe onhuman howtrafficking toawareness identifytraining individualspermitted under this section shall include, at risk1 forIntr trafficking;SB 922 2026R4082 a minimum, all of the following:

(c)(1) GuidanceThe ondefinition how to identify the signs of human trafficking and individualsthe potentiallydifference engagedbetween in the acttwo forms of trafficking;human trafficking:

(d)sex Differencestrafficking betweenand labor andtrafficking; sex trafficking, specific to the hotel sector;

(e)(2) Guidance onspecific to the rolehotel ofand hospitalitypublic employeeslodging insector reportingconcerning andhow responding to identify individuals who may be victims of human trafficking;

and (f)(3) TheGuidance contactconcerning information for the nationalrole humanof traffickingthe hotlineemployees toll-freeof numbera andhotel textor linepublic orlodging contactestablishment informationin forreporting theand localresponding lawto enforcementsuspected agency;human trafficking.

(7)(c) "LodgingThis establishment",section anydoes building,not groupestablish ofa buildings,private structure,cause facility, place, or places of businessaction. where five or more guest rooms are provided, which is owned, maintained, or operated by any person and which is kept, used, maintained, advertised or held out to the public for hire which can be construed to be a hotel, motel, motor SB 1365 3 hotel, apartment hotel, tourist court, resort, cabins, tourist home, bunkhouse, dormitory, or other similar place by whatever name called, and includes all such accommodations operated for hire as lodging establishments for either transient guests, permanent guests, or for both transient and permanent guests;

[(5)]This (8)section "Owner",does thenot personalter responsibleor forlimit obtainingany aother licenseexisting fromremedies theavailable departmentto forsurvivors operatingof thehuman lodgingtrafficking. establishment;

[(6)](d) (9)The "PermanentBureau guest",for anyPublic personHealth whomay rentspropose andrules occupiesfor alegislative guestapproval room in aaccordance lodgingwith establishment§29A-3-1 foret aseq. period of thirty-one days or more;

[(7)]as (10)it "Person",deems anynecessary individual,to partnership,carry corporation,out association,the organization,provisions firm,of orthis federal,section. state, county, city, village, or municipal association or corporation;

(11)The "Short-termbureau rentalmay property",promulgate residentialemergency orrules multifamilypursuant propertyto usedthe orprovisions offeredof for§29A-3-15 rentas forit transientdeems guestnecessary. use through a hosting platform;

[(8)]NOTE: (12) "Transient guest", any person who rents and occupies a guest room in a lodging establishment for a period of less than thirty-one days.

315.081.The purpose of this bill is to permit a hotel or public lodging establishment to provide annual training regarding human trafficking awareness to employees and to provide for rulemaking.

1.Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

Every employee of a lodging establishment and every operator of a short-term rental property in this state shall be required to receive human trafficking awareness training within one hundred eighty days of employment or the first listing of a short-term rental property on a hosting platform, and after the first year of employment or listing, annual human trafficking awareness training not later than December thirty-first.

2.

Every operator of a lodging establishment or short- term rental property in this state shall implement SB 1365 4 procedures and adopt policies for the reporting of suspected human trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline or to a local law enforcement agency.

3.

Any person who operates a lodging establishment or short-term rental property shall maintain records of employee or operator training.

Such records shall be kept on file by the operator of the lodging establishment or short-term rental property for the period during which the employee is employed by the establishment or the operator manages the short-term rental property listing, and for one year after such employment or operation ends.

A lodging establishment or short-term rental property operator shall provide records to the department within a reasonable amount of time, but no later than ten business days, after such request is made in writing.