LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is commending the House Judiciary Committee for unanimously advancing House Bills 5836-5854 and 5864, as well as Senate Bills 515-517, out of Committee to the full Michigan House of Representatives for consideration with bipartisan support. The legislative package aims to strengthen protections for human trafficking survivors and enhance accountability for traffickers.  

“Human trafficking continues to exploit some of Michigan’s most vulnerable, subjecting them to unimaginable harm,” Nessel said. “By encouraging victims to come forward, we can help empower them to break free from the cycle of abuse. This legislative package will strengthen my Department’s ability to protect survivors, respond to their unique needs, and prosecute those perpetrating these horrific crimes. I applaud the House Judiciary Committee for prioritizing the well-being of trafficking victims and advancing this vital legislation. I remain committed to continuing my advocacy for its passage as it moves to the House floor.”  

Preceding the vote of the committee, Assistant Attorney General Melissa Palepu, chair of the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission, testified in support of the legislative package.  

“In order to eradicate human trafficking in Michigan, we must take a victim-centered approach and aim to provide survivors with legal protections, as well as the ability to heal and grow,” Palepu said. “These bills will help meet those objectives and give our office and other prosecutors additional tools to hold traffickers accountable, while also providing the needed support and tools for survivors in Michigan to reclaim their lives and move forward.” 

 House Bills 5836-5854 and 5864 seek to: 

• Allow survivors of human trafficking to have criminal convictions set aside if those offenses were a direct result of their victimization; 

• Provide an affirmative defense for survivors if a crime was committed as a consequence of being trafficked; 

• Modify safe harbor protections for minors who are victims of sex and labor trafficking; 

• Set criteria for expert testimony in human trafficking cases; and  

• Replace the term “prostitution” with “commercial sex.”  

Senate Bills 515-517, which passed the Michigan Senate earlier this year, would:    

• Add to the hearsay exception and allow for such statements to come in if they were made not only by a victim of domestic violence, but also a victim of human trafficking;  

• Expand the reach of the statute that allows for admission of other prior similar acts to include admission of other acts of commercial sexual activity, prostitution, and human trafficking, instead of only in domestic violence or sexual assault cases; and 

• Help hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable by allowing jurors to consider an abuser’s or trafficker’s true nature or abuser’s and trafficker’s plans regarding human trafficking offenses. 

Attorney General Nessel is leading the fight against human trafficking in Michigan by prosecuting criminal cases under state law banning human trafficking, working with law enforcement task forces through the Human Trafficking Unit to help put an end to trafficking in the state. Attorneys from the Department also conduct trainings for law enforcement and prosecutors and work with community members and advocates to raise awareness of this crime. To date, the Department has trained over 3,000 law enforcement agencies, charged 35 individuals, and secured 29 trafficking convictions. 

Victims of human trafficking or those who have identified someone they think may need help can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text 233733. This is a national, toll-free hotline, that is available to answer calls, texts, and chats from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. All calls are confidential.  

Additional information on the Attorney General's human trafficking initiative, including updated state laws prohibiting trafficking, is available on the Attorney General's website.