HB260 Alabama 2019 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Merika ColemanSenator

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2019

Title

Health care employees, requiring employees to receive human trafficking training

Summary

HB 260 would require Alabama health care facilities to train certain employees on human trafficking recognition and response, with annual updates and penalties for noncompliance.

What This Bill Does

If enacted, health care facilities licensed in Alabama must provide human trafficking handling and response training to employees who interact with patients or visitors. The training must be updated annually to reflect new trends and should involve collaboration with organizations that specialize in recognizing and preventing trafficking. Existing staff must complete the training by July 1, 2020, and new staff must complete it within six months of starting. Facilities must keep records of who is trained and when, and penalties of $1,000 per violation per day can be assessed for noncompliance, with funds directed to the state for trafficking education programs.

Who It Affects

• Administrators of licensed health care facilities who must ensure training is provided to specified staff
• Licensed health care professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses) who have direct contact with patients or visitors and must complete the training
• Emergency medical services personnel licensed under state law who interact with patients or visitors and must be trained
• Paid and volunteer facility workers who have direct contact with patients or visitors and must be trained

Key Provisions

• Section 1 defines the scope: applies to licensed health care facilities and requires certain employees with direct patient or visitor contact to receive training; 'employee' includes administrators, licensed health care professionals, EMS personnel, and paid/volunteer workers
• Section 2 requires annual human trafficking handling and response training, updates the curriculum annually with changes in trafficking trends, and mandates collaboration with trafficking prevention organizations; existing staff must be trained by July 1, 2020, and new staff within six months of employment start date
• Section 3 requires facilities to maintain records showing who was required to be trained, the scheduled training dates, and the actual training dates, available to board members upon request
• Section 4 establishes penalties of $1,000 per violation per day for noncompliance and directs collected funds to the Attorney General's Special Revenue Account for trafficking education and related programs
• Section 5 sets the act to take effect January 1, 2020, after passage and approval

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Health Care Facilities