Connecticut Democrats introduce bill to stop human trafficking in motels

WSHU | By Davis Dunavin

Published February 10, 2022 at 3:52 PM EST

Connecticut Democrats said they’ll push for new laws meant to curb human trafficking in motels.

State Senator Cathy Osten and State Representative Christine Conley said they want to change state law so motels and hotels can’t offer hourly rates. They also want to require people renting rooms to provide identification.

More than a thousand children were referred to the state as possible victims of human trafficking between 2008 and 2020, according to a state task force. Advocates said Connecticut attracts human trafficking because of its location between New York and Boston, and its two casinos.

Osten and Conley said their proposal has the support of the Connecticut Lodging Association.

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Davis Dunavin

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.

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