# Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act

This bill creates stricter punishments for people who commit human trafficking crimes in or near schools. Specifically, if someone is caught trafficking another person for sex or forced labor in a school zone or within 1,000 feet of where a school-sponsored activity is happening, they can face an additional prison sentence of up to five years on top of whatever other penalties they already face for trafficking.

The bill defines a school zone the same way existing gun laws do, and it includes not just school buildings but also any location where a school is running an official activity—like a field trip, sports event, or school-sponsored community program. The reasoning behind this is straightforward: the bill's sponsors point out that traffickers deliberately target schools because they know vulnerable young people gather there. According to research cited in the bill, about 55 percent of young sex trafficking survivors in Texas were trafficked while at school or school activities, and many traffickers use classmates to groom potential victims.

The bill essentially says that if criminals prey on children in these school settings, they'll face harsher consequences. This doesn't change what counts as human trafficking or create new crimes—it just adds extra prison time when trafficking happens in places where children are supposed to be safe. For everyday people, this means law enforcement has stronger tools to punish traffickers who specifically target school environments, which the bill argues is a common tactic used by criminals to access vulnerable young people.

Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act

Jackson Lee, Sheila

Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act This bill establishes an enhanced penalty&#8212;an additional prison term of up to five years&#8212;for certain human trafficking offenses that occur in a school zone or on or within 1,000 feet of a premises on which a school-sponsored activity is taking place.