                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COORDINATION OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING (§ 15.2-1627.6)

A. The attorney for the Commonwealth in each political subdivision in the
Commonwealth shall coordinate the establishment of a multidisciplinary response
to human trafficking as set forth in Article 3 (&#xA7; 18.2-346 et seq.) of
Chapter 8 of Title 18.2 and hold a meeting, at least annually, to (i) discuss
implementation of protocols and policies for human trafficking response teams
consistent with those established by the Department of Criminal Justice Services
pursuant to subdivision 37 d of &#xA7; 9.1-102; (ii) establish and review
guidelines for the community&#8217;s response to the various forms of human
trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking; and (iii) review
protocols for the trauma-informed, victim-centered collection, preservation, and
secure storage of evidence from physical evidence recovery kit examinations
consistent with &#xA7; 19.2-165.1.

B. The following persons or their designees shall be invited to participate in
the annual meeting: the attorney for the Commonwealth; a representative of the
Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in jurisdictions served by a public
defender office; the sheriff; the director of the local sexual assault crisis
center providing services in the jurisdiction, if any; the chief of each police
department and the chief of each campus police department of any institution of
higher education in the jurisdiction, if any; a forensic nurse examiner or other
health care provider who performs physical evidence recovery kit examinations in
the jurisdiction, if any; a health professional knowledgeable in the treatment
of trauma-informed, victim-centered services; a social worker knowledgeable in
the needs of immigrant communities; the state Human Trafficking Response
Coordinator or his designee; a representative from at least one national or
local organization that supports victims of human trafficking; at least one
survivor of human trafficking; the director of the victim/witness program in the
jurisdiction, if any; a division superintendent or his designee from at least
one of the local school divisions; and a labor union representative
knowledgeable about labor trafficking. In addition, the attorney for the
Commonwealth may invite other individuals, or their designees, to participate in
the annual meeting, including (i) local health department district directors;
(ii) the administrator of each licensed hospital within the jurisdiction; (iii)
the director of each health safety net clinic within the jurisdiction, including
those clinics created by 42 C.F.R. &#xA7; 491.1 and the free and charitable
clinics; (iv) local administrators in charitable clinics or local hospitals, as
well as other health care providers or local nonprofit organizations working
with victims of trafficking; and (v) as determined by the attorney for the
Commonwealth, any other local health care providers.

C. Attorneys for the Commonwealth are authorized to conduct the human
trafficking response team annual meetings using other methods to encourage
attendance, including electronic communication means as provided in &#xA7;
2.2-3708.3.

HISTORY: 2024, c. 366; 2025, c. 375.