S.B. 30
Signed into LawHuman Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments
SB0030S01 (Substitute)
Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments
Introduction
Jan 20
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Skipped
Senate 2nd Reading
Jan 20
Senate 3rd Reading
Jan 21
House Rules
Feb 3
House Committee
Feb 2
House Floor Vote
Feb 26
Senate Concurrence
Feb 27
Governor Signed
Mar 23
What This Bill Does
This bill concerns human labor trafficking, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and human smuggling.
Key Provisions
This bill:
- defines terms;
- removes the applicability of statutory defenses to offenses concerning human trafficking or human smuggling;
- repeals a freestanding definition section and incorporates the repealed section's definitions into the human smuggling offenses in which the terms are referenced;
- amends the following offenses concerning human trafficking, including revising the name and elements of the offense, and, for some offenses, requiring specific conduct for a violation:
- human trafficking for labor;
- human trafficking for sexual exploitation;
- human trafficking of a child (for labor and for sexual exploitation); and
- human trafficking of a vulnerable adult (for labor and for sexual exploitation);
- divides the offense of aggravated human trafficking for labor or sexual exploitation into two separate offenses;
- revises the offense of benefiting from human trafficking or human smuggling:
- to no longer be a separate criminal offense by removing penalty provisions; and
- to add human trafficking offenses concerning vulnerable adults to the list of offenses included in the statute;
- creates the following new offenses:
- patronizing a victim of human labor trafficking;
- patronizing a child victim of human labor trafficking; and
- patronizing a vulnerable adult victim of human labor trafficking;
- amends the offenses of human smuggling and aggravated human smuggling to incorporate definitions from the repealed freestanding definitions section;
- changes cross references in other statutes referencing human trafficking offenses to include citations to additional trafficking and patronizing offenses; and
- makes technical and conforming changes.
Plain-Language Summary
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
Utah's human trafficking and smuggling laws get a significant overhaul under this bill. It rewrites the definitions and elements of several existing trafficking offenses — covering labor trafficking, sexual exploitation, and trafficking of children and vulnerable adults — and splits the single aggravated human trafficking offense into two separate crimes based on whether the trafficking involved labor or sexual exploitation. The bill also creates three new crimes targeting people who knowingly use or benefit from forced labor: patronizing a victim of human labor trafficking, patronizing a child victim, and patronizing a vulnerable adult victim. It also removes statutory defenses that previously applied to trafficking and smuggling offenses, meaning accused individuals can no longer invoke those specific legal protections to avoid liability.
S.B. 30
Signed into LawHuman Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments
Current version: SB0030S01 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 20
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Skipped
Senate 2nd Reading
Jan 20
Senate 3rd Reading
Jan 21
House Rules
Feb 3
House Committee
Feb 2
House Floor Vote
Feb 26
Senate Concurrence
Feb 27
Governor Signed
Mar 23
IntroductionJan 20
Senate Rules
Senate CommitteeSkipped
Senate 2nd ReadingJan 20
Senate 3rd ReadingJan 21
House RulesFeb 3
House CommitteeFeb 2
House Floor VoteFeb 26
Senate ConcurrenceFeb 27
Governor SignedMar 23
What This Bill Does
This bill concerns human labor trafficking, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and human smuggling.
Key Provisions
This bill:
- defines terms;
- removes the applicability of statutory defenses to offenses concerning human trafficking or human smuggling;
- repeals a freestanding definition section and incorporates the repealed section's definitions into the human smuggling offenses in which the terms are referenced;
- amends the following offenses concerning human trafficking, including revising the name and elements of the offense, and, for some offenses, requiring specific conduct for a violation:
- human trafficking for labor;
- human trafficking for sexual exploitation;
- human trafficking of a child (for labor and for sexual exploitation); and
- human trafficking of a vulnerable adult (for labor and for sexual exploitation);
- divides the offense of aggravated human trafficking for labor or sexual exploitation into two separate offenses;
- revises the offense of benefiting from human trafficking or human smuggling:
- to no longer be a separate criminal offense by removing penalty provisions; and
- to add human trafficking offenses concerning vulnerable adults to the list of offenses included in the statute;
- creates the following new offenses:
- patronizing a victim of human labor trafficking;
- patronizing a child victim of human labor trafficking; and
- patronizing a vulnerable adult victim of human labor trafficking;
- amends the offenses of human smuggling and aggravated human smuggling to incorporate definitions from the repealed freestanding definitions section;
- changes cross references in other statutes referencing human trafficking offenses to include citations to additional trafficking and patronizing offenses; and
- makes technical and conforming changes.
Plain-Language Summary
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
Utah's human trafficking and smuggling laws get a significant overhaul under this bill. It rewrites the definitions and elements of several existing trafficking offenses — covering labor trafficking, sexual exploitation, and trafficking of children and vulnerable adults — and splits the single aggravated human trafficking offense into two separate crimes based on whether the trafficking involved labor or sexual exploitation. The bill also creates three new crimes targeting people who knowingly use or benefit from forced labor: patronizing a victim of human labor trafficking, patronizing a child victim, and patronizing a vulnerable adult victim. It also removes statutory defenses that previously applied to trafficking and smuggling offenses, meaning accused individuals can no longer invoke those specific legal protections to avoid liability.
Votes
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Documents
Floor Debates
Committee Hearings
Other Versions
Original
Subjects
Action History49
Governor Signed
Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
Senate/ to Governor
Executive Branch - Governor
Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
Senate Secretary
Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing
Senate Secretary
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
Senate Secretary
Last updated Mar 26, 2026, 9:43 PM
