Legislation Requires Posting of Human Trafficking Signs by Kentucky Hotels and Others

Background

House Bill 3, a human trafficking bill which passed during this year’s session of the General Assembly, contains a required posting of signs by Kentucky hotels and others. The legislation takes effect on July 15, 2024. Click here to access HB 3 in its entirety. 

Hotels Requirements

In summary, hotels are required to post in their lobby, stairwells, elevators, or on or beside exit doors, and in all of their publicly accessible restrooms a printed sign in English and Spanish displaying the current telephone hotline number of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Signs must be at least 8.5x11 inches in size, with letters in at least 16-point font.

An alternative to a sign is a printed transparent static window cling in English and Spanish at least 3x3 inches in size, with letters in at least 10-point font.

Signs or window clings are to be in a prominent place easily seen by patrons.

We asked the Attorney General’s Office for clarification of required locations for the signs and were sent the following points:

• Regarding the locations mentioned in 2a [of the bill], signs must be posted in the lobby, or stairwells, or elevators, or on or beside exit doors.
• Regarding the locations mentioned in 2b, signs must be posted in all publicly accessible restrooms.

With the first point note the use of “or” rather than “and.” In the second point, note the reference to “all.” Also, with the second point the Attorney General’s Office has confirmed that “publicly accessible restrooms” do not include guest room restrooms.

One other important provision in the bill is that the signs or window clings are to be “Created using gender-neutral language supplied by the Office of the Attorney General, the National Human Trafficking Hotline, or the United States Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign…”  

Signs

The Attorney General’s Office has posted on their website an approved sign that can be downloaded. Note that the dimensions of the posted sign are larger than 8.5x11 inches, but will fit on an 8.5x11 inch by selecting the “scale to fit” feature when printing.

To access the sign on the Attorney General’s website go to www.ag.ky.gov, select Human Trafficking under the Resources & Programs tab. Then select Human Trafficking Awareness Poster under Resources. Click below to download the sign as well.

Human Trafficking Sign

Short Term Rentals

KTIA encouraged the Attorney General’s Office to interpret the hotel signage requirements to also include short term rentals and we have been informed that “short term rentals will fall under the definition of hotels and therefore be subject to HB 3 requirements.”

Interstate & Turnpike Rest Areas, Airports, Train Stations, Bus Stations and Truck Stops

The bill also contains provisions related to interstate and turnpike rest areas, airports, train stations, bus stations and truck stops all of which are to place the signs in their restrooms. The approved sign referenced above are also to be used by these facilities. Section 5 contains hotel requirements Section 6 of the bill contains rest area requirements; section 7, airports; section 8, train stations; and section 9, bus stations and truck stops.

Contact Information 

KTIA is available to answer questions and those should be directed to Hank Phillips. The Attorney General’s Office is also available to respond to questions. See below for contact information.