Okla. Senate Greenlights Trauma Experts to Help Nail Traffickers

The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to a bill that would let qualified experts testify in human trafficking cases to explain how exploitation can shape a victim’s beliefs, perceptions and behavior. The proposal also orders the state Attorney General’s Victims Services Unit to grow its offerings for trafficking survivors and creates new certification and confidentiality standards for shelters and programs. With the Senate’s signoff, the bill now heads to the Oklahoma House for its turn under the microscope.

Senate Bill 1810 was authored in the Senate by Sen. Darrell Weaver and is being carried in the House by Rep. Tammy West. According to the bill summary on the Oklahoma Legislature’s website, the measure would make expert testimony about the effects of trafficking admissible in court, stating that “testimony of an expert witness shall be admissible” in those cases. KFOR reported that senators backed the measure unanimously.

Okla. Senate Greenlights Trauma Experts to Help Nail Traffickers