Feb. 06—RENTING HOTEL rooms by the hour in Philadelphia may soon be a fling of the past if two bills designed to combat human sex trafficking become law.
The bills, co-sponsored by Councilman Ed Neilson and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, were introduced yesterday during Council’s regular meeting. Hearings on the bills have not yet been scheduled.
“Hotels and motels offering hourly rates raise a big red flag for those of us who care that this type of inappropriate activity is happening,” Brown said.
“We are dealing with the heartbreaking exploitation of human beings, typically women and girls,” she added.
“When it comes to human trafficking and prostitution, effort is focused on police action and prosecution, which is necessary,” Neilson said.
“We also support services that help victims of human trafficking recover. But what is needed most is prevention: controlling the places where trafficking occurs and training people on the front lines to recognize human trafficking,” he added.
The first bill would amend the city code, entitled “Property Licenses and Owner Accountability,” by requiring that hotels and other temporary lodging train employees to identify human-trafficking activities and victims.
Employees would be required to view a training video developed or approved by the Police Department in collaboration with the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections, according to the bill.
The second bill would amend the city code, entitled “Regulation of Businesses, Trades and Professions,” by adding provisions that would require hotels and other establishments that offer temporary accommodations to maintain a room registry of all patrons and rent out rooms intended for overnight accommodations at the daily rate, barring hourly rates entirely.
Similar laws have been enacted in the city of Baltimore and in Prince George’s County, Md., outside of Washington, D.C., according to Neilson’s office.
Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, which represents 91 Center City and suburban hotels, said he has already met with Neilson and approves of the bills.
“Any reputable hotel that is worth staying at would not charge hourly rates. That’s not the kind of image we want to portray to our customers,” he said.
“We want to be part of the solution.”
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