Houston City Council authorized the new ordinance, which carries fines associated with it, April 15.
After over four years of negotiations between hotel operator representatives and the mayor’s special adviser for human trafficking, the city received support from hotel operator organizations, including the Small Independent Motel Owners Association and the local branch of the American Hospitality and Lodging Association.
Although negotiating with these organizations slowed the process, the mayor’s special adviser for human trafficking Minal Patel Davis said it helped the city gain insight into management operations and secure votes from City Council members who may look for industry support before approval.
While some hotels already offer this training, by setting minimum standards of training, including pacing mechanisms to ensure trainings are not skipped through, and creating fines for noncompliance, the ordinance allows the city to better track training throughout the city, Patel Davis said.
“[Administration and Regulatory Affairs] is saying this is a good training, this is a good sign, this is a good number to call and this is the right way to record this. That third-party check is extremely important,” Patel Davis said.
In District J, which spans much of Southwest Houston, Council Member Edward Pollard said he was supportive of the ordinance as a starting point for additional anti-human trafficking efforts.
“Although this is a step in the right direction we do need to look at it to make sure it’s stronger down the line,” he said, suggesting periodic reviews of the ordinance and adding certain hourly minimums to hotel stays.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city views the ordinance as the first of several steps towards reducing human trafficking operations at hotels and motels within the city.
Under the ordinance, hotel and motel operators will be fined $100 for failing to train employees, failing to hang signage about trafficking and ways to report it, and failure to turn over training records to the city within 72 hours of a request. Second offenses would be $500 and in certain circumstances citations can be re-issued daily, according to the ordinance. Operators have one month to resolve the violations before any fines are issued. It also prohibits retaliation against employees who report tips.
The program will cost the city $40,611 upfront and $12,750 annually to pay for a portion of the salary for a Houston Administration for Regulatory Affairs employee tasked with enforcement. The funds have already been identified within the city’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs budget, Patel Davis said.
Justin Bragel, general counsel for the Texas Hospitality and Lodging Association, said the association is in support of the ordinance and its ability to enforce the same standards across hotel and motel operators in Houston.
“This will be broader and hopefully wider in terms of the hotels that will come into the scope of the ordinance,” Bragel said.
