LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are considering another effort to clamp down on human trafficking by increasing and in some cases eliminating the statute of limitations for the crime.
A bill presented Wednesday to the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee would increase the statute of limitations for labor or sex trafficking of an adult and abolish it if the victim was a minor.
The bill by Sen. Julie Slama, of Peru, won support from the Nebraska attorney general’s office and advocates for women.
Meghan Malik of the Women’s Fund of Omaha says survivors don’t always report the crime right away out of fear that their traffickers might retaliate. Many are traumatized.
The Nebraska Criminal Defense Attorneys Association cautions that eliminating a statute of limitations for one crime opens the door to doing so for others.