Suffolk lawmakers OK hourly limits at hotels and motels to fight sex trafficking

Suffolk County lawmakers unanimously approved a bill Tuesday to crack down on human trafficking they describe as "running rampant" at hotels and motels by restricting the number of hours rooms can be rented, boosting fines and adding recordkeeping requirements.

Hotels and motels will be required to rent rooms for a minimum of six hours — a compromise lawmakers reached with the hospitality industry after initially seeking to ban hourly rates altogether.

Legis. Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point), the bill's lead sponsor, said he repeatedly heard about human trafficking when he first ran for office two years ago. He described the bill as a "first step" to tackling a complex problem.

“I don't want to get in the middle of people's business, but when you have an issue such as human trafficking running rampant in hotels and motels, it is upon us to take action and that's what we're doing," he said prior to the vote.

The bill was approved 17-0 with one member absent.

The legislation comes on the heels of a recent Newsday investigation into human and sex trafficking at hotels and motels that uncovered nearly 60 hotels or motels as sites where paid sexual encounters occurred in recent years. In one instance, a victim was 11 years old. One case of a missing teenager exposed the hidden world of trafficking and has since led to nearly two dozen arrests in two states.  

The bill links human trafficking to hotels and motels that offer hourly rates as "attractive venues due to their lower cost and expedited nature of the stay."

“It is more widespread than just a few young women out there,” outgoing Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) said. “And we need to make sure we’ve done everything we can.”

New restrictions

Dorothy Roberts, president of the Long Island Hospitality Association, told lawmakers during a Nov. 25 public hearing that many hotels offer short stays through popular online apps. She said there are legitimate reasons to book shorter stays such as using a swimming pool or an airline passenger resting during a layover.

The bill was revised from its original form to add caveats to accommodate some of those scenarios. The restriction does not apply for a room rented specifically for an event, such as a party using a hotel pool or a business meeting to use a hotel conference room, according to the bill.

Recordkeeping requirements in the bill mandate a hotel or motel keep digital copies of photo identifications of guests for five years and maintain security footage for a minimum of 90 days.

Lennon said the fines introduced in the original legislation were also doubled. The fines start at $500 to $1,000 for a first violation and increase to $3,000 to $10,000 for a third violation in less than five years, according to the bill.

The bill also gives the county authority to cancel any contracts a hotel or motel may have with the county after a second violation. The first violation results in a formal warning that a contract can be canceled.

Lennon said there could be examples where a hotel or motel has a contract through the Department of Social Services to house people.

The legislation also adds training requirements for hotel staff that mirror state law. A hotel operator is required to provide human trafficking training to a “core” employee within 60 days of employment to help them spot signs of trafficking, according to the bill.

A core employee includes housekeeping, front desk and front service workers. A wide range of employees would be exempt such as laundry employees, those who work in food or beverage service operations and spa, gym and health employees.

The hotel operator must also provide a copy of all training provided quarterly to the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, the designated enforcement agency, the bill says.

Lennon said the goal is to add additional training requirements in the new year to build upon state regulations.

'Stay vigilant'

The bill now goes to Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine to sign.

He said in a statement the county “will stay vigilant and do all we can to prevent and, if needed, prosecute the heinous crime of human trafficking.”

Legis. Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), the minority leader, said he was “proud to support” Lennon on the bill.

“I think we’re hearing it loud and clear, not just from advocates, from folks in law enforcement, that we need to do more to ensure that we’re protecting our most vulnerable,” he said before the vote.

Lawmakers earlier this year heard separate presentations on human trafficking from members of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and Suffolk County Police Department.

Legis. Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters), the deputy presiding officer and chairman of the Public Safety Committee, thanked Lennon for leading the effort and said “it’s been an eye-opener for a lot of legislators.”

Legis. Samuel Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) shared his experience through an organization in his district where he met a 12-year-old human trafficking victim who had been given drugs at a motel.

"It is shattering emotionally to see a 12-year-old, and I still see her face," he said. "It hurts."

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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