Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania: New Human Trafficking Awareness Training for Certain Hospitality Employers
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APPLIES TO Certain Hospitality Employers with Employees in PA |
EFFECTIVE JUL 20, 2027 |
QUESTIONS? Contact HR On-Call |
Quick Look
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Discussion
HB 1286 amends the state’s National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline Notification Act of 2012. The bill’s core purpose is to expand and modernize the state’s anti-human-trafficking framework by adding mandatory training requirements, updating definitions, and increasing penalties for noncompliance.
The bill broadens the definition of “establishment” to explicitly include “public lodging establishments,” and adds new defined terms covering “public lodging employee,” “public lodging contract worker,” “third-party contractor,” “rental operator,” “short-term rental” (residential property rented to transient guests for under 30 consecutive days), and “third-party listing platform” (the online platforms that rental operators use to advertise their properties).
The bill’s most substantial addition is two new sections creating mandatory human trafficking awareness training. Section 3.1 requires hotels, motels, and similar establishments with more than 10 rooms to ensure that employees and contract workers who have guest contact or room access complete training within 90 days of the law’s effective date (or of hire), with training valid for two years and records retained by the employer. Section 3.2 imposes a parallel obligation on short-term rental operators and the platforms they use to list their properties, requiring rental operators to complete similar training and certify completion through a system the listing platform establishes. In both cases, the required training must cover legal definitions of trafficking, how to identify at-risk individuals and warning signs, the distinction between labor and sex trafficking in the lodging context, and reporting procedures with contact information for law enforcement. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, working with lodging and tourism industry associations, is tasked with approving qualifying training programs and publishing an approved list.
The bill also strengthens enforcement and penalties. It creates a tiered administrative penalty schedule for training violations — starting with a warning and 90-day cure period, escalating to penalties of up to $250 for a second violation and up to $500 plus possible license suspension for a third — and specifies that treatment noncompliance after that constitutes a new daily violation. It revises criminal penalties by shortening the “look-back” window for escalating offenses from one year to 90 days between a summary offense (up to $100 fine), a second summary offense (up to $250 fine), and a misdemeanor (up to $500 fine, with each day of continued noncompliance being a separate offense). The bill also establishes new revenue-sharing rules, requiring that at least 50% of penalties collected by a licensing authority, municipality, or the Pennsylvania State Police be redirected to the Commission on Crime and Delinquency to fund grants under existing law. Finally, the bill adds affirmative defenses for owners/operators and for third-party listing platforms/rental operators who made good-faith efforts to comply, including a specific protection for listing platforms that reasonably relied on a rental operator’s representation that training was completed.
Overall, the bill represents a significant expansion of Pennsylvania’s anti-trafficking law beyond its original scope (which focused on posting hotline notices) into an affirmative training-and-compliance regime targeting both traditional hospitality businesses and the short-term rental/vacation-rental industry.
Action Items
- Prepare to implement human trafficking awareness training.
- Look for an approved list of trainings published by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Philadelphia, PA: Prohibits Discrimination Based on Citizenship and Immigration Status
Effective May 7, 2026, the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance was amended to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of an individual’s citizenship or immigration status. An exception applies when consideration of a person’s citizenship or immigration status is expressly authorized or required by federal or state law or by government contract.
Luzerne County, PA: New Human Relations Ordinance
Effective September 7, 2026, a Human Relations Ordinance applies to employers with one or more employees in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. This is a county‑wide non‑discrimination law (Ordinance No. 2026‑11) establishing protections in employment, housing, education, healthcare, and public accommodations, and creating a Human Relations Commission to investigate and enforce discrimination complaints. Employers should review the ordinance, update policies, and have appropriate personnel trained on the requirements.
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