SLO Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham announces anti-human-trafficking bill proposals

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - San Luis Obispo Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham announced three bills at an anti-human-trafficking summit held at Cal Poly Tuesday afternoon.

The first bill is about training truck drivers to recognize and report human trafficking. Cunningham said much of human trafficking happens at truck stops, including on San Luis Obispo roadways.

"We have the opportunity here to direct some resources and be proactive about it because 101 is such a highly used highway, and is used for trafficking," said Cunningham.

The second proposal is to provide a list of attorneys who provide pro bono legal council to victims. The list would be at the county level on the state bar website.

The third proposal would require dating apps to shut down fraudulent accounts, specifically accounts of those using the apps to traffic.

Cunningham said that dating sites he talked to are on board with banning trafficking accounts.

Cunningham said that along with supporting victims and holding perpetrators accountable, he wants to explore using technology to combat the issue.

Cunningham is working with the California Cybersecurity Institute at Cal Poly to use implement that technology.

Danielle Borrelli, the operations coordinator for the California Cybersecurity Institute, said they want to work smarter by "leveraging data, leveraging technology, to kind of aggregate where human trafficking is occurring online."

Cunningham plans to make anti-trafficking-legislation one of his top priorities. His goal is get the package of bills through this year.