Health Occupations - Human Trafficking Awareness Training
HB0771 requires each Maryland health occupations board to adopt regulations allowing applicants seeking licensure or certificate renewal to receive continuing education credit for completing an approved human trafficking awareness training program. The bill also directs boards to conduct outreach so regulated health professionals know about available training options, including information in board communications and on board websites.
The training program must be at least one hour, free of charge, readily accessible, and approved by the Maryland Department of Health in collaboration with a local university and in consultation with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force and survivor-service organizations. The required curriculum must cover the definitions and forms of sex and labor trafficking under federal and state law, trauma-informed care, indicators of trafficking in health care settings, screening and documentation practices, mandatory reporting requirements, and available resources for survivors.
The bill adds a new section to the Health Occupations Article, creating a statewide framework for human trafficking awareness training tied to continuing education credits for health care practitioners and other regulated licensees. It affects all health occupations boards by requiring rulemaking, outreach, and implementation of the credit-eligibility process, and it places the Maryland Department of Health in a coordinating role for approving the training program. The law is intended to increase identification and reporting of trafficking in health care settings while expanding professional education requirements through an optional credit incentive rather than a direct mandate to complete the training.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote opposition, and the bill was ultimately approved by the Governor as Chapter 205. The overall sentiment appears supportive and preventive in nature, reflecting a policy interest in improving health professionals’ awareness of human trafficking and strengthening referral and reporting pathways. Because the bill is framed as a continuing education credit opportunity and free training resource, it likely drew broad appeal as a low-burden public safety and survivor-support measure.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of discussion inherent in the bill include how the training will be approved, what entities qualify as a local university partner, how outreach and regulation will be implemented across different boards, and whether the continuing education credit structure is sufficient to drive participation. The bill also touches on mandatory reporting and screening protocols, which could raise questions among regulated professionals about compliance obligations, but no recorded opposition or dispute is shown here.