<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 9.1-102 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-983.01, relating to short-term rental properties; human trafficking awareness training.</p>
Summary
SB182 creates a new human trafficking awareness training requirement for short-term rental operators and their employees, and it also expands the Department of Criminal Justice Services’ duties to develop or approve training courses related to recognizing and reporting suspected human trafficking. Under the bill, operators of short-term rentals must complete an approved course by January 1, 2028, and then every two years thereafter, while covered employees must complete the training within six months of hire or by that same date, whichever comes first, and then every two years thereafter.
The bill defines who counts as an “operator” and excludes several lodging- and real-estate-related categories, including licensed real estate professionals, hotels, motels, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts, and certain time-share and health-related lodging providers. It also requires localities with short-term rental registry ordinances to incorporate the training requirement into their registration process. The Department must make a free online course available or approve alternative courses, and it must maintain a public list of approved training options.
Impact
The bill adds a new section, 15.2-983.01, to the Code of Virginia and amends 9.1-102 to give the Department of Criminal Justice Services explicit authority to create or approve human trafficking training for short-term rental operators and related workers. It would impose a statewide compliance obligation on short-term rental hosts and their employees, while also affecting local short-term rental registry ordinances by requiring them to include proof of training as part of registration. The bill’s effective date is July 1, 2027, with the first training deadline set for January 1, 2028.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support at each stage of consideration, including 15-0 committee reports and 40-0 Senate passage. There is no committee transcript in the record, but the bill advanced without recorded opposition, suggesting broad agreement with the goal of increasing human trafficking awareness in short-term rental settings.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. Based on the text, any potential concerns would likely center on compliance burdens for short-term rental hosts and employees, the scope of the operator exclusions, and how local registry ordinances would be updated to enforce the new training requirement. However, the bill’s unanimous votes indicate that no such concerns rose to the level of recorded opposition during the legislative process.