Drafter
Clerk 06/23/2022
Title
A MOTION requesting that the King County executive create a workgroup to prepare and transmit a report to the King County council that includes recommendations regarding issues and responsive strategies related to human trafficking in King County and commercial outlets that may facilitate such practices, including an assessment of pertinent King County code provisions.
Body
WHEREAS, King County has historically regarded the practice of human trafficking within the county as a challenge to the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable populations and to public order, and
WHEREAS, King County has promulgated code provisions intended to regulate commercial outlets that may lend themselves to such practices, including K.C.C. chapter 6.40, which establishes requirements and processes related to the operation and management of massage businesses and public bathhouses, and
WHEREAS, K.C.C. chapter 6.40 includes license application processes, including a provision for background checks, standards for denial of license, license fees, requirements for operation, safety and sanitation requirements, requirements for inspection by public health and fire control authorities, standards for suspension or revocation of license and penalties for violation, and
WHEREAS, the license for a massage business or public bathhouse may suspended or revoked for failure to comply with standards of conduct, including convictions by facility owners or managers for theft, controlled substances, prostitution, consumer fraud, obscenity or sexual offenses which have direct connection with the licensed business, and
WHEREAS, the October 2013 Report and Recommendations on Human Trafficking Response by the King County sheriff's office noted that, as of the date of the report, data collected from online prostitution advertisement and other sources indicated that there were an estimated eighty-four massage businesses that were fronts for prostitution/human trafficking i...

Click here for full text