Michigan Lawmakers Expand Human Trafficking Hotline Requirements to Hotels and Motels

Bill Would Mandate National Human Trafficking Resource Center Signage at Every Lodging Facility Across State

LANSING, MI — Michigan lawmakers are pushing to expand where victims of human trafficking can find help by requiring every hotel and motel in the state to post the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline number.

Rep. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, introduced Senate Bill 481, which would mandate that each lodging facility in Michigan post the hotline number prominently on its property. The legislation advances after the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote on April 14.

"We see you, we're watching and help is available," McMorrow said. "Every lodging facility in this state should send the same message."

The bill grew out of work by the Detroit Human Trafficking Task Force. In May 2024, the Detroit City Council voted unanimously to adopt similar legislation requiring trafficking signage for the city.

Michigan Is a Hotspot for Human Trafficking

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act from an individual. The definition encompasses victims of any age, race, gender or nationality.

Michigan has emerged as a significant location for human trafficking activity. The nonprofit Hope Against Trafficking describes Michigan as a hotspot for traffickers due to several factors.

"Michigan sits at the intersection of major highway corridors and international crossing points," McMorrow said. "The state also hosts high-profile events like the Detroit Auto Show, and traffickers know it."

The state's geography and demographics create conditions that traffickers can exploit. Large agricultural sectors combined with borders close to Canada provide access routes for criminal networks.

According to numbers from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Michigan has received 10,930 signals related to human trafficking between 2007 and the present. These signals include 8,662 hotline calls, 999 text reports, 859 online reports, 250 emails and 160 web chats.

The hotline calls have helped identify 3,307 cases of human trafficking affecting 6,909 victims. In 2024 alone, there were 340 cases identified in Michigan, affecting 585 victims.

A 2024 report by Michigan's Human Trafficking Commission found that these numbers are not complete and likely undercount actual cases by at least five times. Michigan routinely ranks among the states with the highest number of trafficking reports.

Hotels and Motels Are Critical Locations

Traffickers often operate under the guise of legitimate businesses or relationships. They use methods like violence, manipulation, romantic relationships or false promises of well-paying jobs to lure victims. In recent years, traffickers have adapted their tactics to target individuals through online platforms and personal networks.

Communities may not always be aware of the signs or the presence of trafficking within their midst, which makes public education and awareness crucial.

"Trafficking is happening in plain sight across our communities, particularly in locations like hotels and motels," said Amy Smith. Smith is a task force member and the director of Healing Services with Avalon Healing Center in Detroit.

Smith said that when the task force first reached out to hotel management and staff members in the Detroit area, many of them did not realize that human trafficking was occurring on their property.

"We did not see this as a lack of willingness, but a lack of preparation," Smith said.

Tishuara Patterson, another specialist at Avalon, was trafficked over 20 years ago in St. Louis, Missouri. Patterson said her experience was that no one intervened in public places like motels and hotels.

"My experience was also that no one intervened in these public places like motels and hotels," Patterson said. "This is just bringing awareness to what we all have been experiencing and maybe have lacked the knowledge or the willingness to say something."

Industry Support With One Caveat

The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association supports the bill. Jack Trebtoske spoke on behalf of the association, which represents more than 500 hotels and lodging properties.

"Our members are often the first line of defense in identifying and reporting trafficking activity," Trebtoske said. He said the association takes combating trafficking seriously.

At the same time, Trebtoske said the legislation has a significant gap caused by exempting short-term rentals.

"These properties offer the same and in many cases greater opportunity for trafficking to occur," Trebtoske said. "Private settings, minimal oversight, cash or platform mediated transactions and no trained staff on premises. If the goal of Senate Bill 481 is to ensure anyone in a vulnerable situation has access to help, exempting an enormous and fast-growing segment of the lodging market undermines that goal entirely."

Committee Chair Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said there has been an active conversation around developing a substitute that would fill the gap with short-term rentals.

Concerns About Short-Term Rental Exemption

Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater, expressed some concern that the bill did not also apply to short-term rentals. Lindsey was one of two senators who declined to vote on the bill.

The bill is supported by the National Association of Social Workers MI Chapter and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

What Victims Can Do

Anyone requiring assistance related to an instance of human trafficking can seek help by:

• Calling the 24-hour National Human Trafficking toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888. All calls are confidential.
• Texting the National Human Trafficking hotline at 233733 or chatting the hotline.
• Submitting a tip through the hotline's online anonymous reporting form.

If someone is in immediate danger, they should call 911.

The bill will now advance to the Senate floor for a vote.