Hotels must provide human trafficking training; certification of training required.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 28-212
in effectSec. 28-212. - Hotels must provide human trafficking training; certification of training required.
(a) A hotel operator must provide at least 20 minutes of annual training to each hotel employee on how to identify human trafficking activities and victims and how to report human trafficking.
(b) Except as provided by subsection (c) of this section, the human trafficking training required by this section shall be approved by the mayor's office on human trafficking, completed either in person or online in the manner prescribed by rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to section 28-216 of this Code. The training shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) An overview of human trafficking, including the experience of its victims, how and why human trafficking takes place in the hospitality industry, and how it is defined under federal law;
(2) Guidance on how to identify individuals who are most at risk for human trafficking;
(3) An explanation of the difference between labor and sex trafficking specific to the hotel sector;
(4) Guidance on the role of hospitality employees in reporting and responding to this issue;
(5) The contact information of appropriate agencies, including, but not limited to, the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free telephone number and text line, and the telephone numbers of the appropriate local law enforcement agencies; and
(6) If online, the training shall contain a pacing mechanism that requires the trainee to read all course material, view all videos, and complete all coursework before generating a certificate.
(c) Each trainee's completion of the training shall be documented with an attendance sheet or a certificate.
(d) The mayor's office on human trafficking shall publish a list of preapproved programs that satisfy the human trafficking awareness training requirements set forth in this section.
(e) After July 14, 2020, a hotel operator must provide the training described in subsection (b) of this section to any new employee within 30 days after the employee's hire.
(f) A hotel operator shall certify to the director by no later than March 31 of each year, beginning March 31, 2021, on a form promulgated pursuant to section 28-216 of this Code, that all of the hotel's employees that were hired by March 1 of the same year have completed the training required by this section.
(g) A late processing fee specified in the city fee schedule shall be assessed against a hotel operator that fails to comply with subsection (e) of this section. For purposes of avoiding this late processing fee, the date of the certification shall be the date that it is actually received by the director in complete and valid form; provided, however, that mailed submission forms shall be deemed to have been received on the postmark date, if legible.
(h) A hotel operator shall maintain records sufficient to verify and substantiate the hotel operator's full compliance with sections 28-212(a) and (f) of this Code. A hotel operator shall produce the records described in this section to the director or to a police officer within 72 hours after receiving a request for the same.
(i) The director shall keep a record of all training certifications and attendance sheets received annually from hotel operators for at least two years.
(Ord. No. 2020-319, § 2, 4-15-2020)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH28MIOFPR_ARTVIHO_DIV2HUTRTRCE_S28-212HOMUPRHUTRTRCETRREFetched: 10/26/2026