This browser does not support the Video element.
Human trafficking becomes 1st-degree felony
Starting Monday, human trafficking will be classified as a first-degree felony in Texas, thanks to Senate Bill 1212, which was signed into law last week.
HOUSTON - Starting Monday, human trafficking will be classified as a first-degree felony in Texas, thanks to Senate Bill 1212, which was signed into law last week.
Survivors and advocates believe the new legislation will better protect potential victims.
Texas human trafficking law
Human trafficking will now carry a penalty of 25 to 99 years to life in prison under Senate Bill 12-12.
The bill, signed into law last week, represents a significant legislative change that survivors and advocates have fought for over the years.
What is SB 1212?
Dig deeper:
Senate Bill 1212 in the 89th Texas Legislature was a law signed by Governor Abbott that enhances the penalties for human trafficking in Texas, increasing the offense of trafficking of persons to a first-degree felony and making it more effective to prosecute the crime.
The bill went into effect on Sept. 1, 2025, aligning Texas with other states that have modernized their anti-trafficking statutes.
‘Breaking the Chains of Human Trafficking’
What they're saying:
Mary Wells, president of "Breaking the Chains of Human Trafficking," vividly recalls the moment she learned her autistic daughter, Julia Wells, was a victim of human trafficking. Julia, who was just 21 days away from graduation, died after being thrown from a moving car.
"I was very angry. I was upset," Wells said.
Advocates like Jacquelyn Aluotto, co-founder and president of No Trafficking Zone, and survivors like Courtney Litvak have been instrumental in pushing for this legislative change.
Aluotto explained, "First it was school zones, then foster care and juvenile detentions, universities, community centers, and she called me this legislative session and told me ‘it’s time to make all of Texas a no-trafficking zone.’"
Litvak, a survivor, shared her experience:
"She was a child. I was a child in high school when I was first approached by traffickers who were peers at my school. This is happening all around us, but where are individuals under the age of 18 supposed to be? At a school."
The Source: FOX 26's Jonathan Mejia spoke with advocates Mary Wells and Jacquelyn Aluotto, as well as survivor Courtney Litvak.