Tougher human trafficking law possible by Super Bowl

INDIANAPOLIS | State lawmakers hope to enact a tough new human trafficking law before Indianapolis hosts the Super Bowl, an event that is typically a hotbed for adult and child prostitution.

State Sen. Randy Head, R-Logansport, and state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, are among the co-sponsors of Senate Bill 4, which clarifies state law to ban the use of force or fraud to compel participation in sexual conduct and prohibits a parent or guardian from selling or transferring custody of their child for prostitution.

Head said human traffickers imported thousands of prostitutes ahead of prior Super Bowl games in Dallas and Miami and "we hope to send a message loud and clear to tourists who come to Indiana for our Super Bowl -- don't try it."

Legislative leaders have agreed to fast-track the proposal. A Senate committee is scheduled to act on it Jan. 4, the first day of the legislative session.

Gov. Mitch Daniels said he wants to sign the measure into law well before the Feb. 5 Super Bowl.

Tallian said she doesn't understand why the law wasn't changed years ago.

"Instead of all that immigration junk and unnecessary stuff that we fought about, human trafficking was really the issue we should have been looking at all the time," she said.