Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost testified Tuesday afternoon before the House Criminal Justice Committee in support of legislation that would expand the eligibility of human trafficking survivors to have their criminal records expunged. 

House Bill 385 would remove the predicate requirement for those applying for expungement of fourth- and fifth-degree felonies and all misdemeanors.

Currently, a trafficking survivor must have one of three predicate charges to be eligible to apply for expungement: solicitation, loitering to engage in solicitation, or prostitution. 

"These predicate charges exclude both sex trafficking victims who were never convicted of those specific crimes, as well as labor trafficking victims, who would not have solicitation charges," Yost testified. "The statute also ignores the modernization of traffickers, who increasingly use the internet and cellphones to commit their crimes."

Survivors would still have to provide clear and convincing evidence that the crimes they committed resulted from being trafficked.

Yost also announced a new guide to for addressing human trafficking in Ohio. 

"Human Trafficking 101: Best Practices Guide to Raising Awareness in Your Community," was developed by the Public Awareness Subcommittee of the Attorney General's Human Trafficking Commission. It is intended as a "how to" resource for anti-trafficking coalitions and community leaders statewide.

The guide focuses on four main topics:

• High-Level Essentials

• Myth vs. Fact

• Credible Resources

• Checklists for Trainings

It provides a comprehensive overview of human trafficking as well as appropriate imagery and language for groups to use. It also emphasizes the importance of involving survivors in community discussions because of the unique knowledge and perspective that lived experience provides.

It's available on the Attorney General's website.