(a) Members. The Executive must appoint, subject to confirmation by the Council, a Human Trafficking Prevention Committee. The Committee must have 17 voting members and up to 10 ex-officio nonvoting members. At least 9 of the voting members must, when appointed, either reside in or be an employee of the County.
(1) Voting members. The voting members must broadly reflect the geographic, economic, and social diversity of the County. Each voting member should be associated with an organization involved in addressing some aspect of human trafficking or have a direct interest in an issue related to human trafficking.
(A) One voting member should be an employee of the Montgomery County Public Schools.
(B) One voting member should be an employee of the County State’s Attorney’s Office.
(C) One voting member should be a member of the Montgomery County Judiciary.
(D) One voting member should be an employee of the County Sheriff’s Office.
(E) One voting member should be a designee of the County Council.
(F) One voting member should be an employee of the County Police Department.
(G) One voting member should be an employee of the County Department of Health and Human Services.
(H) One voting member should be an employee of the County Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
(I) One voting member should be an employee of the County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.
(J) One voting member should be a member of the County’s Commission for Women.
(K) One voting member should be a member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission.
(L) Two voting members should be from two different advocacy organizations.
(M) One voting member should be an owner or employee of a non-profit service provider.
(N) One voting member should be an academic advisor.
(O) Two voting members should be a public member with a direct interest in the prevention of human trafficking.
(2) Nonvoting members.
(A) The Committee must also include the following ex officio nonvoting members:
(i) the Council President or the President’s designee;
(ii) the County Executive or the Executive’s designee;
(iii) the Director of the Department of Permitting Services or the Director’s designee;
(iv) the Director of the Commission on Human Rights or the Director’s designee; and
(v) the Director of the Office of Community Partnerships or the Director’s designee.
(B) The Committee may also include the following ex officio nonvoting members:
(i) One Senator or the Senator’s designee from the Montgomery County Delegation selected by the Chair of the County’s Senate Delegation;
(ii) One Delegate or the Delegate’s designee from the Montgomery County Delegation selected by the Chair of the County’s House Delegation; and
(iii) the President or the President’s designee of an appropriate health care agency located in the County that serves victims of human trafficking.
(3) Term. Each voting member serves a 3-year term. A voting member must not serve more than 2 consecutive full terms. A member appointed to fill a vacancy serves the rest of the unexpired term. Members continue in office until their successors are appointed and qualified.
(4) Compensation. Voting and nonvoting members must receive no compensation for their services.
(5) Removal. The Executive, with the consent of the Council, may remove a member for neglect or inability to perform the duties of the office, misconduct in office, or a serious violation of law. Before the Executive removes a member, the Executive must give the member notice of the reason for removal and a reasonable opportunity to reply.
(b) Chair and Vice Chair. The Committee must annually elect one voting member as chair and another as vice chair, and may elect other officers.
(c) Meetings. The Committee may meet at the call of the chair as often as required to perform its duties, but at least six times each year. The Committee must also meet if a majority of the voting members submit a written request for a meeting to the chair at least 7 days before the proposed meeting. A majority of the voting members are a quorum for the transaction of business, and a majority of voting members present at any meeting with a quorum may take an action.
(d) Staff. The Commission for Women must provide the Committee with staff, offices, and supplies as are appropriate for it.
(e) Duties. The Committee must:
(1) adopt rules and procedures as necessary to perform its functions;
(2) keep a record of its activities and minutes of all meetings, which must be kept on file and open to the public during business hours upon request;
(3) develop and distribute information about human trafficking in the County;
(4) promote educational activities that increase the understanding of human trafficking in the County;
(5) develop and recommend interagency coordinated strategies for reducing human trafficking in the County;
(6) advise the Council, the Executive, County agencies, and State elected officials about human trafficking in the County, and recommend policies, programs, legislation, or regulations necessary to reduce human trafficking;
(7) submit an annual report by October 1 of each year to the Executive and Council on the activities of the Committee, including the source and amount of any contributions received to support the activities of the Committee; and
(8) establish three subcommittees: the Legislative Subcommittee; the Victim Services Subcommittee; and the Education and Outreach Subcommittee.
(f) Advocacy. The Committee must not engage in any advocacy activity at the State or federal levels unless that activity is approved by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations. (2017 L.M.C., ch. 28, §1; 2018 L.M.C., ch. 3, §1; 2018 L.M.C., ch. 13, §1.)
Editor’s note—2017 L.M.C., ch. 28, § 2, states: Transition – Staggered Terms. The individual terms of the voting members must be staggered. Of the voting members first appointed, five must be appointed for a 1-year term, five must be appointed for a 2-year term, and five must be appointed for a 3-year term.