INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the first bill of the legislative session into law Monday – a measure meant to crack down on human sex trafficking during the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. “Indiana…will have a new law that makes it easier to prosecute these crimes and toughens our penalties,” he said.

Daniels said he hopes the new law works as a deterrent against exploiting young boys and girls in the sex trade during the Super Bowl and in the future.

The governor had sought the changes as part of his legislative agenda.

The bill makes it a felony to recruit, harbor or transport a child younger than 16 with the intent to engage in prostitution. It also increases the penalty for anyone who sells or transfers custody of a child.

“Today we close loopholes in Indiana law so our police and prosecutors have the legal tools they need to crack down on those who traffic young victims in a growing area of criminal enterprise that is considered a modern form of human slavery,” said Attorney General Greg Zoeller.

nkelly@jg.net