[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 413 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 413

 Encouraging States to consider adopting comprehensive legislation to 
 combat human trafficking and slavery and recognizing the many efforts 
             made to combat human trafficking and slavery.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 21, 2004

Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Graham of South Carolina, Mr. 
Leahy, and Mrs. Clinton) submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Encouraging States to consider adopting comprehensive legislation to 
 combat human trafficking and slavery and recognizing the many efforts 
             made to combat human trafficking and slavery.

Whereas it has been nearly 2 centuries since the abolition of the transatlantic 
        slave trade, and well over a century since the ratification of the 13th 
        amendment to the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas most Americans would be shocked to learn that the institutions of 
        slavery and involuntary servitude continue to persist today--not just 
        around the world, but hidden in communities across the United States;
Whereas according to Federal Government estimates, approximately 800,000 human 
        beings are bought, sold, or forced across the world's borders each 
        year--including approximately 16,000 human beings into the United States 
        each year--and are coerced into lives of forced labor or sexual 
        servitude that amount to a modern-day form of slavery;
Whereas the 13th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, ratified in 
        1865, abolishes the institutions of slavery and involuntary servitude;
Whereas numerous provisions of chapter 77 of title 18 of the United States Code 
        have criminalized slavery since 1909;
Whereas the late Senator Paul Wellstone joined in a bipartisan manner with 
        Senator Sam Brownback and many other Senators and Representatives to 
        advance legislation to strengthen those laws, leading to the enactment 
        of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et 
        seq.), which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton;
Whereas Congress made further bipartisan improvements to the law when it enacted 
        the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 (Public 
        Law 108-193), which was signed into law by President George W. Bush;
Whereas the Department of Justice, under the leadership of its Civil Rights 
        Division, has worked during the Clinton and Bush presidencies to 
        strengthen anti-trafficking laws and to increase its own efforts to 
        combat human trafficking and slavery in light of those recent bipartisan 
        enactments;
Whereas the Trafficking in Persons Office of the Department of State continues 
        to fight human trafficking around the world;
Whereas many nongovernmental organizations have made exceptional contributions 
        to the prevention of human trafficking and to the care and 
        rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking;
Whereas survivors of human trafficking crimes risk their lives and the lives of 
        their families to assist in the investigation and prosecution of their 
        former captors;
Whereas effective prosecution of human trafficking crimes will not be possible 
        unless adequate protections are offered to the survivors;
Whereas the fight to eliminate human trafficking and slavery requires the 
        involvement of State and local law enforcement officials, as well as 
        Federal law enforcement efforts;
Whereas the enactment of comprehensive State laws criminalizing human 
        trafficking and slavery may be necessary to ensure that Federal efforts 
        are accompanied by robust efforts at the State and local levels;
Whereas the States of Texas, Washington, Missouri, and Florida have recently 
        enacted comprehensive State criminal laws against human trafficking and 
        slavery;
Whereas the Department of Justice recently announced a comprehensive model State 
        anti-trafficking criminal statute, and encouraged States to adopt such 
        laws, at its first ``National Conference on Human Trafficking'', held in 
        Tampa, Florida; and
Whereas the Department of Justice's model State anti-trafficking criminal 
        statute is available at the Department's website, http://www.usdoj.gov/
        crt/crim/model_state_law.pdf: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the bipartisan efforts of Congress, the 
        Department of Justice, and State and local law enforcement 
        officers to combat human trafficking and slavery;
            (2) strongly encourages State legislatures to carefully 
        examine the Department of Justice's model State anti-
        trafficking criminal statute, and to seriously consider 
        adopting State laws combating human trafficking and slavery 
        wherever such laws do not currently exist;
            (3) strongly encourages State legislatures to carefully 
        examine the Federal benefits and protections for victims of 
        human trafficking and slavery contained in the Trafficking 
        Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Trafficking Victims 
        Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003, and to seriously 
        consider adopting State laws that, at a minimum, offer these 
        explicit protections to the victims; and
            (4) supports efforts to educate and empower State and local 
        law enforcement officers in the identification of victims of 
        human trafficking.
                                 <all>