Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-Day Slavery Act

Modern-day slavery

In this Act, the term modern-day slavery means the recruitment, harboring, transportation, receipt, procurement, or control of persons through the use of force, fraud, coercion, abduction, deception, abuse of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of subjection to debt bondage, serfdom, involuntary servitude, forced labor, chattel, forced marriage, peonage, sexual exploitation, or trafficking.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)The Declaration of Independence recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people and states that all people are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and the right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude is among those unalienable rights. (2)Despite international laws outlawing modern-day slavery, modern-day slavery affects virtually every country in the world, and as many as 27,000,000 people are victims. Modern-day slavery is one of the fastest growing areas of international criminal activity and is an increasing concern to the United States Administration, Congress, and the international community; the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that modern-day slavery generates over $9,000,000,000 every year. (3)Traffickers use threats, intimidation manipulation, coercion, fraud, shame, and violence to force victims into modern-day slavery. Traffickers capitalize on areas of conflict and post-conflict, transitioning states, sudden political change, economic collapse, civil unrest, internal armed conflict, chronic unemployment, widespread poverty, personal disaster, lack of economic opportunity, and natural disasters. (4)Modern-day slavery: contributes to the breakdown of societies due to the loss of family support networks; has a negative impact on the labor market in countries; brutalizes men, women, and children and exposes them to rape, torture, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, violence, dangerous working conditions, poor nutrition, drug and alcohol addiction, severe psychological trauma from separation, coercion, sexual abuse, and depression; and strips human beings of dignity, respect, and hope for their future. (5)The United States has given priority to combating human trafficking through the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–386) and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–164). (6)The State Department issued its sixth congressionally mandated Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) in June, 2006, which categorizes countries into tiered groups according to the efforts they are making to combat trafficking. The countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3 Countries) have been made subject to United States sanctions since 2003, under the President’s direction.

Establishment of commission

(a)

Establishment

There is established a congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-Day Slavery (referred to in this Act as the Commission). (b)

Membership

(1)

Composition

The Commission shall be composed of 12 members, of whom— (A)3 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; (B)3 shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; (C)3 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and (D)3 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate. (2)

Qualifications

Members of the Commission shall be appointed from among individuals with demonstrated expertise and experience in combating modern-day slavery and trafficking of persons. (3)

Date

The appointments of the members of the Commission shall be made not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act. (c)

Period of appointment; vacancies

Members shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. (d)

Cochairpersons

The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate 1 of the members appointed under subsection (b)(1)(A) as a cochairperson of the Commission. The majority leader of the Senate shall designate 1 of the members appointed under subsection (b)(1)(B) as a cochairperson of the Commission. (e)

Initial meeting

Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall hold its first meeting. (f)

Meetings

The Commission shall meet at the call of either cochairperson. (g)

Quorum

A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.

Duties of the commission

(a)

Study

(1)

In general

The Commission shall— (A)conduct a thorough and thoughtful study of all matters relating to modern-day slavery, including vulnerabilities of commonly affected populations, such as populations in areas of conflict and post conflict, transitioning states, states undergoing sudden political change, economic collapse, civil unrest, internal armed conflict, chronic unemployment, widespread poverty, lack of opportunity, and national disasters; (B)study the roles of the rule of law, lack of enforcement, and corruption within international law enforcement institutions that allow the proliferation of modern-day slavery; (C)review all relevant governmental programs in existence on the date of the beginning of the study, including the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center; and (D)convene additional experts from relevant nongovernmental organizations as part of the Commission’s thorough review. (2)

Goals

In making determinations under paragraph (1), the Commission shall seek to promote goals of— (A)providing a comprehensive and fully integrated evaluation of best practices, to prevent modern-day slavery; (B)providing a comprehensive and fully integrated evaluation of the best practices to rescue and rehabilitate victims of modern-day slavery; (C)providing a comprehensive and fully integrated evaluation of the best practices for prosecution of traffickers and increasing accountability within countries; (D)providing a comprehensive and fully integrated evaluation of exportable models to prevent modern-day slavery, rescue and rehabilitate victims of modern-day slavery, prosecute offenders, and increase education and accountability about modern-day slavery, which could contribute governments, nongovernmental organizations, and institutions; (E)identifying countries which provide the greatest opportunity for abolition of modern-day slavery specific to United States involvement; (F)connecting various organizations to facilitate integration of information regarding identifying, extracting, and rehabilitating victims; (G)examining the economic impact on communities and countries that demonstrate measured success in fighting modern-day slavery; (H)increasing education and awareness about modern-day slavery throughout the United States to decrease modern-day slavery within the United States and abroad; and (I)providing a comprehensive evaluation of best practices to educate high-risk populations. (b)

Recommendations

The Commission shall develop recommendations on how to best combat modern-day slavery, including an economic, social, and judicial evaluation. (c)

Report

Not later than 11 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit a report to the Speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives and the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate, which shall contain a detailed statement of the legislation and administrative actions as it considers appropriate.

Powers of the commission

(a)

Hearings

The Commission may hold such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission considers necessary to carry out this Act. (b)

Information from governmental agencies

The Commission may secure directly from any department or agency such information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out this Act. Upon request of either cochairperson of the Commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish such information to the Commission.

Commission personnel matters

(a)

Compensation of members

Each member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Commission. All members of the Commission who are officers or employees of the United States shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as officers or employees of the United States. (b)

Travel expenses

The members of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission. (c)

Staff

(1)

In general

The cochairpersons of the Commission, acting jointly, may, without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an executive director and such other additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties. The employment of an executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the Commission. (2)

Compensation

The cochairpersons of the Commission, acting jointly, may fix the compensation of the executive director and other personnel without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United Sates Code, relating to classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive director and other personnel may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title. (d)

Detail of government employees

Federal Government employees may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege. (e)

Procurement of temporary and intermittent services

The cochairpersons of the Commission, acting jointly, may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.

Termination of the commission

The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the Commission submits its report under section 5.

Authorization of appropriations

(a)

In general

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Commission for fiscal year 2007 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act. (b)

Availability

Any sums appropriated under the authorization contained in this section shall remain available, without fiscal year limitation, until expensed.