[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.
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