Human trafficking is an unspeakable and egregious violation of human rights, and it often preys on the most vulnerable among us: our children. The late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and I often worked together to combat human trafficking in Texas and beyond.
This week, I re-named a bill we worked on together in her honor and reintroduced it with her daughter, Congresswoman Erica Lee Carter, whom I know will carry on her mother’s commitment and dedication to ending human trafficking. This bill increases prison time for human trafficking offenses that occur in a school zone or within 1,000 feet of a school-sponsored activity.
Currently, over 80,000 minors are known to be victims of victims of trafficking in Texas alone, and this number continues to increase among school-aged children. By passing this bill, we will increase the penalties for those who commit this atrocious crime, make schools safer for our precious children, and help end this modern-day form of slavery.
Read more here.
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