10-R349
2010 -- H 8291
Enacted 06/10/10
H O U S E R E S
O L U T I O N
CREATING A
LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SERVICES FOR VICTIMS
Introduced By: Representatives Giannini, Almeida, Shallcross Smith, Baldelli-Hunt, and Silva
Date Introduced: June 10, 2010
WHEREAS, The United
States was founded on the principle that all people are born with
an unalienable right to freedom—an ideal that has driven
the engine of American progress
throughout our country’s history; and
WHEREAS, As a nation, Americans have known moments of great darkness
and greater
light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and
brought to an end by President Lincoln’s
actions and a painful Civil War; and
WHEREAS, Today, the
darkness and inhumanity of enslavement still subsists, with
thousands of people within the
service; and
WHEREAS, As the
United States continues the fight to deliver on the promise of
freedom to all people, we commemorate the Emancipation
Proclamation, which became effective
on January 1, 1863, and the 13th Amendment, which was
sent to the states for ratification on
February 1, 1865; and
WHEREAS, The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men
and
women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human
dignity and freedom. Victims can
be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far
from home and vulnerable; and
WHEREAS, Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor
exploitation, human
trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service
through force, threats, and fear. All
too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual
abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that
there might be a place of refuge; and
WHEREAS, Rhode
Islanders must join with people across the nation and the global
community to provide that safe haven by protecting victims and
prosecuting traffickers. With
improved victim identification, medical and social services,
training for first responders, and
increased public awareness, the men, women, and children who
have suffered this scourge can
overcome the bonds of modern slavery, receive protection and
justice, and successfully reclaim
their rightful independence; and
WHEREAS, The
state agencies including, but not limited to, the
department of health and human services should
coordinate with and assist law enforcement agencies and the
attorney general’s office to ensure
that access to services for assisting victims of human
trafficking are provided and may include,
but not be limited to, assistance with: case management,
emergency temporary housing, health
care, mental health counseling, drug addiction screening
and treatment, language interpretation
and translation services, English language instruction,
job training and placement assistance and
post-employment services for job retention; and
WHEREAS, Identification
of trafficking victims has become a critical issue to providing
proper state and federal assistance and efficient ways to
identify and connect a victim of
trafficking with various state and federal agencies which may
provide assistance to trafficking
victims is essential; and
WHEREAS, Funding strategies to implement services necessary to help
trafficking
victims must be examined and may include, but not be limited
to: revenue streams similar to
those used to find crime victims compensation, imposing additional
court fines and acquiring
from law enforcement agencies a portion of the proceeds
from assets seized or forfeited under
state or federal law for certain offenses; now, therefore
be it
RESOLVED,
That the
commission to make a comprehensive study, and develop a strategy
for ensuring that victims of
human trafficking are indentified,
including any person who is a victim of commercial sexual
activity, whether or not that victim is an adult, minor,
runaway or wayward child, as defined
herein and as further defined under 22 U.S.C. section 7102,
and provided with services and
assistance from our government agencies; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That a house commission be and the same is hereby
created consisting of
thirteen (13) members: Six (6) of whom shall be members of the
House of Representatives, not
more than four (4) from the same political party, to be
appointed by the Speaker of the House;
one of whom shall be the Attorney General or is or her
designee; one of whom shall be the
Superintendent of the Rhode
Island State Police or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the
Director of the
the Chief of Police of the City of
President of the Rhode
Island Police Chiefs’ Association or his or her designee; one of whom
shall be the Public Defender or his or her designee; and
one of whom shall be the Director of the
Rhode Island Commission on
Women or his or her designee.
In
lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory
commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission
created by a General Assembly
resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the
general public to serve in lieu
of a legislator, provided that the majority leader or
the minority leader of the political party which
is entitled to the appointment consents to the
appointment of the member of the general public.
The
purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study on human
trafficking, including identifying victims of commercial sexual
activity, whether adult or minors,
and runaways and wayward children who have become victims
of sexual exploitation. The
commission shall develop recommendations for identifying,
creating, funding, and delivery of
said services to the victims of trafficking and/or sexual
exploitation at the city/town, state and
federal levels; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the commission shall report its findings and
results to the General
Assembly on or before March
2, 2011, and said commission shall expire on June 2, 2012.
=======
LC02952
========