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RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO PASS S. 1301 OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REAUTHORIZE AND STRENGTHEN THE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT

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WHEREAS, human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery involving victims who are forced, defrauded or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation; and
WHEREAS, as documented in the United States Department of State�s annual Trafficking in Persons Report for 2011, millions of children, women and men throughout the world continue to be trafficked every year, including thousands of victims who are present in the United States; and
WHEREAS, traffickers use evolving methods of coercion, whether subtle or overt, physical or psychological, to force victims to work against their will; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which provided law enforcement officials with tools to investigate and prosecute incidents of human trafficking, established severe criminal penalties for defendants convicted of trafficking crimes, enhanced services for human trafficking victims and expanded prevention and education programs; and
WHEREAS, the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act drew upon the support of a broad coalition of advocacy organizations from across the political and social spectrum, groups dedicated to children�s rights, human rights and women�s rights, as well as many religious organizations; and
WHEREAS, the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act made human trafficking a federal crime, created agencies and task forces to address both its domestic and international elements, defined the strict penalties that traffickers face, established the State Department�s Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking in Persons and initiated a host of measures to prevent trafficking, protect victims and prosecute traffickers; and
WHEREAS, Congress passed reauthorization bills of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act three times, in 2003, 2005, and 2008, each time in a bipartisan fashion; and
WHEREAS, authorization for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act expired in 2011; and
WHEREAS, the success of the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act and its subsequent reauthorizations, is evident not only by the number of criminal convictions secured against human traffickers but also by the number of states that have passed comprehensive anti-trafficking laws; and
WHEREAS, according to a July 2011 study by the Polaris Project, 47 States and the District of Columbia have now passed criminal laws prohibiting human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, during the 2012 session, the Florida Legislature enacted Chapter 2012-97, Laws of Florida (HB 7049), which updated and strengthened Florida law on human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, a bill was filed in the U.S. Senate for consideration during the 112th Congress, S. 1301 sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D � Vermont) and cosponsored by Senator Marco Rubio (R � Florida), that would reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the entire Senate has signed on as cosponsors to S. 1301; and
WHEREAS, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 would expand enforcement tools and encourage interagency cooperation to identify victims, investigate offenses and provide victim services; and
WHEREAS, specifically, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011:
* Creates programs to help foreign governments investigate labor recruitment centers where trafficking victims may be recruited;
* Encourages the distribution and posting of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline number within federal agencies as well as by states;
* Creates programs to assist minor victims of sex trafficking through grant programs to states; and
* Prohibits the provision of peacekeeping operation funds to countries that use child soldiers; and

WHEREAS, the bill also requires that this important work be done in a cost-effective way with maximum accountability and reporting to ensure that federal money is being well spent; and
WHEREAS, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act would create new tools and authority that will enable the State Department to partner with the private sector and foreign governments, as well as promote partnerships between foreign governments and nongovernmental entities; and
WHEREAS, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act also would expand the role that regional bureaus of the State Department will play in anti-trafficking efforts, and increase federal funding for victim services provided by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, which provide a lifeline to victims of trafficking who often have no other means to obtain housing, food, medical treatment, and counseling; and
WHEREAS, reauthorizing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is critical to protecting victims and bringing traffickers to justice,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges Congress to pass S. 1301 or similar legislation that would reauthorize and strengthen the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the legislation set forth in Section 1 above and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2012 federal legislative package to include this item and to include this item in the 2013 federal legislative package when it is presented to the Board.