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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Human trafficking, second only to drug smuggling |
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among criminal enterprises, is an issue of particular urgency in |
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Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, There are an estimated 800,000 victims of human |
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trafficking in the United States, nearly 250,000 of whom are |
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children and the great majority of whom are U.S. citizens; the Texas |
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attorney general has reported that almost 20 percent of these human |
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trafficking victims travel through Texas, while the Department of |
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Justice has identified Interstate 10 between El Paso and Houston as |
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a major human trafficking corridor; and |
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WHEREAS, The United States enacted the Trafficking Victims |
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Protection Act in 2000, beginning an enhanced effort to address |
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human trafficking; the same year, the United Nations focused the |
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attention of the global community on the scourge of human |
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trafficking by adopting the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and |
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Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which |
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called for the criminalization of all acts of trafficking and for |
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governmental responses to incorporate the "3P" paradigm of |
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prevention, criminal prosecution, and victim protection; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2003, Texas became one of the first states in the |
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nation to recognize human trafficking as a crime, and it maintains a |
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reputation as a leader in the effort to shut down traffickers; yet, |
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as the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force noted in its |
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Report 2011, even measuring the full scope of this form of crime is |
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difficult because currently only four regions of Texas are entering |
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data into the national Human Trafficking Reporting System, which |
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collects information about investigations, prosecutions, |
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perpetrators, and victims; obtaining information at the local level |
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remains challenging because victims are difficult to identify, |
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since trafficking may look like a traditional crime such as |
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prostitution, domestic violence, or unpaid wages, and many victims |
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have been frightened into silence or are not aware that they are |
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protected under Texas and U.S. law; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force |
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has enumerated a number of priorities for state leaders, including |
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identifying additional prevention strategies, identifying victims |
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and presenting cases for prosecution, addressing gaps in victim |
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services and in resources for law enforcement agencies, and |
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implementing a statewide database to collect and share law |
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enforcement and prosecutorial data; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas has made significant progress toward raising |
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awareness and increasing investigations and prosecutions of human |
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trafficking, as well as toward ensuring that victims receive the |
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services they need, and the state must continue its efforts to push |
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back against this heinous crime; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize the last week of January 2012 as Texas |
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Human Trafficking Awareness Week and encourage all Texans to learn |
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more about human trafficking and to alert the authorities to any |
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suspected related incidents. |
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Parker |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 975 was adopted by the House on May |
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30, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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