News From Washington - October 2011
October 2011
By Holly Burkhalter
At last, the legislation we have been working on for almost a year, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, is getting traction in Congress! I am happy to report that the House Foreign Affairs Committee reviewed the bill (HR.2830) the day before yesterday and passed it unanimously out of the committee. Our hats go off to Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), the principal sponsor of the TVPRA, and the author of the original TVPA, passed in 2000, who shepherded the bill through the process.
We met with Rep. Smith and his staff just two days before markup. The Congressman explained that in order to secure Committee action on the TVPRA and support from House leadership for the measure, he had to trim off some of bill's most important features. He removed a provision that would have regulated foreign labor recruiters, who bring foreign workers to the U.S. on temporary visas and in some cases, exploit them brutally. The Congressman was devoted to the issue, which was a top priority of IJM and our colleagues in the anti-slavery movement - but others objected because it was determined to cost $10 million to implement. He omitted the Child Protection Compact Act (CPCA), IJM's top priority, from his original bill for the same reason: cost.
Economic cost was also a key issue yesterday, when the Senate Judiciary Committee took up S.1301, its version of the TVPRA. Two Senators in particular, Senator Dr. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) raised concerns about spending. We are certainly concerned that government spending go to effective programs as well - programs that actually make an impact in the fight against slavery. But in fact, this iteration of the TVPRA authorizes 6% less funding for anti-trafficking than previous versions of the bill did.
Although Congress missed the deadline for reauthorizing the TVPA (September 30), U.S anti-trafficking programs have not yet been disadvantaged. It is very important, however, that Congress get the job done before adjournment later this fall. Thanks to the good work of anti-trafficking advocates around the U.S., both House and Senate bills have an impressive number of Republican and Democratic members cosponsoring. But in this difficult political environment on Capitol Hill, we don't take anything for granted.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will reconvene in a week to reconsider the legislation, and we'll keep you posted on its progress. Meanwhile, please keep in contact with your elected Member of Congress and your two Senators, urging them to support HR 2830 and S1301 right up until the bill is on President Obamas desk for his signature.
