WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- The Senate on Wednesday finally passed long-stalled legislation designed to end human sex and drug trafficking in the United States -- which now clears the way for a vote on Loretta Lynch.
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander on Wednesday condemned modern practices of trafficking as "shocking" and "evil," and said he fully endorses the bill.
The Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act, drafted by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is designed to better permit law enforcement agencies to prosecute and punish human traffickers. The bill also would add a $5,000 penalty to convicted sex offenders, traffickers and smugglers.
"It shocks the conscience that even in these modern times, millions of people in the United States and around the world remain victims of the evil practices of human trafficking and slavery," Sen. Alexander said in a statement on his website. "That's why this bipartisan legislation is important."
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The Senate passed the legislation Wednesday by a vote of 99-0, which now allows them to proceed with a confirmation vote for U.S. Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch. Republican senators previously said they wouldn't take up the Lynch vote until the trafficking legislation was resolved.
Lynch's vote, scheduled for Thursday, could make her the nation's first black female attorney general.
It has not been fully explained why the trafficking bill had to be addressed before Lynch's confirmation, but Alexander's comments indicate that it may have been sought by the party to achieve a GOP political victory.
"This legislation is also yet another bipartisan example of how our Republican majority is working to get a result for the American people," he said.
The bipartisan anti-trafficking bill was delayed in the Senate for six weeks over contention over some anti-abortion language that resided in the legislation's language. Republicans added the language, which stipulated that money earmarked for trafficking victims cannot be used to perform abortions. When the language was changed, the bill was passed, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Wednesday.
The act also provides training for healthcare professionals intended to help them recognize signs of human trafficking, and help victim advocacy organizations better assist those who succumb to the crimes.
Millions continue to be exploited in human trafficking in the United States and abroad. Many are swept into the illicit business when they are young and work as pawns in the sex and drug trafficking trades for little pay.
"If our nurses and doctors can better identify victims of human trafficking, they can help bring relief to those suffering in ways that those of us who have never been there cannot imagine," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said. "There is still work to be done to stop human trafficking, but this will help."
The Senate's trafficking bill now must be reconciled with similar legislation that has been passed by the House of Representatives.
