U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and colleagues are praising the panel's approval of bipartisan legislation aimed at boosting American global leadership in combating modern slavery and human trafficking.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017 amends and continues international provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
The legislation, which will need to pass both the full Senate and House before becoming law, modifies criteria for determining whether countries are meeting minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and emphasizes the importance of foreign governments taking "concrete actions" to abolish trafficking, according to a news release from Corker's office.
It also extends authorizations for U.S. programs to combat trafficking, including the U.S. Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
"As the U.S. assumes an even greater leadership role in the global fight against modern slavery, this legislation will enhance accountability by requiring governments to show concrete action based on credible evidence to stop trafficking," Corker stated in the release. "This scourge on humanity knows no borders or boundaries, and I remain committed to U.S. efforts that will seek an end to trafficking and modern slavery worldwide."
U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee and a bill co-sponsor, called combating modern slavery "a cause that should unite every country in the world."
Committee passage, he said, means "we are sending a clear signal that we expect a better coordinated, more accountable global process to continue making inroads against this pernicious stain on humanity."
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., another sponsor, said the legislation "reasserts" the "commitment and credibility" to the State Department's TIP report ranking process through "bold reforms.
He said the legislation "injects transparency and makes clear that Congress will not allow the report to be a target of political manipulation again."