ATEST Responds to H.R. 2830 Markup by House Foreign Affairs Committee
For Release: October 10, 2011
On October 5, 2011, the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) approved a revised version of H.R. 2830, the “Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011.” The resulting markup stripped the original bill, as introduced, of proposed language addressing the need to provide additional oversight and monitoring of foreign labor recruiters to further protect those vulnerable to exploitation and the production of a more comprehensive list of products made by forced or child labor. The bill also failed to include language found in its Senate counterpart, S. 1301, authorizing the Secretary of State to enter into compacts with other countries to ensure comprehensive strategic programs to combat the human trafficking of children. The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), while grateful for the efforts by HFAC to ensure that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is reauthorized, submitted a letter in response to this markup on October 7, 2011. The Alliance continues to support a number of provisions that remain in H.R. 2830, but asks that the bill be strengthened as it moves forward for further committee consideration to ensure we have the most effective tools in place to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery.