U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) recently reintroduced a bipartisan bill that seeks to institute an alternative approach to combating human trafficking.
“I’m proud to re-introduce this bill that would pinpoint the individuals who solicit and purchase trafficking services,” Rep. Kinzinger said on Jan. 25. “We must hold them accountable for their role in this hideous crime. And, by cutting off the demand, we can stop the supply, taking us one step closer to ending human trafficking.”
Rep. Kinzinger on Jan. 15 sponsored the Reducing the Demand for Human Trafficking Act, H.R. 332, with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) to amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to encourage a victim-centered approach to combating human trafficking, according to the congressional record bill summary.
The two lawmakers in January 2019 originally introduced legislation to modify the requirements regarding trafficking victim services grants, according to the congressional record. The measure gained 20 cosponsors, but stalled in the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
“Human trafficking is often hidden in plain sight, but it is happening here in Illinois and across the country,” said Rep. Kinzinger, who pointed out that in his Illinois district, the city of Rockford ranks second in highest cases of trafficking in the state. “The daily numbers are deeply disturbing,” he said.
Rep. Kelly noted that human trafficking requires a strategy addressing not only the suppliers but individuals who solicit and purchase the services of trafficked victims. “The Reducing Demand for Human Trafficking Act of 2021 holds those individuals accountable for their crimes and incentivizes law enforcement to go after the solicitors of victims of human trafficking,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick on Jan. 25 also signed on to H.R. 332 as a cosponsor.