| 1 | 1 | | 88R12802 AMB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 64 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Human trafficking is a serious and escalating |
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| 7 | 7 | | problem in the United States, particularly in Texas; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, A multibillion-dollar business, human trafficking |
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| 9 | 9 | | is second only to drug dealing in criminal profitability and is one |
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| 10 | 10 | | of the fastest-growing illegal enterprises, according to the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Polaris Project, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that |
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| 12 | 12 | | maintains the National Human Trafficking Hotline; thousands of |
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| 13 | 13 | | foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year, |
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| 14 | 14 | | and it is estimated that the number of U.S. citizens trafficked |
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| 15 | 15 | | within our own borders is even higher; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Texas is a major point of illegal entry into the |
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| 17 | 17 | | United States; its large geographic size along with its |
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| 18 | 18 | | demographics make the Lone Star State appealing to traffickers, who |
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| 19 | 19 | | endeavor to blend into the population while exploiting their |
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| 20 | 20 | | victims in forced labor and prostitution; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Although Texas has been recognized as a leader in |
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| 22 | 22 | | the effort to end the scourge of human trafficking, eradication of |
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| 23 | 23 | | this modern-day form of slavery is a difficult challenge, and every |
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| 24 | 24 | | means of combating it should be explored; now, therefore, be it |
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| 25 | 25 | | RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 26 | 26 | | hereby request the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House |
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| 27 | 27 | | of Representatives to create a joint interim committee to study the |
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| 28 | 28 | | problem of human trafficking in Texas; and, be it further |
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| 29 | 29 | | RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
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| 30 | 30 | | governed by such general rules and policies for interim committees |
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| 31 | 31 | | as the 88th Texas Legislature may adopt; and, be it further |
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| 32 | 32 | | RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including |
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| 33 | 33 | | findings and recommendations, to the 89th Texas Legislature before |
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| 34 | 34 | | it convenes in January 2025. |
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