Bill Text: GA HR1151 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

Georgia House Resolution 1151 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Joint Human Trafficking Study Commission; create

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 7-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2012-03-29 - Effective Date [HR1151 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2011-HR1151-Introduced.html

12 HR 1151/AP

House Resolution 1151 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)

By: Representatives Brockway of the 101st, Lindsey of the 54th, Sheldon of the 105th, Teasley of the 38th, Allison of the 8th, and others

A RESOLUTION

Creating the Joint Human Trafficking Study Commission; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia is home to numerous victims of human trafficking which includes those who have been forced into labor and sexual servitude; and

WHEREAS, victims of human trafficking include both adults and children as well as citizens from Georgia, other states, and other countries; and

WHEREAS, according to U.S. State Department data, an estimated 600,000 to 820,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders each year, and of those, approximately 80 percent are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors; and

WHEREAS, studies have estimated that approximately 400 girls are sexually exploited each month in Georgia, with the average age of initial exploitation being 12 to 14 years of age; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Atlanta as one of the 14 cities with the highest incidence of the use of children in prostitution; and

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has significantly improved its criminal justice system response to the crime of human trafficking through the passage of HB 200 in the 2011 session of the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, although the State of Georgia provides some services for child victims of sexual exploitation, a comprehensive system of services for all victims of human trafficking is needed to enable all individuals who have been forced into labor and sexual servitude to recover from this exploitation; and

WHEREAS, experts on human trafficking and victim services should evaluate models of victim services from other states to recommend an appropriate framework for the State of Georgia.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that there is created the Joint Human Trafficking Study Commission to be composed of 13 members. The President of the Senate shall appoint three members of the Senate as members of the commission, one of whom shall be a member of the minority party, and shall designate one of such members as cochairperson. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members of the House of Representatives as members of the commission, one of whom shall be a member of the minority party, and shall designate one of such members as cochairperson. One member shall be a local police chief appointed by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. One member shall be a district attorney appointed by the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of the State of Georgia. One member shall be a juvenile court judge appointed by the Council of Juvenile Court Judges. One member shall be a superior court judge appointed by the Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. One member shall be a public defender appointed by the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. One member shall be an individual with expertise in advocacy for children who are sexually exploited appointed by the Governor's Office for Children and Families. One member shall be an individual with expertise in advocacy for adult victims of human trafficking appointed by the Governor's Office for Children and Families. The cochairpersons shall call all meetings of the commission.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the commission deems necessary or appropriate. In conducting such study, the commission shall study current law and policy in Georgia and other states and shall elicit views from experts in the fields of child welfare, juvenile justice, social work, mental health, and public health as well as input from child victims and adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. The commission shall examine recent policy and social science reports on human trafficking, including, but not limited to, its effect on individuals and community safety. The commission shall review services that are currently available to this population in Georgia, as well as best practices for serving victims of human trafficking from other jurisdictions. The commission may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. Members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services on the commission, and they shall not be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties as members of the commission. In the event the commission makes a report of its findings and recommendations, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or before December 31, 2012, and a copy of the report shall be delivered to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Lieutenant Governor. The commission shall stand abolished on January 1, 2013.