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Walberg, Sablan offer bill to fight human trafficking
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep Tim Walberg, chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, and Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, introduced the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. The bipartisan bill ensures the Department of Labor effectively trains its employees to recognize and respond to the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain.
“Human trafficking is a heinous form of modern-day slavery that knows no geographical boundary—it happens across the globe and right in our backyards,” said Walberg (MI-07). “In the course of inspecting workplaces for potential violations, Department of Labor employees often have a front line view to identify patterns of labor exploitation. Providing these employees with the proper training to detect and respond to the signs of human trafficking is an important part of the larger comprehensive effort to eradicate this unthinkable crime.”
“Human trafficking preys on the most vulnerable in society. I have seen firsthand some terrible cases of this scourge in recent months as certain companies lured foreign workers to come to the Northern Marianas through false promises and misrepresentations, withheld their pay and passports, and subjected them to horrible working and living conditions,” stated Sablan. “I applaud[Walberg’s] leadership on this issue and look forward to working with him to make sure that the Department of Labor has the tools and resources they need to combat human trafficking.” (PR)
