BPSOS Commends Tremendous Efforts of Patton Boggs Law Firm
Washington, DC - The House of Representatives passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2620) 422 to 1 on Thursday. The bill was authored by Rep. Chris Smith who also authored the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
BPSOS recognizes the generous and knowledgeable support of the law firm of Patton Boggs, deemed among the lobbying industry's "Big 4." With their extensive legislative expertise and Hill experience with immigration issues, Lead Attorney Stephanie Peters and Associate Attorney Joshua Greene wholly complemented the practical capacity of BPSOS' Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking Assistance (VETA) program staff.
The compelling partnership garnered the support of over 100 organizations nationwide that address the issue of human trafficking. Regionally, agencies in California and New York rallied all of the organizations in their state to sign on to the letter of support. As a result, every U.S. Representative in the House was personally made aware of the significance of the bill.
Two encouraging provisions added to the Trafficking Reauthorization Bill that BPSOS advocated for were to allow victims over the age of 21 to sponsor their parents as well as their unmarried, 21 and older children. In addition, they will be able to sponsor their siblings who are under the age of 21. Finally, their family members will be eligible for public benefits.
"HR 2620 enhances existing efforts so we can build on the many successes achieved through the original trafficking law. There have been lessons learned since the first law was enacted three years ago. They are incorporated into this legislation as we try to do a better job in mitigating the suffering of the victims while simultaneously going after those who traffic and countries that harbor traffickers," Rep. Smith said.
VETA was created in response to a human trafficking case involving Vietnamese and Chinese garment workers in American Samoa. In 1999, after a federal investigation, the FBI closed the factory and brought a majority of the workers to the United States. The president of the Daewoosa garment factory was convicted February 21, 2003 on numerous federal charges, including involuntary servitude, extortion and money laundering. VETA has worked with community-based organizations, service providers, and pro bono lawyers to provide relief, assistance, and protection to all 206 victims.