Human trafficking bills await action
Two bills relating to human trafficking await action in committee as the new legislative session approaches.
House Bill 23, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Newark, with support from Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, and Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, R-Millsboro, would make changes to Delaware human trafficking law by including patronizing a victim of sexual servitude and trafficking people for use of their body parts as violations.
The bill also adds human trafficking to the abuse list in order to obtain a protective order in Family Court.
A second bill sponsored by Williams would reduce the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council quorum to 10, and would allow a majority of members to take action through a vote. The bill also would allow the council to have a virtual meeting with a physical location open to the public, as long as a council member is at the physical location.
Both bills await action in the House Judiciary Committee.
Melissa Steele is a staff writer covering the state Legislature, government and police. Her newspaper career spans more than 30 years and includes working for the Delaware State News, Burlington County Times, The News Journal, Dover Post and Milford Beacon before coming to the Cape Gazette in 2012. Her work has received numerous awards, most notably a Pulitzer Prize-adjudicated investigative piece, and a runner-up for the MDDC James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award.
