Akron Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C.— During this week’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on H.R. 2367, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, U.S. Representative Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13) introduced a bipartisan amendment requiring entities that receive federal funds to expand or reopen a truck stop to prominently display a notice about human trafficking. The amendment was unanimously adopted by the committee.

“Ohio’s the heart of it all — but being the heart of it all means that if you want to get anywhere, you’ve got to go through us. Unfortunately, that’s true for horrific human traffickers who attempt to sell others into modern-day slavery. My bipartisan, commonsense amendment combats human trafficking by calling attention to common warning signs so truckers can be the first line of defense in mitigating this crisis. This amendment also helps victims of human trafficking realize there is a pathway to freedom and resources available to assist them. I am grateful to my colleagues on this committee for unanimously adopting this straightforward amendment, which will save lives in Ohio and across the nation,” said Rep. Sykes.

Ohio is among the top five states for human trafficking cases in the country. Ohio has approximately four human trafficking victims per 100,000 residents.

In 2021, the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force received over 600 tips that helped them to arrest perpetrators and release those whose freedom was stolen.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), released Global Estimates of Modern Slavery in September 2022. This report estimates that, at any given time in 2021, approximately 27.6 million people were in forced labor.

H.R. 2367 is now referred to the full House.

Original source can be found here.