December, 13 2017, 02:45pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Clark Gascoigne,Phone: (202) 813-0290,Email:,cgascoigne@thefactcoalition.org
Committee Advances Bill to Target Financing of Human Trafficking
House Financial Services Committee Votes Unanimously in Favor of the End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017 (H.R.2219)
WASHINGTON
The U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to advance legislation targeting the financing of human trafficking, in a move welcomed by the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition.
The End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017 (H.R.2219) would add the Secretary of the Treasury to the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and assign the task force with generating recommendations to specifically target money laundering related to human trafficking. Additionally, it would task the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council with reviewing and enhancing anti-money laundering programs to target human trafficking operations. It would also assign the Department of State with reporting on anti-money laundering efforts related to human trafficking.
Clark Gascoigne, the deputy director of the FACT Coalition, issued the following statement:
"Human trafficking is a uniquely heinous crime driven by a very common motivation -- greed. It's estimated that human trafficking generates roughly $150 billion in illicit profits each year, making it one of the largest illegal industries in the world. For too long, policymakers have neglected the financial aspect to this crime. The End Banking for Human Traffickers Act is a strong first step toward reorienting our approach to combat the underlying driver of this illicit industry."
Earlier this week, the FACT Coalition sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee in support of H.R.2219. The letter can be found here.
The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition is a non-partisan alliance of more than 100 state, national, and international organizations working toward a fair tax system that addresses the challenges of a global economy and promoting policies to combat the harmful impacts of corrupt financial practices.
(202) 827-6401LATEST NEWS
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President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Kari Lake, a far-right election denier and failed U.S. Senate candidate, to lead the federally funded international broadcast network Voice of America, a move that critics said underscores Trump's effort to transform government entities into vehicles to advance his own interests.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that as director of VOA, Lake would "ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media."
Lake, a former television news anchor in Arizona who has echoed Trump's insidious attacks on journalists, wrote in response to the president-elect's announcement that she was "honored" to be asked to lead VOA, which she characterized as "a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth." VOA, which is supposed to have editorial independence, has long faced criticism for its coverage and treatment of employees.
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"Good luck to the VOA," he wrote.
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"Six members of the board are named by the president and require Senate consent, and the seventh member is the secretary of state," the Post explained.
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