The Current

Advocacy News + Updates

Governor Perry signs major bill into law over Memorial Day weekend

Throughout 2013, International Justice Mission has been joining forces with Texas advocates and anti-trafficking organizations to pass strong laws that will bolster Texas' response to the crime of trafficking and to its victims. Advocates from churches, college campuses and the State Capitol itself showed an unprecedented amount of support for these substantive and comprehensive anti-trafficking laws. The Texas legislature meets for only five months every other year, so it was all hands on deck for this important opportunity! In the end, thanks to your efforts, four anti-trafficking measures passed overwhelmingly out of the legislature.

Together with Polaris Project, we focused especially on one of these bills: SB92 by Sen. Van de Putte (HB91 in the House by Rep. S. Thompson). SB92 goes a long way towards providing “Safe Harbor” protections and holistic services for sexually exploited minors—a key part of our work this year in Texas and several other states.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Governor Perry—who has heard from hundreds of you since the bill reached his office last week—signed SB92 into law!

Here are some provisions of SB92:

  • Creating a “diversion program” for minors who are believed to be victims of sex or labor trafficking—diverting children away from being prosecuted for prostitution or other offenses and into service programs for exploited children
  • Sealing juvenile records for exploited children who complete the diversion program (meaning the charges won’t stay on their permanent record)
  • Creating new services for assisting, treating and rehabilitating exploited children
  • Authorizing alternative juvenile courts to handle cases of trafficked children

With the passage of SB 92, Texas has taken another step toward recognizing exploited minors as victims, not criminals. These provisions will help create a truly victim-centered response to child exploitation and child trafficking in Texas.

Please take a moment to call your legislators and the Governor and thank them for hearing you and taking these important steps for victims of human trafficking in Texas!  You can look up your state legislators HERE and call the Governor’s switchboard at 512.463.2000.

Watch the video below to revisit your advocacy efforts and outcomes in Texas in 2013—including the delivery of more than 11,000 letters and petitions calling on Sen. Van de Putte and the entire legislature to enact these anti-trafficking laws in Texas. Thank you for all of your hard work and partnership, and congratulations!