Bill to address human trafficking in NC discussed in Senate Judiciary Committee

A bill to fight human trafficking across the state, SB 1007, currently sits in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill’s lead sponsor is state Sen. Ted. Alexander, R-Cleveland, with other primary sponsors listed as Sens. Lisa Barnes, R-Nash; and Michael Lazzara, R-Onslow. 

North Carolina ranks No. 9 in the nation for human trafficking according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. SB 1007 is a comprehensive bill that focuses on identifying victims, supporting survivors, coordinating reporting, and law enforcement response, according to a press release. 

“It’s part of our ongoing effort to combat the whole issue of human trafficking right now in North Carolina,” Alexander told the Carolina Journal. 

Alexander said the purpose of the legislation is to empower the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission with the information and data it needs. This will enable a nationwide search for best practices to fight human trafficking and domestic abuse, funded by the commission. 

It would also implement an excise tax on pornographic materials, with the revenue from the tax being split between the commission on women and the human trafficking commission. According to Alexander, pornographic materials are a gateway to human trafficking. 

“We feel like there is a direct correlation between them,” said Alexander.  Those are the two major thrusts of the bill. We’ve done other things over the past several years and will continue to work on you. I just think it’s an anchor on our society.” 

The legislation creates a statewide system for reporting and responding to human trafficking cases aimed at enhancing how trafficking-related information is gathered, shared, and evaluated throughout North Carolina, according to the press release. The release also said that by improving coordination among law enforcement agencies, service organizations, and state leaders, the measure seeks to strengthen victim identification, support more effective investigations, provide greater insight into trafficking patterns, and enhance overall statewide response strategies.

“We are incredibly grateful for Senator Alexander’s leadership and commitment to bringing people together around meaningful solutions,” Elizabeth Champion, president of The Harriet Institute, said in a press release. “This legislation represents an important step forward in creating stronger systems to identify victims, support survivors, and improve coordination between agencies and communities.”

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has been coordinating with stakeholders to fight trafficking and exploitation statewide.  

On June 2, the bill was discussed but not voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During the committee meeting, Senate Democratic leader Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, expressed concerns about the implementation, particularly the excise tax, and concerns that the bill “taxes the harm after the fact” rather than preventing human trafficking.

“There is a significant amount of really inappropriate behavior out on the internet and other places,” said Batch. “I will be 100% clear, having represented children who have been human trafficked, that I will do absolutely everything to ensure that we are putting policies and laws forward to ensure that they are protected after the fact. But I also want to deal with the prevention, so they don’t enter our court system and are damaged for things that other people do in the first place.”

Batch said she supports the excise tax but has problems with its implementation, finds it very vague, and believes the bill needs more clarity and guardrails.

“Bill to address human trafficking in NC discussed in Senate Judiciary Committee” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.