The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) Board of Directors released a statement applauding a bill filed by Tennessee House Minority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) which addresses child and human trafficking.
Lamberth’s bill, HB7041, would require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to “submit a report on child and human trafficking crimes and trends in this state, based upon data available to the bureau, as well as current programs and activities of the bureau’s human trafficking unit, to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the speaker of the senate by December 1, 2023, and by each December 1 thereafter.”
The TNFFC Board of Directors said the group was “thankful” for Lamberth’s sponsorship of the bill, adding, “Leader Lamberth is a powerful friend and ally to children in the state of Tennessee and we applaud his leadership in our mutual quest to eradicate the modern-day slavery of child and human trafficking in our state. He is a thoughtful and conservative leader. We are proud to work with him on this issue fighting FOR children and women.”
The TNFFC Board of Directors continued by attributing the bill’s filing to the group’s months-long direct work with Lamberth, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), and Governor Bill Lee and his staff, adding, “We look forward to continuing our work over the coming days in order to ensure passage.”
The group’s Board of Directors went on to describe HB7041 as a “vital tool in the quest to eradicate child and human trafficking in the state of Tennessee,” saying that while it is a “simple bill,” it will help the General Assembly and Governor Lee “consider additional critical steps in our mutual goal of the eradication of modern-day slavery.”
“Baselines and benchmarks are necessary in order to see the current picture as best we can and to measure progress in the future. We consider child and human trafficking to be an extraordinary circumstance in our state and believe there is no waiting to be had during our mutual quest to save the children and women from this evil,” the TNFFC Board of Directors added.
“Additional progress on fighting child and human trafficking must be made now. Modern-day slavery is a scourge in the state of Tennessee, and we must demonstrate to our constituents that we are making progress keeping their communities, where our children sleep and play, safe,” the TNFFC Board of Directors concluded.
HB7041 is one of 12 bills Lamberth has filed so far ahead of the General Assembly’s special session, scheduled to convene on Monday, August 21.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Illegal Border Crossers with Children” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
