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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3787 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3787

To establish a congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-Day 
                                Slavery.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2006

  Mr. Santorum (for himself, Mr. Pryor, and Mrs. Dole) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To establish a congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-Day 
                                Slavery.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Congressional Commission on the 
Abolition of Modern-Day Slavery Act''.

SEC. 2. MODERN-DAY SLAVERY.

    In this Act, the term ``modern-day slavery'' means the recruitment, 
harboring, transportation, receipt, procurement, or control of persons 
through the use of force, fraud, coercion, abduction, deception, abuse 
of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or 
receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person 
having control over another person, for the purpose of subjection to 
debt bondage, serfdom, involuntary servitude, forced labor, chattel, 
forced marriage, peonage, sexual exploitation, or trafficking.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Declaration of Independence recognizes the inherent 
        dignity and worth of all people and states that all people are 
        created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain 
        unalienable rights, and the right to be free from slavery and 
        involuntary servitude is among those unalienable rights.
            (2) Despite international laws outlawing modern-day 
        slavery, modern-day slavery affects virtually every country in 
        the world, and as many as 27,000,000 people are victims. 
        Modern-day slavery is one of the fastest growing areas of 
        international criminal activity and is an increasing concern to 
        the United States Administration, Congress, and the 
        international community; the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
        estimated that modern-day slavery generates over $9,000,000,000 
        every year.
            (3) Traffickers use threats, intimidation manipulation, 
        coercion, fraud, shame, and violence to force victims into 
        modern-day slavery. Traffickers capitalize on areas of conflict 
        and post-conflict, transitioning states, sudden political 
        change, economic collapse, civil unrest, internal armed 
        conflict, chronic unemployment, widespread poverty, personal 
        disaster, lack of economic opportunity, and natural disasters.
            (4) Modern-day slavery: contributes to the breakdown of 
        societies due to the loss of family support networks; has a 
        negative impact on the labor market in countries; brutalizes 
        men, women, and children and exposes them to rape, torture, 
        HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, violence, 
        dangerous working conditions, poor nutrition, drug and alcohol 
        addiction, severe psychological trauma from separation, 
        coercion, sexual abuse, and depression; and strips human beings 
        of dignity, respect, and hope for their future.
            (5) The United States has given priority to combating human 
        trafficking through the Victims of Trafficking and Violence 
        Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-386) and the Trafficking 
        Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-
        164).
            (6) The State Department issued its sixth congressionally 
        mandated Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) in June, 2006, 
        which categorizes countries into tiered groups according to the 
        efforts they are making to combat trafficking. The countries 
        that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3 
        Countries) have been made subject to United States sanctions 
        since 2003, under the President's direction.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a congressional Commission 
on the Abolition of Modern-Day Slavery (referred to in this Act as the 
``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Commission shall be composed of 12 
        members, of whom--
                    (A) 3 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (B) 3 shall be appointed by the majority leader of 
                the Senate;
                    (C) 3 shall be appointed by the minority leader of 
                the House of Representatives; and
                    (D) 3 shall be appointed by the minority leader of 
                the Senate.
            (2) Qualifications.--Members of the Commission shall be 
        appointed from among individuals with demonstrated expertise 
        and experience in combating modern-day slavery and trafficking 
        of persons.
            (3) Date.--The appointments of the members of the 
        Commission shall be made not later than 30 days after the date 
        of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--Members shall be appointed 
for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 
affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the 
original appointment.
    (d) Cochairpersons.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives 
shall designate 1 of the members appointed under subsection (b)(1)(A) 
as a cochairperson of the Commission. The majority leader of the Senate 
shall designate 1 of the members appointed under subsection (b)(1)(B) 
as a cochairperson of the Commission.
    (e) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall hold its first meeting.
    (f) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of either 
cochairperson.
    (g) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall 
constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.

SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall--
                    (A) conduct a thorough and thoughtful study of all 
                matters relating to modern-day slavery, including 
                vulnerabilities of commonly affected populations, such 
                as populations in areas of conflict and post conflict, 
                transitioning states, states undergoing sudden 
                political change, economic collapse, civil unrest, 
                internal armed conflict, chronic unemployment, 
                widespread poverty, lack of opportunity, and national 
                disasters;
                    (B) study the roles of the rule of law, lack of 
                enforcement, and corruption within international law 
                enforcement institutions that allow the proliferation 
                of modern-day slavery;
                    (C) review all relevant governmental programs in 
                existence on the date of the beginning of the study, 
                including the United States Agency for International 
                Development, the Department of State, the Department of 
                Defense, the Department of Labor, the Department of 
                Health and Human Services, the Interagency Task Force 
                to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and the Human 
                Smuggling and Trafficking Center; and
                    (D) convene additional experts from relevant 
                nongovernmental organizations as part of the 
                Commission's thorough review.
            (2) Goals.--In making determinations under paragraph (1), 
        the Commission shall seek to promote goals of--
                    (A) providing a comprehensive and fully integrated 
                evaluation of best practices, to prevent modern-day 
                slavery;
                    (B) providing a comprehensive and fully integrated 
                evaluation of the best practices to rescue and 
                rehabilitate victims of modern-day slavery;
                    (C) providing a comprehensive and fully integrated 
                evaluation of the best practices for prosecution of 
                traffickers and increasing accountability within 
                countries;
                    (D) providing a comprehensive and fully integrated 
                evaluation of exportable models to prevent modern-day 
                slavery, rescue and rehabilitate victims of modern-day 
                slavery, prosecute offenders, and increase education 
                and accountability about modern-day slavery, which 
                could contribute governments, nongovernmental 
                organizations, and institutions;
                    (E) identifying countries which provide the 
                greatest opportunity for abolition of modern-day 
                slavery specific to United States involvement;
                    (F) connecting various organizations to facilitate 
                integration of information regarding identifying, 
                extracting, and rehabilitating victims;
                    (G) examining the economic impact on communities 
                and countries that demonstrate measured success in 
                fighting modern-day slavery;
                    (H) increasing education and awareness about 
                modern-day slavery throughout the United States to 
                decrease modern-day slavery within the United States 
                and abroad; and
                    (I) providing a comprehensive evaluation of best 
                practices to educate high-risk populations.
    (b) Recommendations.--The Commission shall develop recommendations 
on how to best combat modern-day slavery, including an economic, 
social, and judicial evaluation.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 11 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Commission shall submit a report to the Speaker and 
minority leader of the House of Representatives and the majority leader 
and minority leader of the Senate, which shall contain a detailed 
statement of the legislation and administrative actions as it considers 
appropriate.

SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit and act 
at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such 
evidence as the Commission considers necessary to carry out this Act.
    (b) Information From Governmental Agencies.--The Commission may 
secure directly from any department or agency such information as the 
Commission considers necessary to carry out this Act. Upon request of 
either cochairperson of the Commission, the head of such department or 
agency shall furnish such information to the Commission.

SEC. 7. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.

    (a) Compensation of Members.--Each member of the Commission who is 
not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall be 
compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate 
of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5313 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including 
travel time) during which such member is engaged in the performance of 
the duties of the Commission. All members of the Commission who are 
officers or employees of the United States shall serve without 
compensation in addition to that received for their services as 
officers or employees of the United States.
    (b) Travel Expenses.--The members of the Commission shall be 
allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at 
rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes 
or regular places of business in the performance of services for the 
Commission.
    (c) Staff.--
            (1) In general.--The cochairpersons of the Commission, 
        acting jointly, may, without regard to the civil service laws 
        and regulations, appoint and terminate an executive director 
        and such other additional personnel as may be necessary to 
        enable the Commission to perform its duties. The employment of 
        an executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the 
        Commission.
            (2) Compensation.--The cochairpersons of the Commission, 
        acting jointly, may fix the compensation of the executive 
        director and other personnel without regard to chapter 51 and 
        subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United Sates Code, 
        relating to classification of positions and General Schedule 
        pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive 
        director and other personnel may not exceed the rate payable 
        for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 
        such title.
    (d) Detail of Government Employees.--Federal Government employees 
may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such 
detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 
privilege.
    (e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The 
cochairpersons of the Commission, acting jointly, may procure temporary 
and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily 
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of 
the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.

SEC. 8. TERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.

    The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the 
Commission submits its report under section 5.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Commission for fiscal year 2007 such sums as may be necessary to carry 
out this Act.
    (b) Availability.--Any sums appropriated under the authorization 
contained in this section shall remain available, without fiscal year 
limitation, until expensed.
                                 <all>
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