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SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Senate passed a bill Tuesday to create a human trafficking advisory council.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, would be composed of eight to 14 representatives from nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit groups that have experience in anti-human trafficking efforts and care for victims. The president would appoint members of the council.
In passing the bill, Hatch praised organizations like Utah's Operation Underground Railroad.
“I believe that with better cooperation and partnership with federal government agencies, they can do even more, and the key to that is coordination," Hatch said, adding it would allow for the leveraging of resources to fight human trafficking around the world.
The council would serve as a point of contact for federal agencies reaching out to anti-human trafficking nonprofits and NGOs for input on policies related to anti-human trafficking efforts.
