Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has praised at least two recent legal actions that will help address human trafficking in the state.
House Bill 1540, which passed on June 16 and becomes effective Sept. 1, makes Texas the first state in the nation that “raises to the level of a state jail felony the penalty for buying sex from an adult,” Paxton said in a release. In another release, Paxton applauded the Supreme Court of Texas’ ruling that Facebook may be “held liable for sex trafficking on its platform."
“Texas is the first in the country to punish sex buyers with felonies, which is a substantial step towards curbing the demand for commercial sex,” Paxton said on Twitter.
HB 1540 is the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force’s omnibus bill, Paxton’s statement said. An omnibus bill is a bill containing or including many items, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. The task force was created by the Texas Legislature in 2009 “to address the growing crisis of human trafficking in the state,” the task force’s website said. Among the task force’s duties are to educate the public to recognize human trafficking and to investigate and prosecute traffickers.
“Human trafficking is modern day slavery – targeting vulnerable men, women and children in our communities. I commend our legislature for passing laws that fight this inexcusable offense,” Paxton said in his statement.
After commending the Texas Legislature for its actions, Paxton praised the Supreme Court of Texas’ June 25 ruling that "Facebook can be held liable for the actions of sex traffickers who use its platform to recruit and prey on children," Paxton said in a release.
“Big Tech repeatedly acts as if they are above the law and are able to wipe their hands clean of the evil, like human trafficking, that they allow their platforms to host,” Paxton said. “Texas’ battle against modern-day slavery will not allow this injustice, and we will hold all parties in this reprehensible operation accountable. The child victims in this case deserve more; the parents of these victims deserve more; and Texas deserves more.”