AUSTIN — Governor Greg Abbott today ceremonially signedHouse Bill 2306 andSenate Bill 1212into law at the Governor’s Mansion, imposing the toughest penalties on human traffickers and ensuring offenders who target children and vulnerable Texans stay behind bars.
“I thank all the survivors of human trafficking for stepping up and telling their stories, sharing their insight, and talking about what needs to be done to help their lives,” said Governor Abbott. “We want to ensure that we do all we can so that human traffickers never walk the streets of Texas again. These two bills help achieve that goal. Senate Bill 1212 increases the penalty for all human trafficking offenses to a first degree felony. The worst of the worst are human traffickers of children and people with disabilities. House Bill 2306 ensures that those traffickers will serve every single day of their prison sentence behind bars, no parole for the worst of the worst.”
The Governor was joined by First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Senators Joan Huffman and Tan Parker; Representatives Daniel Alders, David Cook, Paul Dyson, Helen Kerwin, Marc LaHood, Terri Leo-Wilson, John Lujan, Shelly Luther, Joanne Schofner, and Denise Villalobos; and anti-human trafficking advocates.
House Bill 2306 (Villalobos/Parker)eliminates parole for a defendant convicted of trafficking a persons in all cases when the victim is a child or a disabled individual.
Senate Bill 1212 (Paxton/Kerwin) enhances the ability to prosecute and more effectively punish defendants for human trafficking. This bill also increases the penalty for any conduct constituting the offense of trafficking of a persons to a first-degree felony.
