U.S. Bishops' chairmen Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, and Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, write an April letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, of support for the legislation (S. 2241 / H.R. 4307) on behalf of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Committee on Migration. The bill unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in April; this measure would bolster the U.S. Department of Labor’s important role in combatting human trafficking.
FULL TEXT Letter -
Dear Chairman Cassidy and Ranking Member Sanders:
Dear Chairman Cassidy and Ranking Member Sanders:
We write on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Committee on Migration to express our support for the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (S. 2241 / H.R. 430), a bill unanimously passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last month.
We are grateful for the bipartisan cooperation demonstrated by Senators Husted and Slotkin in introducing the Senate version of this bill.
We urge the Committee to report the bill favorably to the full Senate and for the chamber to join with the House in passing this measure to bolster the U.S. Department of Labor’s important role in combatting human trafficking. The Catholic Church is a steadfast voice against human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, as well as a longtime provider of services and pastoral care to victims of these crimes. The USCCB has frequently supported legislative efforts, such as S. 2241, that advance our nation’s commitment to eradicating the sin of human trafficking, which the Holy See has repeatedly said undermines God-given dignity. 1 We appreciate the bill’s specific mention of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, which plays such an instrumental role in detection and thwarting labor exploitation by unscrupulous employers, especially for children. As Congress begins to deliberate Fiscal Year 2027 funding for the Department of Labor, we renew our previous calls for the long underfunded agency to receive increased support to address its pervasive staffing and resource shortages, particularly given its role in thwarting child labor exploitation, as S. 2241 acknowledges. Thank you for taking our views into consideration regarding these important issues affecting human life and dignity.
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