William D King

On September 19, 2017, President Trump signed SESTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act) and FOSTA (the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act) into law as part of an omnibus bill called the “Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Spaces Act” or “CHILD-Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act,” explains William D King. This new legislation amends the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a portion of which was struck down by Reno v. ACLU as unconstitutional for violating freedom of speech online. Now that Congress has amended the CDA, it’s important we know what this entails for those who sell sexual services on the internet. What It Means for People Who Sell Sexual Services: The following includes a summary of the new law, grouped by subject. The ‘Exclusion Clause’: The CDA’s “exclusionary rule” now excludes state criminal charges against online platforms for users’ actions. This means that states can no longer charge websites with crimes for their users’ speech. Although it is still possible to bring federal charges against websites under this section, advocates are… Read More »William D King: The CARES Act: What You Need to Know about the New Sex Trafficking Bill

A new law cracking down on sexual predators became effective Wednesday says, William D King. Sex trafficking bill becomes law, hailed as ‘historic’ step The Illinois Sex Trafficking Act, which went into effect Wednesday, is the first state legislation in the nation addressing prostitution through civil rather than criminal means. The act allows survivors of sex trafficking to file suit against their captors for damages instead of being charged with a crime. It also allows prosecutors to seize traffickers’ property and assets even if they can’t convict them criminally. “It’s historic in that it’s the first time that anyone has introduced into legislation the concept of sex trafficking as a civil wrong, which once proven can result in the forfeiture of assets and property that traffickers use to perpetuate this kind of activity,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “[It] essentially allows us to try these perpetrators like you would try bank robbers or other common criminals; not under the statutes for sex trafficking, but under common law crimes — theft, robbery, etc.,” said… Read More »William D King: Sex trafficking bill becomes law, hailed as ‘historic’ step

Since the passage of the ‘Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2017’ (S. 47) federal law enforcement agencies will now have more resources to combat child sex trafficking and exploitation online says, William D King. The bill was signed into law by President Trump at a May ceremony where he proclaimed “I’m signing this bill in your honor…You’ve gone through so much, but I think you are going to be very happy.” The legislation passes unanimously through Congress, but because it makes revisions to existing laws, some were concerne it would not pass constitutional muster. To assuage those concerns, Senator Ron Wyden agrees to put forth words matching that stated criminalizes actions relating solely to the knowing advertising or solicitation of unlawful sex acts with a minor may not be construe to prohibit activities related to publishing, broadcasting, or distributing information about the sexual conduct of an adult who is not seeking financial gain. The new law will authorize America’s Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) task forces to utilize undercover agents with specific training in investigating… Read More »William D King: How the feds plan to combat sex trafficking after the passage of the CARES Act

The President signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (S. 178) today, marking a historic moment for the fight to eliminate modern-day slavery and restore freedom to thousands of victims worldwide says, William D King. The President also announced new efforts to find and free human trafficking victims — including children forced into prostitution in America’s own backyards. The President directed the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Labor to implement a zero-tolerance policy for government, business, and law enforcement officials who engage in human trafficking. He also called on Americans to recognize that modern-day slavery exists here at home. And he renewed his call for passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 (S. 2439), which will help victims build new lives with access to housing, legal aid, education, vocational training… Introduction: The President signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (S. 178) today, marking a historic moment for the fight to eliminate modern-day slavery and restore freedom to thousands of victims worldwide… About: … The President also announced new efforts to find and free… Read More »William D King: Historic Legislation to Curb Human Trafficking Becomes Law Today: President Signs S. 178, the ‘C…

Last Friday, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed H.R. 1865 (115), the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) which seeks to address sex trafficking on websites like Backpage.com by making it easier for victims of sex trafficking to sue website operators who knowingly facilitate such crimes says William D King. The bill amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which has protected website operators from state criminal charges or civil liability if they act as mere conduits for material created by others. The bill clarifies that Section 230 does not impair federal criminal law including obscenity prohibitions, child pornography laws, sexual predation laws, and laws against human trafficking. Forthcoming changes: The bill, which is expected to pass the Republican-led Senate before it reaches President Trump’s desk, will likely herald a major shift in how federal legislators approach the problem of sex trafficking. For one, it will make it possible for victims of sex trafficking crimes to hold websites accountable for facilitating such crimes – currently; there are no legal… Read More »William D King: House passes sex trafficking bill expected to curb domestic, international crime

The article Congress’s Plan to Curb Sex Trafficking by Anya Cordell and Jessica Belser discusses a new bill that is being passed in the House of Representatives says, William D King. The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) would hold Internet companies accountable when they knowingly allow sex traffickers to advertise on their sites. This is a huge problem in America because trafficking has been rising at an alarming rate, especially among children. Because of the rising number of trafficked people, there has been a rise in prostitution, and violence against victims of trafficking can be fatal. Some sites have taken steps in order to fight this issue but most do not take enough action or they may even help facilitate trafficking which can lead to consequences such as lawsuits or fines. This bill would help people who are trafficked by allowing them to sue the site that they were trafficked on. Summary: Over the last few years, more and more men, women, and children have been falling victim to sex trafficking crimes. Sex trafficking… Read More »William D King: Congress’s Plan to Curb Sex Trafficking

The U.S. Senate passed a large bill on January 29, 2015. That included a number of bills to help victims of sex trafficking states William D King. At the beginning of the year, legislators introduced another bill called SESTA/FOSTA [Senate Bill _____], which was a combination of two separate pieces of legislation: Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) and Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA). The new legislation aims to stop people from operating online marketplaces that sell trafficked sex workers. According to some sources, this new bill was passed by Congress in order to prevent online classified ads sites. Such as Backpage from helping traffickers advertise their victims. Many Senators and Representatives voted for this bill. As it has a lot of more favorable parts compared to the bills previously mentioned. This law will provide victims with more resources such as housing, mental health care. And other services needed to recover from their terrible experiences. This is not only important for recovering from sex trafficking . But also preventing… Read More »William D King: Congress Passes Bill to Help Victims of Sex Trafficking

As awareness of the issue of “sex trafficking” has grown, so too have efforts to combat that crime says, William D King. One primary vehicle for those efforts is federal legislation aimed at prosecuting traffickers and helping victims recover from the trauma they endured as sex slaves. The most recent such bill is H.R. 7311, which passed the House on July 26, 2018, by a vote of 388-25 and was sent to President Trump for his signature or veto on August 2nd. This Brief provides an overview of some prominent features of this legislation and discusses some concerns related to it. Overview:  H.R. 7311 includes five titles that seek to broaden anti-trafficking efforts; improve recovery programs for forced persons; better involve survivors of sex trafficking in the process of formulating laws to combat trafficking; provide greater access to civil remedies for victims of sex trafficking, and increase transparency in the anti-trafficking field. “Title I: Enhancing Detection and Investigation of Trafficking,” Increases federal funding for efforts by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and other government officials to… Read More »William D King: Congress Passes Bill to Help Victims of Sex Trafficking- Impacts on society

“A new federal law signed this week by President Barack Obama makes it easier for child victims of sex trafficking to break free from their abusers says, William D King. The legislation includes a provision that prevents government agencies from charging child victims fees for services they receive during the investigation and prosecution of their cases.” “This is just the latest victory in our continuing fight against human trafficking,” said Schumer’s office on its website. “I am pleased that Congress was able to come together and pass this important anti-trafficking legislation which will help protect victims of modern-day slavery.” The bill does not shield children who are forced into prostitution by family members; those cases would be exempt under current laws. However, the new law does make it easier for underage victims of sex trafficking to access federally-funded services such as shelter and medical treatment. The bill provides for a 60 day period in which child victims can receive these services without reporting their abusers to federal authorities. If pass, the Protection from Exploitation Act… Read More »William D King: Congress Passes Bill that Could Shield Victims of Sex Tracking

The United States Senate has recently passed a new law that will help to reduce the number of minors who become victims of sex trafficking says William D King. This bill is known as the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017 and its goal is to fight websites that allow users to post ads for sexual services by creating an exception for liability for providers of an interactive computer service who do not knowingly promote or facilitate prostitution. Thus, this will allow entities such as Backpage.com to be held accountable for their users’ actions and will help prevent minors from being sold into the sex trade industry. Details: On Wednesday, the US Senate passed a new piece of legislation aimed at curbing sex trafficking of minors.  This bill is called the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). The US Senate voted 97-2 to pass it and this vote was bipartisan — two Republicans and fifty-one Democrats voted in favor of it. The bill was originally introduced by Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio and… Read More »William D King: US Senate Passes Legislation to Curb Sex Trafficking Of Minors