SC: Southern Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Act (Statute)

[Anna Komnene]

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Sponsor: Siren

The floor is open for debate for a minimum of 24 hours.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

No amendments from me

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

No amendments from me

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Nice bill. I would suggest amending Section 5 to require that businesses ultimately do something with their reports, so they just don't open one for the sake of a tax break.

[Anna Komnene]

Thanks for the advice PiT.  How about this?

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[Associate Justice PiT]

     I like the amendment.

[Santander]

I support the bill in principle, but I'd just like to discuss the financial aspects of the bill. What is the estimated economic impact of the tax refund, and are the expenses in Section 4 one-time expenses or annual expenses?

[Anna Komnene]

My main idea for the tax rebate was it would be more appealing than requiring they do the reports.  I'd guess the economic impact would depend on how many businesses actually take advantage of the offer since it's voluntary.  Some might choose not to do it.  We could lower the pool of businesses by saying it only applies to ones with a certain number of employees if that helps, but I didn't like the idea of favoring large multinationals over small businesses.

For section 4, the 15 million is annually, while the 5 million is a one time expense.

[Anna Komnene]

This might be a silly question but do people generally support the bill?  I could make an argument for it if anyone is on the fence.

[Santander]

Section 5 is what's keeping me on the fence at this point. I would prefer a "tough on crime" approach and introduce possible criminal charges against businesses who knowingly conduct business with entities that engage in or abet human trafficking or fail to report witnessed acts of human trafficking. Is there any example of an existing program where a modest tax rebate results in positive reinforcement of the desired voluntary behavior?

[Anna Komnene]

The problem is many businesses don't actually know that their supply chain is being supported by human trafficking because they are either willfully ignorant or just don't know enough about the problem to investigate it.  Without doing the due diligence, consumers end up buying products that support those industries.  These are businesses and consumers that might be appalled if they knew the situation.  The problem is that they don't know.

I based section 5 on The Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act of 2015 that was introduced by a democrat and republican in the House but never acted on.  The main difference is that i offered the tax incentive to make it more appealing and voluntary instead of requiring it like that bill would have.

It's not like I'm a big fan of tax cuts, so I'm not sure I'm the best person to defend their utility, but it seems to be just common sense that if they are being offered money to do something, that some of them might decide it's worth their time to put the resources into doing that.

[Anna Komnene]

Seeing no further debate, we'll take this to a final vote.  Members will vote AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN.  This will be a 48 hour vote.

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[Anna Komnene]

Aye

[Santander]

You cannot block voting on the bills of others while calling votes on your own. Follow proper parliamentary procedure.

[Anna Komnene]

There is pretty much no debate here.  That's not the case on your bill.  I am trying my best here, but seriously I'm on the verge of de-registering from this game.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

AYE

[Santander]

First of all, you blocked me even calling the question. Nobody is disputing your right to call the question, but you cannot get a vote on your own. Nobody even seconded your motion.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

AYE

[Associate Justice PiT]

     X PiT, South Governor