Politics

US Senate passes sex trafficking bill with Sullivan amendment

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act on Wednesday, with an amendment from Sen. Dan Sullivan that has its roots in the Veco scandal from several years ago.

The amendment would allow states to pursue sex trafficking violations against those who transport victims across state lines in those cases where the federal government declines to prosecute.

Sullivan said the amendment stemmed from his time as Alaska's attorney general, when the federal government declined to include sex violations in its prosecution of Bill Allen, a major player in Republican Party politics for decades. Investigators had amassed evidence against Allen, who was at the center of the Veco political corruption scandal, that he had transported teenagers across state lines for sex, but the charges never made it to court.

The amendment would require the Justice Department to provide an explanation in those cases where it did not allow a state prosecution.

"When I was Alaska's attorney general, there was a high-profile case that my department petitioned the federal government to prosecute under the Mann Act, but it never happened and justice was denied," Sullivan said in a press release. "I'm pleased that my colleagues supported this amendment to empower states to seek justice for all victims."

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