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The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) is a federal law that offers several protections and services to victims of human trafficking. The following information was prepared by Stephen J. Reading Law Group, PLLC, with contributions from attorneys in our military practice group says, William D King. Since the passage of the VTVPA, there have been several significant changes to federal law governing victims of sex trafficking. The 2012 amendments to this federal legislation are significant in that they have established a restitution fund for trafficking victims. The Act provides assistance to human trafficking victims by establishing certain legal rights and protections for them, authorizing programs to prevent more victimization of human beings and authorizing the federal government to investigate trafficking offenses more vigorously. Also, The Act establishes an affirmative defense against prosecution of those who commit prostitution and related offenses as a direct result of having been trafficked or if they are under 18 years of age. The Act authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide grants to local law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution under state anti-trafficking laws, with an emphasis placed on training law officials in identifying victims of trafficking crimes rather than treating all sex workers as prostitutes or criminals. Charles F. Reading is a Maryland criminal defense lawyer, Maryland federal criminal lawyer, and… Read More »William D King: New federal anti-trafficking law for sex-trafficking victims

This article is about a bill that would allow women who are sex trafficking victims easier access to state benefits says, William D King. By MIKE STOBBE Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) – Lawmakers have voted to give Georgia’s estimated 4,000 sex trafficking victims easier access to state benefits such as counseling, housing, and job training. The bill overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Friday now heads to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk for his consideration. The legislation would let minors who engage in prostitution qualify as crime victims and thus become eligible for assistance from the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Under current law, minors who engage in prostitution aren’t considered crime victims and thus can’t receive services from the state agency unless they formally petition a court to expunge their criminal records. The bill would let a judge make that determination, but requires proof of having engaged in sex trafficking or prostitution before age 18. It also requires the minor to have completed any sentence imposed for prostitution. To be eligible, minors must voluntarily provide information about their traffickers, with whom they’re encouraged to cooperate in criminal investigations. The legislation also gives health care providers permission to report suspected cases of sex trafficking without fear of liability or disciplinary action. The bill also would create a state anti-sex-trafficking task force to identify… Read More »William D King: Lawmakers pass measures that would help sex trafficking victims

The House passed a bill on May 23, 2013, to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, with overwhelming bipartisan support says, William D King. The measure now goes to President Obama for his signature. House passage is a victory for human rights and evidence of strong congressional support for anti-trafficking initiatives. In essence, it is good news that bills of this nature are being passed by the House and signed into law. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, first authorize in 2000, is intend to combat international sex trafficking. Many of its provisions are incorporated in the new bill, which expands protections for victims of these crimes. It would also require more efforts to ensure that foreign-born people who are assisting law enforcement are not inappropriately detained or removed from the United States says, William D King. The bill names three remarkable women who were trade into sex slavery after being promise jobs in the US. After their traffickers forced them to work long hours, they escaped and began new lives as private citizens. The House of Representatives originally passed this legislation on April 24, 2013. The article is informative but does not attempt to address any of the proposed solutions from anti-trafficking scholars or organizations in regards to solving the problem of human trafficking explains William D King.  In this case, it is easy to… Read More »William D King: House Passes Bill to Assist Victims of Sex Trafficking

On March 14, 2018, the Senate passed SESTA/FOSTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act), legislation that eliminates protections for websites that enable sex trafficking and provides law enforcement with additional tools to prosecute such crimes says William D King. The bill was drafted in response to the increasing availability of online marketplaces to buy human beings for sex. The House approved similar legislation last month. The US House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill H.R. 1865 – the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) on February 27th by 388-25 vote. It will now head to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law soon. Feminists have made progress in helping pass legislation against sex trafficking. But the new law, known as FOSTA, imposes jail time and fines on anyone who facilitates a commercial sex act if they are “the owner or operator of an interactive computer service (as defined in section 230(f) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230(f)) that knowingly publishes” certain content related to prostitution. William D King says for years, Craigslist has used this language to defend its adult-ad section from lawsuits while Backpage relied on it to fight allegations by state attorneys general that it was promoting trafficking through its ads. Now every web platform will… Read More »William D King: First Federal Legislation to Address Sex Trafficking In the US Passes Senate, Heads to President Trump

The House passed a bill known as the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) on February 27, 2018. The Senate followed by passing the bill, also known as SESTA, on March 21. Some believe that these bills will make it easier for state authorities to hold websites accountable if they knowingly promote or facilitate prostitution says, William D King. Activists working to end human trafficking say that with President Donald Trump’s expected signature of the legislation into law, victims’ advocates are closer than ever before to crack down on online sex trafficking. “It’s absolutely monumental that Congress is finally doing something about an issue that has been plaguing us for years,” says Mary Mazzio, filmmaker of “I Am Jane Doe,” a documentary focusing on sex trafficking online. Oftentimes, young girls are sold for sex on sites like Backpage and Craigslist. Following the House’s lead, the Senate voted 97-2 to pass SESTA. A bill that amends section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). Section 230 provides immunity to businesses and individuals against certain types of legal liability. In essence, this means that “it protects internet companies from being sued over what their users post,” according to The Hill. Rebranding itself as the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA). Weakens protections provided by section 230 which would make websites liable if… Read More »William D King: Anti-sex trafficking legislation headed to President’s desk for signature

The new US tax code has been finalized As of January 1st, 2018, the US Tax code will change. These changes will affect nearly every facet of our lives, but this article specifically focuses on how they could affect yearly paychecks says, William D King. For example, if you make $30 an hour and work forty hours a week for fifty weeks (a total of 200 working days), your yearly pay would be $62,500. However, per the new tax code changes, if you work forty hours a week and earn $30 an hour and live in a state with no income tax (such as Florida or Texas), your yearly pay will amount to around $60,000—a loss of two thousand dollars. End: The US government has finalized the tax code which was agreed upon earlier this month. This new tax code will affect every worker by lowering or raising yearly wages, depending on where they live and how much money they make. If you work 40 hours a week at $30 an hour, the new tax plan could affect your yearly pay by as much as $2000. How cell phone addiction is changing our lives Image caption: Smartphone screens have become a common sight over recent years Image caption:  One study found that being glued to mobile can affect your social life End: However, being glued… Read More »William D King: Why these new suggested tax law changes could have huge effects on your yearly pay

In this article, I will be writing about the new income tax bill that is being proposed in congress and how it will affect you if this bill passes says, William D King. Body: In December of 2017, there was a new addition to the current federal tax laws from congress explains William D King. The name of the bill is “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”, but most people call it by its nicknames such as “The New Income Tax Bill” or the “2017 Federal Income Tax Bill”. This bill has been passed in both chambers of Congress, which means it’s going to be effective beginning January 1st, 2018 until December 31st, 2025. If you haven’t heard about this bill or didn’t know that it existed then this would be a great time for you to research it. This bill has many changes and the majority of them will affect your wallet. Here’s a list of some of the proposed changes: 1) If you’re single, you’ll pay a flat rate of 12%. 2) The standard deduction for married couples is going up from $12k to $24k. 3) There is an increase in the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child under 17 years old. 4) They are changing how much money you can invest into your 401(k). . Currently there is no… Read More »William D King: You need to understand how these new proposed income-tax bill changes will affect your future

The new proposed tax law changes are being discussed by the Senate. This article discusses how this may have a bigger impact on your life than you might think says, William D King. Quick Summary: The proposed changes would take away mortgage interest deduction, decrease child tax credit to $1000, and increase state & local taxes if they were deductible. It would also change capital gains rules for real estate sales. Nitty-Gritty Details: Some things that are being considered include taking away mortgage interest deduction (which could make it harder for people to buy homes). Another thing is lowering the number of money parents can claim for their children’s tax credit (this could hurt families with many children or children in private school). Another big concern is the removal of SALT (state and local tax) deductions (this could be unfair to those people who would have to pay higher taxes). William D King says the proposed changes also take away the ability for real estate sales to qualify as capital gains which means you would not be able to deduct your losses (this is a big concern for owners of commercial property like shopping malls and hotels). The reason why these changes are being discussed is that they will help simplify the tax code and make it “fair.” They claim this will benefit everyone—keeping more… Read More »William D King: Why the new proposed tax law changes could have a huge impact on your life

Are you ready to cash in on the huge tax breaks that will be available next year under the new Trump Tax Plan? Well, they may not be as big as you think, or if they are it could be a problem. That is because I heard a little secret about these proposed changes and how they might affect your ability to take advantage of them from my friend Walter from New Jersey at a recent convention where I was speaking says William D King. Let me give you some background. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry-I’ve boiled it down to its most essential information for you here. Walter is an accountant by trade and he works for one of those “Big 4” global accounting firms – yes there are only four, just as there are only 5 major automakers in the United States. Walter was telling me that he’s been studying these proposed changes to the tax code very closely – as have all of his colleagues and they came to an interesting conclusion: The big corporations and the ultra-wealthy will benefit greatly from this legislation – but it is going to be small businesses like yours and mine who will actually benefit more! Here’s why: If you recall, one of Trump’s biggest promises during his campaign was a huge reduction in our nation’s… Read More »William D King: The truth about why you need to care about these proposed tax law changes right now

The US House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would change many aspects of our current tax code says, William D King. The senate is currently hard at work trying to reconcile their version with the House’s version in order to have a unified bill that can then move forward to President Trump for his signature into law. A question on everyone’s mind is, how will this affect me? Well, if you’re like most Americans, it’s going to be good. In this article, we are going to explore the latest round of proposed changes and show you exactly how they will affect you and your family! Below we’ve created a graph showing just how each group will be affected by these changes: Make sure to check out this video that explains it all in layman’s terms. As you can see from our graph above, all groups except those earning less than $10,000 per year (based on 2018 projections) will be better off under the new tax laws. The people hit hardest with an increase of more than $2,500 would be those households making between $200,000 and $500,000 per year. In contrast, those households earning less than $10,000 will see a decrease of more than $1,800 on average. New proposed law taxes: Tax brackets will be simplified into four main groups, with the lowest earners… Read More »William D King: The truth about the new proposed tax law changes and what it means for you