Rep. Susi Hamilton filed a bill to increase penalties for people convicted of human trafficking in North CarolinaRALEIGH, NC (WECT) – Representatives Susi Hamilton (D-New
Hanover) and Ted Davis, Jr. (R-New Hanover) are primary sponsors of a bill to
toughen penalties for people convicted of human trafficking in North Carolina.
HB 221 also requires convicted offenders to register under North Carolina's Sex
Offender registry.
Rep. Hamilton filed the bill Wednesday in the state
House. It raises the penalty for
convictions, taking the offense from a Class "F" felony to a Class "E" felony
if the victim is an adult, and to a Class "C" felony if the victim is a minor.
The bill also repeals a provision in the current law that gives the court
discretion to require a convicted offender to register as a sex offender.
Click here to read the entire text of HB 221. If it is
passed, it would take effect December 1, 2013.
"This bi-partisan legislation should serve as notice that
human trafficking is a serious crime, and that all perpetrators will be
punished to the fullest extent of the law," Rep. Hamilton said in an email news
release.
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