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House passed six bills Tuesday, including human smuggling bill
['Steven Allen Adams']
The Intermountain
The House passed House Bill 4433, prohibiting human smuggling and trafficking, in an 81-9 vote with the entire House Democratic caucus voting against the bill, which now heads to the state Senate for further consideration.
“This bill seeks to prevent human smuggling and sends a message we won’t tolerate it in West Virginia,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman JB Akers, R-Kanawha.
It includes enhanced penalties for existing human trafficking offenses and establishes a vehicle forfeiture mechanism tied to these crimes.
He argued that many instances of human smuggling and exploitation occur with people, including children, entering the U.S. illegally.
* House Bill 4196 (passed 83-5), which requires opioid addiction treatment programs to provide long-acting reversible contraception to individuals in recovery.