Kansas Senators Want to Hitch Kelsey Smith Act to Address Human Trafficking
The Republican senators from Kansas seek to amend human trafficking legislation (S-178) to include a version of the Kelsey Smith Act, which would compel carriers to give location information to law enforcement officials in certain dire emergencies. Sen. Pat Roberts…
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introduced the amendment (S-Amendment-289) last week with Sen. Jerry Moran as his one co-sponsor. They introduced the Kelsey Smith Act as a stand-alone bill last Congress. “My amendment would provide law enforcement with the ability to recover the location of children and other missing individuals in only very specific emergency situations; namely, when there is risk of death or serious bodily injury,” Roberts said on the Senate floor Thursday. “To obtain the location, law enforcement must first provide a sworn written statement to the telecommunications providers stating the facts that support probable cause to believe that disclosure of the location is required to prevent death or serious bodily injury. Furthermore, 48 hours after the location is disclosed to law enforcement, they must request a court order stating whether such agency had probable cause to believe the facts surrounding the rescue or warranty were warranted.” The amendment balances the privacy concerns and dangers, Roberts said. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., plans to reintroduce the Kelsey Smith Act “soon,” said a Roberts news release. On the floor, Roberts has blasted the partisan delays that have affected the human trafficking bill -- divisions centering on abortion funding. He praised the many versions of the Kelsey Smith Act passed on the state level and said he plans to reintroduce a stand-alone version of the legislation later this month. The Senate will continue considering S-178 Monday.