Two bills introduced by state Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, were approved by the state Senate late Friday.
One of the bills cracks down on human traffickers, and the other will enable the establishment of more industrial land in Kennewick, according to news releases from Delvin's office.
Substitute Senate Bill 5995 would allow the Kennewick City Council to ask Benton County to amend the city's urban growth area and zone more for industrial purposes.
The city has turned away three potential industrial developers in recent years because of the lack of industrial-zoned land. Under previous regulations, the earliest the city could seek the amendment would be 2013.
"This bill is about job creation," Delvin said in a press release. "Less than 6 percent of the land in the city of Kennewick is available for this sort of development; this modest modification of the law will create an important opportunity to attract new, good-paying jobs to the Tri-Cities."
The human trafficking legislation, Substitute Senate Bill 6260, would increase penalties for human traffickers and also prohibit a judge from suspending payment of any fees for people convicted of the crime.
"This bill hits individuals where it hurts -- in the pocketbook," Delvin said in a release.
Human trafficking has received a lot of attention in the Legislature this year.
Delvin was one senator in a bipartisan group who introduced 12 bills regarding the crime in mid-January. The human trafficking industry makes about $32 billion a year, according to a 2010 National Human Trafficking Resource Center report.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.