ABA House of Delegates adopts policies on human trafficking, courthouse security, the right to food

The American Bar Association adopted policies related to the right to food, human trafficking and courthouse security, among other topics, when the association's policymaking body convened during the 2014 ABA Midyear Meeting in Chicago. The meeting of the ABA House of Delegates -- made up of 560 members representing state and local bar associations, ABA entities and ABA-affiliated organizations -- marked the culmination of the Midyear Meeting. The House approved three resolutions sponsored or co-sponsored by the ABA Criminal Justice Section. Resolution 102B made the black letter Model Principles of the ABA Model Business and Supplier Policies on Labor Trafficking and Child Labor association policy and calls on businesses to implement their own strategies against labor trafficking and child labor. The other resolutions dealt with juveniles receiving effective appellate representation (103A) and notice-and-comment rule-making provisions for regulations governing correctional facilities and officers (103B). The Standing Committee on Judicial Independence won House support for Resolution 106 to encourage governments to adequately fund judicial system security. The Commission on Homelessness and Poverty and the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities sponsored Resolution 107, which puts the ABA on record as urging governments to promote the human right to adequate food and nutrition. Additionally, the HOD adopted resolutions to: --Urge the government to prohibit youth from transitioning from foster care to homelessness (109A). --Urge the adoption of trauma-informed approaches to dealing with youth in the justice system (109B). --Urge Congress to enact the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 (110). Information about all HOD resolutions considered at this meeting can be found online at www.americanbar.org. Published: Wed, Feb 12, 2014