By Qandeel Suleman
The State Affairs General Assembly consisted of many proposals that were debated and voted on to either pass or fail. An important proposal of an app for human trafficking was one that was strongly discussed and debated on.
Delegate Garza created a proposal that made an app in which a person may ask for help in dangerous situations and even view a map that provides information about locations with that have been reported with large amounts of human trafficking.
Delegate Garza believes that “Texas needs a solution [to its human trafficking problem], one to protect its citizens.”
Throughout the question period, Delegate Garza was asked about the benefits of the proposal and questioned about the details. Some delegates wondered the differenec between the app and calling 911, seeing as both were to call were help in dangerous situations. To which delegate Garza explained how “the app provides a location as to where the one in danger is, unlike 911.”
Afterward, a pro/con debate took place where Garza’s fellow delegates can voice their opinion of support or not the proposal. Delegate Ali, who was strongly in favor of the proposal, showed his passionate favor of the proposal during his intense pro-speech not only by the tone of his voice but also by the amount of information he stated about the issue.
“313,000 Texans citizens just like us that we as state affairs representatives swore to protect are currently facing the nightmares of human trafficking,” Ali said.
In the end, Delegate Garza did not receive enough “aye’s” for her proposal to pass. However, it was made known at the end of her closing that she was from Houston, a city with a stronghold of human trafficking, only showing how much the proposal meant to her.