A package of bills addressing human trafficking in Pennsylvania passed a House of Representatives vote Wednesday with little resistance.

The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person by improper means, like through force, abduction, fraud or coercion, for an improper purpose, including forced labor or sexual exploitation.

Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, joined fellow representatives in a news conference Wednesday morning to talk about the package.

The combination of bills aim to increase penalties for human traffic offenses and further protect victims of that form of abuse.

Mustello, whose bill was included in the package, said the response to the package was largely positive.

Most of the bills received unanimous support — including Mustello's bill, which was approved with a 187-0 vote.

“It felt good that we could all work together on both sides of the aisle. It's an issue we're all facing all over the Commonwealth,” she said.

The package now goes to the state Senate for approval.

>This is an excerpt of an article that appearing in Thursday's Butler Eagle. To learn more about the package of bills and read the full story, make sure to pick up your copy of the paper or subscribe online.