Congressional Lawmakers Push to Remove Slavery Exception from US Constitution Before Juneteenth.
Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced a resolution to remove the exception for slavery from the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, which permits slavery or involuntary servitude “as a punishment for crime.” The resolution would clarify that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as a punishment for a crime.” Recent state-level efforts to amend their constitutions to remove the exception have encouraged advocates. The resolution would not interfere with opportunities for incarcerated people to consent to work. The effort to erase the slavery exception has failed in previous congressional sessions, but lawmakers are hopeful for bipartisan support.