[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 80 (Friday, June 7, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4022-S4024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr.
Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Kirk, and Mr. Bennet):
S. 1118. A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security
Act to better enable State child welfare agencies to prevent sex
trafficking of children and serve the needs of children who are victims
of sex trafficking, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am pleased to join Senators
Portman, Blumenthal, Cantwell, Brown, and Kirk to introduce the Child
Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013. This bipartisan
legislation will help us to better understand and combat the
unforgivable and fast-growing criminal enterprise of trafficking
children for sex right here in the U.S.
We cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore this terrible
problem. Child victims of sex trafficking need and deserve the full
range of coordinated assistance and care required to help them recover
from this trauma.
Unfortunately, some people still refuse to acknowledge that American
children are being bought and sold for sex and they criticize the few
estimates surrounding trafficking rates that do exist. As a
policymaker, it is hard to advance an issue when there are critics who
deny its very existence. For those of us who have spoken to law
enforcement officers, child welfare workers
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and judges who work with these victims every day, we know that denying
that the problem exists will not make it go away.
I became engaged in efforts to address child trafficking a few years
ago when I had the opportunity to accompany police officers along 82nd
Avenue in my hometown of Portland. I will never forget a 15-year-old
girl working out there with the tools of the trade--a cell phone to
stay in constant contact with her pimp and report how much money she
had made; a 15-inch butcher knife to try to protect herself; and, a
purse full of condoms.
This problem does exist, but we still do not know its full scope--we
do not know how many children in the U.S. are victimized by pimps,
Johns and traffickers every year. Quantifying the problem, as simple a
step as that may seem, is truly is the first step in bringing these
children out of the shadows to help them progress from victims to
survivors.
The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 provides a
framework for systematically identifying and tracking the number of
child trafficking victims who are in our Nation's foster care system.
It would further require child welfare agencies to promptly report
information on missing and abducted children to law enforcement and
would require law enforcement authorities to notify the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, when a child is missing from
State care.
The bill would also take steps to ensure children who are sex
trafficked or exploited are treated as victims, not criminals. The
protections, services and protocols established for abused and
neglected children within the child welfare system are rarely extended
to trafficked children and youth, and in most States, such children
aren't even categorized as victims. Instead, they are often sent to the
juvenile justice system and criminalized for being raped and
trafficked.
The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act would amend Federal
law to say all child victims of sex trafficking are victims of abuse
and neglect. It would require state plans, under the Child Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Act, designed to improve child protection
services contain: provisions and procedures requiring identification
and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to
be victims of sex trafficking; provisions and procedures for training
child protective services workers to identify and provide comprehensive
services for children who are victims of sex trafficking; a description
of efforts to coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile justice,
and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters
to serve these victims; and an annual State data report on the number
of children identified as known or suspected to be victims of
trafficking.
These steps alone will not solve the problem before us. These are
still some very daunting problems that need to be overcome, and the
current fiscal climate alone presents a significant barrier to
providing resources needed by victims, child welfare workers, law
enforcement and service providers. Still, this is an important step
toward making sure that vulnerable foster children are protected from
pimps, Johns and traffickers.
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By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Mikulski):
S. 1119. A bill to amend the Public Health Services Act to provide
for integration of mental health services and mental health treatment
outreach teams, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health,
Education, labor, and Pensions.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by my colleague
from Maryland, Senator Mikulski, in introducing the Positive Aging Act
of 2013, which will help to increase older Americans' access to quality
mental health screening and treatment services in community-based
settings.
The legislation we are introducing today is particularly important
for States like Maine that have a disproportionate number of older
persons. Sixteen percent of Maine's population is 65 or older, and,
with the highest median age, Maine is the ``oldest'' State in the
Nation. Moreover, our percentage of older adults is increasing; by
2030, more than one in five Mainers will be over the age of 65.
One of the most daunting public health challenges facing our Nation
today is how to increase access to quality mental health services for
the more than 46 million American adults living with severe, disabling
mental disorders that can devastate their lives and the lives of the
people around them.
What is often overlooked is the prevalence of mental illness among
our Nation's elderly. Nearly one in five older adults in America have
one or more mental health conditions. Moreover, older white males age
85 and older have the highest rate of suicide of any group in the
country. Particularly disturbing is the fact that the mental health
needs of older Americans are often overlooked or not recognized because
of the mistaken belief that they are a normal part of aging and
therefore cannot be treated.
While effective treatments exist for mental health disorders, it is
estimated that nearly two-thirds of older adults with a mental health
problem do not receive the services they need. Older adults with
evidence of a mental disorder are generally less likely than younger
and middle-aged adults to receive mental health services and, when they
do, they are less likely to receive care from a mental health
specialist. Failure to treat mental disorders leads to poorer health
outcomes for other medical conditions, higher rates of
institutionalization, and increased health care costs.
Fortunately, important research is being done that is developing
innovative approaches to improve the delivery of mental health care for
older adults by integrating it into primary care settings. This
research demonstrates that older adults are more likely to receive
appropriate mental health care if there is a mental health professional
on the primary care team, rather than simply referring them to a mental
health specialist outside the primary care setting. Multiple
appointments with multiple providers in multiple settings simply don't
work for older patients who must also cope with concurrent chronic
illnesses, mobility problems, and limited transportation options. The
research also shows that there is less stigma associated with
psychiatric services when they are integrated into general medical
care.
The Positive Aging Act builds upon this research and authorizes
funding for projects that integrate mental health screening and
treatment services into community sites and primary care settings.
Specifically, the Positive Aging Act of 2013 would authorize the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to fund
demonstration projects to support integration of mental health services
in primary care settings. It would also support grants for community-
based mental health treatment outreach teams to fund demonstration
projects to support integration of mental health services in primary
care settings. To ensure that these geriatric mental health programs
have proper attention and oversight, it would mandate the designation
of a Deputy Director for Older Adult Mental Health Services in the
Center for Mental Health Services, and it would also include
representatives of older Americans or their families and geriatric
mental health professionals on the Advisory Council for the Center for
Mental Health Services. Finally, it would require State plans under
Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to include descriptions
of the States' outreach to and services for older individuals.
We are fortunate today to have a variety of effective treatments to
address the mental health needs of American seniors. The Positive Aging
Act will help to ensure that older Americans have access to these
important services. I therefore urge my colleagues to sign on as
cosponsors of the legislation, which has been endorsed by numerous
mental health, aging, and health care organizations, including the
American Psychological Association, the American Association for
Geriatric Psychiatry, the American Geriatrics Society, and the National
Association of Social Workers.
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