[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6598-S6600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. HATCH:
  S. 1518. A bill improving outcomes for youth at risk for sex 
trafficking, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, there is an epidemic of abuse that is 
taking place in America today. Recent reports estimate that hundreds of 
thousands of children and youths are at risk of domestic sex 
trafficking.
  Individuals on the frontlines in the fight against domestic sexual 
trafficking of children report that instances are on the rise. They 
tell us former drug dealers have moved on to sex trafficking. They also 
tell us technological advances have made this type of trafficking 
easier as smart phones and other devices provide distance and increased 
levels of anonymity. Certain Web sites that post classified ads 
soliciting sexual partners also help facilitate trafficking.
  The risk of sex trafficking is compounded every year for up to 30,000 
young people who are ``emancipated'' from foster care. Too many of 
these emancipated youth turn 18, pack their few belongings in a trash 
bag and are driven to a homeless shelter, leaving them vulnerable and 
exposed to traffickers and other predators.
  While in foster care, children and youth are also at increased risk 
for trafficking.
  In July of this year, the FBI's Innocence Lost National Initiative, 
which combats domestic sex trafficking of minors, launched Operation 
Cross Country, a 3-day effort. Operation Cross Country recovered 105 
children and arrested 152 traffickers. The efforts of the Innocence 
Lost National Initiative and the results of Operation Cross Country are 
laudable. However, they also revealed a disturbing element of our 
Nation's child welfare and foster care systems. According to some 
reports, up to 60 percent of sexually exploited children are recruited 
out of the child welfare and foster care programs. That is an 
unbelievable statistic, but it is apparently true. Because of the 
trauma and past abuse suffered by children and youth in these systems, 
they are particularly vulnerable to traffickers.
  FBI officials involved in Operation Cross Country report:

       Law enforcement refers to these young children as 
     ``children with a void.'' Once the

[[Page S6599]]

     pimp identifies that void and makes every attempt to fill it, 
     a dependency between the child and the perpetrator develops.

  Law enforcement officers also report:

       The most vulnerable victims forced into sex trafficking 
     range in age from 13 to 16. Most of the children come from 
     either foster care homes or are considered runaways.

  In order to combat domestic sex trafficking and improve outcomes for 
children and youth in foster care, systemic changes need to be made in 
the current child welfare system.
  Therefore, today I am introducing the Improving Outcomes for Youth at 
Risk for Sex Trafficking Act of 2013. The short title of the bill is I 
O Youth.
  We do owe these youth. These are our country's most damaged and most 
vulnerable children. Yet most kids who age out of foster care face 
negative outcomes such as homelessness, teen pregnancy, drug addiction, 
and trafficking. We ought to do better.
  This legislation I am introducing today addresses some of the 
widespread conditions in the child welfare and foster care systems that 
make these children and youth particularly vulnerable to being sexually 
trafficked. I am sure most Americans would be surprised to learn that 
most child welfare agencies will not serve trafficked children and 
youth who are not in the custody of a biological or foster family or 
living in a group home.
  Often these children, who are not legally able to give consent for 
sex, are arrested for prostitution and referred to the juvenile justice 
system. In many States, the courts and the juvenile justice system are 
ill-equipped to deal with the trauma these children and youth have 
endured.
  My bill requires that States provide services to youth who have been 
trafficked or are at risk of being trafficked. The bill also redirects 
resources to improve the current court system to better identify and 
address needs of trafficked youth.
  Many youth in foster care are routinely denied the opportunity to 
participate in normal age-appropriate activities and social events such 
as playing sports, participating in afterschool activities, and 
enjoying a social life with friends. This lack of contact and 
engagement in healthy and meaningful activities deprives young people 
of important social connections. Preventing youth from having normal 
experiences impairs their healthy development and contributes to 
isolation and loneliness, which in turn makes them vulnerable to 
domestic sex trafficking, homelessness, drug abuse, poor educational 
outcomes, poverty, and, of course, other negative outcomes.
  My bill includes a number of provisions to encourage, enhance, 
support youth in foster care, facilitate their participation in age-
appropriate activities and social events. I hope these provisions will 
promote healthy development, increase meaningful opportunities to form 
meaningful connections, reduce the risk of vulnerability to domestic 
sex trafficking, and other negative outcomes.
  Another major risk factor for vulnerability to sex trafficking and 
other negative outcomes for older youth in care is a continued reliance 
on congregate care facilities. These facilities are routinely targeted 
by traffickers and are often warehouses for youth who are rarely, if 
ever, allowed to engage in healthy age-appropriate activities and 
social events.
  I understand that many of the children and youth in foster care are 
deeply traumatized and present with many acute physical and mental 
conditions. Some of these children and youth need intensive treatment 
to help them manage or overcome these conditions. I am pleased to 
report there are many good providers who are doing this work who 
support the legislation I am introducing today.
  I O Youth refocuses Federal priorities of connecting vulnerable youth 
with caring, permanent families. For those remaining in congregate care 
facilities, my legislation requires that youth have improved access to 
normal, age-appropriate activities.
  Youth in foster care report that they feel uninvolved, unaware, and 
disconnected to any planning around their care or their future. They 
are not informed of their rights while in foster care. This can lead to 
a sense of disenfranchisement and a lack of connection to siblings, 
relatives, or other caring adults. In many cases, this lack of 
connection contributes to the void so often preyed upon by traffickers.
  My bill requires that State child welfare agencies provide ongoing 
family finding for older youth in foster care. I O Youth, this bill, 
also requires greater participation of youth in planning for their 
future and encourages States to find individuals willing to be involved 
on an ongoing basis with the youth in foster care.
  Individuals who work with victims of domestic sex trafficking tell us 
the single biggest challenge with access to these victims is the lack 
of accessible and affordable housing. For older youth who have been 
emancipated from foster care, not having a place to sleep is often a 
reason why they enter into the sex trade. In order to improve housing 
options for these at-risk youth, my bill redirects funds from the 
social services block grant in order to provide housing to trafficked 
and other vulnerable youth.
  We live in very contentious times. There are fierce policy and 
partisan divides on many political issues. Domestic sex trafficking of 
children and youth from foster care is not one of those issues. If 
there is any issue under the Sun that is without controversy, it is 
this one.
  Last June, the Senate Finance Committee heard from a courageous 
survivor of domestic sex trafficking. She told us that she had been 
sold:

       to several other pimps that had sex with me and forced me 
     to have sex with other men. My story is sad, but it's common. 
     And, girls like me are all around, but people don't see them 
     so they remain victims.

  This young gentlelady went on to change her life, hold a regular job, 
and to testify against some of these so-called pimps. What a courageous 
young woman.
  It is time for us to pay attention to these girls and to all the 
children and youth in the foster care system.
  I expect my legislation to have broad, bipartisan support in the 
Senate. I am pleased that a number of organizations already support the 
bill, and I am particularly gratified that organizations that work 
directly with young people have come out so strongly in support of my 
legislation. I have received letters from support for I O Youth from 
FosterClub, Children's Home Society of America, the National Network 
for Young People in Foster Care, the National Center for Housing and 
Child Welfare, Covenant House International, Human Rights Project for 
Girls, The Children's Village, National Children's Alliance, and the 
International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. I am hopeful the 
Senate can come together to act quickly on my legislation. We owe these 
youth that much.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. MURKOWSKI:
  S. 1521. A bill to prohibit Federal agencies from requiring seafood 
to be certified as sustainable by a third party nongovernmental 
organization and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the Responsible 
Seafood Certification and Labeling Act which I am introducing today. 
This bill addresses an issue of great importance to fishermen, seafood 
producers and coastal communities in my state and around the country--
the issue of how fisheries are managed sustainably. Based on the most 
recent economic data, the Alaska seafood industry supported more than 
63,000 direct jobs and contributed over $4.6 billion to the state's 
economy. Nationally, those numbers go up to 165,800 total jobs and an 
economic contribution of $15.7 billion.
  The salmon fisheries are a major part of my State's seafood economy 
and commercial fishermen around the State harvested more than 265 
million salmon this season. With nearly 1 in 7 Alaskans employed in the 
commercial seafood industry, and numbers like the ones I just shared, 
you can understand why I take seriously how the Federal Government 
affects my State's fishermen.
  On June 5, the National Park Service announced new guidelines to 
promote healthy food options for concessionaires at National Park 
Service facilities. These guidelines include the following statement:

       Where seafood options are offered, provide only those that 
     are `Best Choice' or `Good

[[Page S6600]]

     Alternatives' on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch 
     list, certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship 
     Council, or identified by an equivalent program that has been 
     approved by the NPS.

  Within the week, I was hearing from constituents, and they were not 
happy. Digging further into the origins led to policies developed by 
the Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services 
Administration that served as precursors to the NPS Guidelines, and an 
indication that this is a broader problem within the Federal 
Government.
  How bad could this be? Why are these guidelines a problem? Why I am 
so concerned? Before delving into those questions, I want to 
acknowledge what some of you may know: Alaska salmon is a `Best Choice' 
according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can check your smart phone 
app. Problem solved, no impediment to the Park Service allowing its 
vendors to serve Wild Alaska salmon to its visitors, or any other 
Federal agency creating a problem for wild Alaska seafood . . . right? 
Wrong! It is a problem, a big problem, and here is why.
  I believe it is bad Federal policy to allow third party certifiers, 
including Non-Governmental Organizations, NGOs, from the UK, to be the 
arbiters of what seafood is allowed to be sold in National Parks, or 
procured by Federal agencies. Not too long ago, wild Alaska salmon 
served as the flagship species for--MSC. Now MSC is disparaging the 
``sustainability'' of Alaska salmon. These NGOs have political agendas, 
lack transparency, and are soliciting payment for their certification 
schemes. These NGOs are meddling, and their efforts to usurp Federal 
and State management expertise is harming U.S. seafood interests. What 
started as voluntary efforts to differentiate well-managed fisheries, 
to create market value for seafood products, to reward responsible 
fishermen and processors, has turned into an aggressive scheme 
apparently intent on taking over federal and state management 
responsibilities, intruding into the fabric of fisheries management in 
my State and around the country. The U.S. currently spends almost a 
billion tax dollars each year to sustainably manage American fisheries 
in compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. There is no reason to let 
groups with no accountability interfere with this process.
  On July 12 I sent a letter to HHS, GSA, and the Park Service stating 
my concerns, defending wild Alaska seafood, and requesting that all 
three agency heads meet with me to discuss how to change these 
guidelines. At an Energy and Natural Resources Committee oversight 
hearing on the Park Service's maintenance backlog, I questioned 
Director Jarvis on this issue. When Director Jarvis responded that he 
would make sure wild Alaska seafood would be included, I said that is 
not good enough, this is a national issue important to seafood 
interests around the country, and federal agency regulations, policies 
and guidelines need to be changed to eliminate the references to third 
party certification NGOs.
  The bill I am introducing today will prohibit any U.S. Federal agency 
from requiring or endorsing the use of any third party non-governmental 
organization's label, criteria or other scheme to certify fish or 
seafood as sustainable. This prohibition will apply to any federal 
agency's purchase of fish or seafood, the sale of fish or seafood by a 
vendor or lessee on federal land or property, and any reference to a 
seafood sustainability standard developed by a third party non-
governmental organization in any regulation, policy or guideline.
  This is the right Federal policy for the Alaska seafood industry, and 
for our Nation's fishermen and coastal communities that depend on 
healthy and sustainable fisheries. It also is the right policy to 
ensure that hard working fishermen and the coastal communities that 
depend on them are not disadvantaged by the agenda of several misguided 
NGOs.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. 
        Johnson of South Dakota):
  S. 1523. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent 
qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds, 
to treat qualified zone academy bonds as specified tax credit bonds, 
and to modify the private business contribution requirement for 
qualified zone academy bonds; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I am proud to partner with 
Senator Sherrod Brown to introduce the Rebuilding America's Schools 
Act. This legislation would provide a permanent path forward so our 
Nation's students can learn in high-quality settings. Investing in 
education is key to the future success of our Nation, so we have to 
make choices that support teachers and strong curricula, textbooks, and 
technology. We must also invest in school facilities.
  Studies show that the learning environment affects students' academic 
achievement, as well as their behavior. It also makes a difference in 
the effectiveness of teachers. When the Department of Education asked 
principals about the caliber of their facilities in 2005, 43 percent 
reported that environmental factors like excessive noise, poor 
lighting, or inadequate ventilation interfered with instruction. The 
number was even higher when it came to portable or temporary buildings 
and classrooms. Building on these sentiments is a recent report by the 
American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave our Nation's school 
facilities a grade of ``D.'' Clearly, we have significant work to do.
  I have fought for many years to provide the Federal support needed to 
help improve our existing schools and build new ones, so that our 
students have the best environment possible to learn and grow. For most 
students, their school is the center of their lives. School is where 
friendships are built, knowledge is gained, and the foundation is laid 
for them to excel in society.
  The Rebuilding America's Schools Act would provide important 
additional Federal resources to build and renovate schools through the 
qualified zone academy bond program and the Qualified School 
Construction Bond Program. Since 1998, qualified zone academy bonds 
have helped renovate and repair schools in every State. In 2010-2011, 
school districts in 49 States used $11 billion in qualified school 
construction bond financing to build and renovate 21st century schools 
in communities across the country. The need is great--the National 
Education Association estimates that our public school systems need as 
much as $322 billion to bring our school facilities up to modern 
standards. Our legislation would make significant progress in helping 
to finance these desperately needed improvements.
  In addition to helping make sure that no child has to attend classes 
at a deteriorating school, this legislation will help create good-
paying construction jobs and stimulate our local economies. In fact, 
our legislation is an important opportunity to make an investment in 
our schools, our students, our teachers, and ultimately, our 
communities. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
legislation that invests in the future success of our youngest 
generations and our Nation.

                          ____________________