[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H4501-H4509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2014
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 3530) to provide justice for the victims of trafficking,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3530
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF SUMS IN CRIME VICTIMS FUND.
Section 1402 of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C.
10601) is amended in subsection (d) by inserting before
paragraph (2) the following:
``(1) A limitation on obligations is authorized to be
provided with respect to fiscal years 2016 through 2020.
Except in the case where a limitation on obligations is made
by a continuing resolution, if such a limitation on
obligations is less than--
``(A) $805,000,000 in fiscal year 2016;
``(B) $825,000,000 in fiscal year 2017;
``(C) $845,000,000 in fiscal year 2018;
``(D) $866,000,000 in fiscal year 2019; or
``(E) $890,000,000 in fiscal year 2020;
then all sums deposited in the fund in prior fiscal years
shall become available for obligation.''.
[[Page H4502]]
SEC. 3. VICTIM-CENTERED SEX TRAFFICKING DETERRENCE GRANT
PROGRAM.
Section 203 of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 14044b) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (j);
(2) by striking subsections (a) through (f), and inserting
the following:
``(a) Grants Authorized.--The Attorney General may make
grants to eligible entities to develop, improve, or expand
comprehensive domestic child human trafficking deterrence
programs that assist law enforcement officers, prosecutors,
judicial officials, and qualified victims' services
organizations in collaborating to rescue and restore the
lives of victims, while investigating and prosecuting
offenses involving child human trafficking.
``(b) Authorized Activities.--Grants awarded under
subsection (a) may be used for--
``(1) the establishment or enhancement of specialized
training programs for law enforcement officers, first
responders, health care officials, child welfare officials,
juvenile justice personnel, prosecutors, and judicial
personnel to--
``(A) identify victims and acts of child human trafficking;
``(B) address the unique needs of victims of child human
trafficking;
``(C) facilitate the rescue of victims of child human
trafficking;
``(D) investigate and prosecute acts of child human
trafficking, including the soliciting, patronizing, or
purchasing of commercial sex acts from children, as well as
training to build cases against complex criminal networks
involved in child human trafficking; and
``(E) implement and provide education on safe harbor laws
enacted by States, aimed at preventing the criminalization
and prosecution of victims of child human trafficking for
prostitution offenses;
``(2) the establishment or enhancement of dedicated anti-
child human trafficking law enforcement units and task forces
to investigate child human trafficking offenses and to rescue
victims, including--
``(A) funding salaries, in whole or in part, for law
enforcement officers, including patrol officers, detectives,
and investigators, except that the percentage of the salary
of the law enforcement officer paid for by funds from a grant
awarded under this section shall not be more than the
percentage of the officer's time on duty that is dedicated to
working on cases involving child human trafficking;
``(B) investigation expenses for cases involving child
human trafficking, including--
``(i) wire taps;
``(ii) consultants with expertise specific to cases
involving child human trafficking;
``(iii) travel; and
``(iv) other technical assistance expenditures;
``(C) dedicated anti-child human trafficking prosecution
units, including the funding of salaries for State and local
prosecutors, including assisting in paying trial expenses for
prosecution of child human trafficking offenses, except that
the percentage of the total salary of a State or local
prosecutor that is paid using an award under this section
shall be not more than the percentage of the total number of
hours worked by the prosecutor that is spent working on cases
involving child human trafficking; and
``(D) the establishment of child human trafficking victim
witness safety, assistance, and relocation programs that
encourage cooperation with law enforcement investigations of
crimes of child human trafficking by leveraging existing
resources and delivering child human trafficking victims'
services through coordination with--
``(i) child advocacy centers;
``(ii) social service agencies;
``(iii) State governmental health service agencies;
``(iv) housing agencies;
``(v) legal services agencies; and
``(vi) non-governmental organizations and shelter service
providers with substantial experience in delivering services
to victims of child human trafficking;
``(3) the establishment or enhancement of problem solving
court programs for child human trafficking victims that
include--
``(A) continuing judicial supervision of victims of child
human trafficking who have been identified by a law
enforcement or judicial officer as a potential victim of
child human trafficking, regardless of whether the victim has
been charged with a crime related to human trafficking;
``(B) the development of specialized and individualized
treatment programs for identified victims of child human
trafficking, including--
``(i) State-administered outpatient treatment;
``(ii) life skills training;
``(iii) housing placement;
``(iv) vocational training;
``(v) education;
``(vi) family support services; and
``(vii) job placement; and
``(C) collaborative efforts with child advocacy centers,
child welfare agencies, shelters, and non-governmental
organizations to provide services to victims and encourage
cooperation with law enforcement; and
``(4) the establishment or enhancement of victims' services
programs for victims of child human trafficking, which offer
services including--
``(A) residential care, including temporary or long-term
placement, as appropriate;
``(B) 24-hour emergency social services response systems;
and
``(C) counseling and case management services.
``(c) Application.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible entity shall submit an
application to the Attorney General for a grant under this
section in such form and manner as the Attorney General may
require.
``(2) Required information.--An application submitted under
this subsection shall--
``(A) disclose--
``(i) any other grant funding from the Department of
Justice or from any other Federal department or agency for
purposes similar to those described in subsection (b) for
which the eligible entity has applied, and which application
is pending on the date of the submission of an application
under this section; and
``(ii) any other such grant funding that the eligible
entity has received during the 5 year period prior to the
date of the submission of an application under this section;
``(B) describe the activities for which assistance under
this section is sought;
``(C) include a detailed plan for the use of funds awarded
under the grant; and
``(D) provide such additional information and assurances as
the Attorney General determines to be necessary to ensure
compliance with the requirements of this section.
``(3) Preference.--In reviewing applications submitted in
accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), the Attorney General
shall give preference to grant applications if--
``(A) the application includes a plan to use awarded funds
to engage in all activities described under paragraphs (1)
and (2) of subsection (b); or
``(B) the application includes a plan by the State or unit
of local government to continue funding of all activities
funded by the award after the expiration of the award.
``(d) Duration and Renewal of Award.--
``(1) In general.--A grant under this section shall expire
1 year after the date of award of the grant.
``(2) Renewal.--A grant under this section shall be
renewable not more than 3 times and for a period of not
greater than 1 year.
``(e) Evaluation.--The Attorney General shall enter into a
contract with an academic or non-profit organization that has
experience in issues related to child human trafficking and
evaluation of grant programs to conduct an annual evaluation
of grants made under this section to determine the impact and
effectiveness of programs funded with grants awarded under
this section, and shall submit any such evaluation to the
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
``(f) Oversight and Accountability.--An eligible entity
that receives a grant under this section is subject to the
requirements of section 10 of the Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act of 2014.
``(g) Administrative Cap.--The cost of administering the
grants authorized by this section shall not exceed 5 percent
of the total amount appropriated to carry out this section.
``(h) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a
program funded by a grant awarded under this section may not
exceed--
``(1) 70 percent in the first year;
``(2) 60 percent in the second year; and
``(3) 50 percent in the third year.
``(i) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `child' means a person under the age of 18;
``(2) the term `child advocacy center' means a center
created under subtitle A of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 13001 et seq.);
``(3) the term `child human trafficking' means 1 or more
severe forms of trafficking in persons (as defined in section
103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7102)) involving a victim who is a child; and
``(4) the term `eligible entity' means a State or unit of
local government that--
``(A) has significant criminal activity involving child
human trafficking;
``(B) has demonstrated cooperation between Federal, State,
local, and, where applicable, tribal law enforcement
agencies, prosecutors, and social service providers in
addressing child human trafficking; and
``(C) has developed a workable, multi-disciplinary plan to
combat child human trafficking.''; and
(3) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by striking ``Secretary of Health and Human Services''
and inserting ``Attorney General, in consultation with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services,''; and
(B) by striking ``fiscal years 2008 through 2011'' and
inserting ``fiscal years 2015 through 2019''.
SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE VICTIMS OF CHILD ABUSE ACT OF 1990.
(a) Reauthorization of Victims of Child Abuse Act of
1990.--Section 214B of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990
(42 U.S.C. 13004) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``fiscal years 2004 and
2005'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2015 through 2019''; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``fiscal years 2004 and
2005'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2015 through 2019''.
(b) Direct Services for Victims of Child Pornography.--The
Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13001 et seq.)
is amended--
(1) in section 212(5) (42 U.S.C. 13001a(5)), by inserting
``, including human trafficking and
[[Page H4503]]
the production of child pornography'' before the semicolon at
the end; and
(2) in section 214 (42 U.S.C. 13002)--
(A) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) as
subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Direct Services for Victims of Child Pornography.--
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director and with
the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime, may make
grants to develop and implement specialized programs to
identify and provide direct services to victims of child
pornography.''.
(c) Oversight and Accountability.--
(1) Local children's advocacy centers.--Section 214 of the
Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13002), as
amended by this Act, is further amended by inserting at the
end the following:
``(f) Oversight and Accountability.--
``(1) Accountability requirement.--A grant recipient under
this section is subject to the requirements of section 10 of
the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2014.
``(2) Disclosure of additional sources of federal
funding.--An application for a grant under this section shall
disclose--
``(A) any other grant funding from the Department of
Justice or from any other Federal department or agency for
purposes similar to those described in subsection (a) for
which the entity has applied, and which application is
pending on the date of the submission of an application under
this section; and
``(B) any other such grant funding that the entity has
received during the 5 year period prior to the date of the
submission of an application under this section.''.
(2) Grants for specialized technical assistance and
training programs.--Section 214A of the Victims of Child
Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13003) is amended by inserting
at the end the following:
``(d) Oversight and Accountability.--
``(1) Accountability requirement.--A grant recipient under
this section is subject to the requirements of section 10 of
the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2014.
``(2) Disclosure of additional sources of federal
funding.--An application for a grant under this section shall
disclose--
``(A) any other grant funding from the Department of
Justice or from any other Federal department or agency for
purposes similar to those described in subsection (a) for
which the organization has applied, and which application is
pending on the date of the submission of an application under
this section; and
``(B) any other such grant funding that the organization
has received during the 5 year period prior to the date of
the submission of an application under this section.''.
SEC. 5. STREAMLINING STATE AND LOCAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING
INVESTIGATIONS.
Section 2516(2) of title 18, United States Code, is amended
by inserting ``human trafficking, child sexual exploitation,
child pornography production,'' after ``kidnapping,''.
SEC. 6. ENHANCING HUMAN TRAFFICKING REPORTING.
Section 3702 of the Crime Control Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
5780) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(2) in paragraph (4)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
``paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``paragraph (3)'';
(B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``and a photograph
taken within the previous 180 days'' after ``dental
records'';
(C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D);
and
(E) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
``(C) notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children of each report received relating to a child reported
missing from a foster care family home or childcare
institution; and''.
SEC. 7. REDUCING DEMAND FOR SEX TRAFFICKING.
Section 1591 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``or maintains'' and
inserting ``maintains, patronizes, or solicits'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or obtained'' and
inserting ``obtained, patronized, or solicited''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or obtained'' and
inserting ``obtained, patronized, or solicited''; and
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``or maintained'' and inserting ``,
maintained, patronized, or solicited''; and
(B) by striking ``knew that the person'' and inserting
``knew, or recklessly disregarded the fact, that the
person''.
SEC. 8. USING EXISTING TASK FORCES TO TARGET OFFENDERS WHO
EXPLOIT CHILDREN.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Attorney General shall ensure that all task forces
and working groups within the Violent Crimes Against Children
Program engage in activities, programs, or operations to
increase the investigative capabilities of State and local
law enforcement officers in the detection, investigation, and
prosecution of persons who patronize, or solicit children for
sex.
SEC. 9. HOLDING SEX TRAFFICKERS ACCOUNTABLE.
Section 2423(g) of title 18, United States Code, is amended
by striking ``a preponderance of the evidence'' and inserting
``clear and convincing evidence''.
SEC. 10. OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) Audit Requirement.--In fiscal year 2015, and each
fiscal year thereafter, the Inspector General of the
Department of Justice shall conduct audits of covered
grantees to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of such funds.
The Inspector General shall determine the appropriate number
of covered grantees to be audited each year.
(b) Mandatory Exclusion.--A covered grantee that is found
to have an unresolved audit finding shall not be eligible for
an allocation of grant funds from the covered grant program
from which it received a grant award during the first 2
fiscal years beginning after the end of the 12-month period
described in subsection (g)(3).
(c) Reimbursement.--If a covered grantee is awarded funds
under the covered grant program from which it received a
grant award during the 2-fiscal year period during which the
covered grantee is ineligible for an allocation of grant
funds as a result of subsection (b), the Attorney General
shall--
(1) deposit an amount equal to the amount of the grant
funds that were improperly awarded to the covered grantee
into the General Fund of the Treasury; and
(2) seek to recoup the costs of the repayment to the Fund
from the covered grantee that was erroneously awarded grant
funds.
(d) Nonprofit Organization Requirements.--
(1) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term
``nonprofit'', when used with respect to an organization,
means an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from
taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.
(2) Prohibition.--A nonprofit organization that holds money
in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the
tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, shall not be eligible to receive, directly or
indirectly, any funds from a covered grant program.
(3) Disclosure.--Each nonprofit organization that is a
covered grantee shall disclose in its application for such a
grant, as a condition of receipt of such a grant, the
compensation of its officers, directors, and trustees. Such
disclosure shall include a description of the criteria relied
upon to determine such compensation.
(e) Conference Expenditures.--
(1) Limitation.--No amounts made available under a covered
grant program may be used to host or support a conference
that uses more than $20,000 in funds made available by the
Department of Justice unless the Deputy Attorney General or
the appropriate Assistant Attorney General, Director, or
principal deputy (as designated by the Deputy Attorney
General) provides prior written approval that the funds may
be expended to host or support such conference, except that a
conference that uses more than $20,000 in such funds, but
less than $500 in such funds for each attendee of the
conference, shall not be subject to the limitation under this
paragraph.
(2) Written approval.--Written approval under paragraph (1)
shall include a written estimate of all costs associated with
the conference, including the cost of all food, beverages,
audio-visual equipment, honoraria for speakers, and
entertainment.
(3) Report.--The Deputy Attorney General shall submit an
annual report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives on all conference expenditures approved under
this subsection.
(f) Prohibition on Lobbying Activity.--
(1) In general.--Amounts made available under a covered
grant program may not be used by any covered grantee to--
(A) lobby any representative of the Department of Justice
regarding the award of grant funding; or
(B) lobby any representative of the Federal Government or a
State, local, or tribal government regarding the award of
grant funding.
(2) Penalty.--If the Attorney General determines that a
covered grantee has violated paragraph (1), the Attorney
General shall--
(A) require the covered grantee to repay the grant in full;
and
(B) prohibit the covered grantee from receiving a grant
under the covered grant program from which it received a
grant award during at least the 5-year period beginning on
the date of such violation.
(g) Definitions.--In this section, the following
definitions apply:
(1) The term ``covered grant program'' means the following:
(A) The grant program under section 203 of the Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C.
14044b).
(B) The grant programs under section 214 and 214A of the
Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13002, 13003).
(2) The term ``covered grantee'' means a recipient of a
grant from a covered grant program.
(3) The term ``unresolved audit finding'' means an audit
report finding in a final audit report of the Inspector
General of the Department of Justice that a covered grantee
has used grant funds awarded to that grantee under a covered
grant program for an unauthorized expenditure or otherwise
[[Page H4504]]
unallowable cost that is not closed or resolved during the
12-month period beginning on the date on which the final
audit report is issued.
SEC. 11. CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS.
(a) In General.--Section 3771 of title 18, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
``(9) The right to be informed in a timely manner of any
plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement.
``(10) The right to be informed of the rights under this
section and the services described in section 503(c) of the
Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
10607(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of
the Victims' Rights Ombudsman of the Department of
Justice.'';
(2) in subsection (d)(3), in the fifth sentence, by
inserting ``, unless the litigants, with the approval of the
court, have stipulated to a different time period for
consideration'' before the period; and
(3) in subsection (e)--
(A) by striking ``this chapter, the term'' and inserting
the following: "this chapter:
``(1) Court of appeals.--The term `court of appeals'
means--
``(A) the United States court of appeals for the judicial
district in which a defendant is being prosecuted; or
``(B) for a prosecution in the Superior Court of the
District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Court of
Appeals.
``(2) Crime victim.--
``(A) In general.--The term'';
(B) by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the
following:
``(B) Minors and certain other victims.--In the case''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) District court; court.--The terms `district court'
and `court' include the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia.''.
(b) Appellate Review of Petitions Relating to Crime
Victims' Rights.--
(1) In general.--Section 3771(d)(3) of title 18, United
States Code, as amended by subsection (a)(2) of this section,
is amended by inserting after the fifth sentence the
following: ``In deciding such application, the court of
appeals shall apply ordinary standards of appellate
review.''.
(2) Application.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall
apply with respect to any petition for a writ of mandamus
filed under section 3771(d)(3) of title 18, United States
Code, that is pending on the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 12. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) child human trafficking (as such term is defined in
section 203(i) of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 14044b), as added by
this Act) has no place in a civilized society, and that
persons who commit crimes relating to child human trafficking
should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law;
(2) the United States, as a leader in monitoring and
combating human trafficking throughout the world, must hold
all nations to the same standards to which we hold our
Nation;
(3) those who obtain, solicit, or patronize a victim of
trafficking for the purpose of engaging in a commercial sex
act with that person, are committing a human trafficking
offense under Federal law; and
(4) the demand for commercial sex is a primary cause of the
human rights violation of human trafficking, and the
elimination of that human rights violation requires the
elimination of that demand.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 3530, currently
under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
We are here on the floor today to talk about minor sex trafficking
or, to put it more accurately, the rape of children, by adults, for
profit. More importantly, though, we are here today for the victims--
the survivors--of this terrible crime.
These include Ms. ``T'' Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, who testified so
bravely before the Crime Subcommittee about her experiences under the
control of a violent pimp after being failed by the foster care system;
and Ms. Elizabeth Corey, who recently graduated from Virginia
Commonwealth University, despite having been sexually being prostituted
by her family starting as young as 8 years old; and the dozens of other
victims of this heinous crime who have been identified in just Virginia
alone in recent years, as well as the many other victims and survivors
that exist in all of our States.
The sale of children for sex sounds like something that could only
happen in faraway places, but sadly, it is happening right here in the
United States every single day. According to the FBI, sex trafficking
is the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third
largest criminal enterprise in the world.
Criminal organizations, including some of the most violent criminal
street gangs like MS-13, have realized that selling children is
oftentimes more profitable than selling drugs. This is because drugs
can only be sold once, but minor children can be--and are--prostituted
multiple times a day.
Sadly, the demand for commercial sex with children appears to be
growing. Traditionally called johns, those who purchase sex with minors
are the ones driving this illicit market. There is no single profile of
a buyer of commercial sex with a minor.
Some may engage with sex with minors unknowingly, but many either
seek out young children or decide to turn a blind eye to it.
One young victim, Tami, tried to escape her pimp by telling every man
who purchased her that she was only 15 and needed to be taken to the
police, but none of them did. It is time to send a clear message that
this must stop.
The bill under consideration today, the Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act, is an important first step to make sure that the
traffickers and purchasers who stole Tami's childhood are brought to
justice.
This legislation provides additional resources to law enforcement and
service providers through a victim-centered grant program; helps to
facilitate investigations by providing that minor sex trafficking and
other similar crimes are predicate offenses for State wiretap
applications; addresses the demand side of this crime by clarifying
that it is a Federal crime to solicit or patronize child prostitutes or
adult victims forced into prostitution; reauthorizes the funding stream
for child advocacy centers, which are often the first line of service
providers for the victims of this and other crimes; and strengthens the
existing Federal criminal laws against trafficking through a number of
clarifying amendments.
H.R. 3530 was introduced by Judiciary Committee member and former
judge Ted Poe, who is a passionate voice for these young victims and
others in need. I strongly commend him for his leadership on this
issue.
I also commend Mr. Franks for his amendment to this bill, which helps
to strengthen the rights of victims in the criminal justice process,
including the victims of sex trafficking.
The bill was reported by the Judiciary Committee by voice vote and
enjoys over 100 bipartisan cosponsors. I urge my colleagues to stand
with me today to say our children are not for sale and to support this
important bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, we come together today at the end of Sexual Assault
Awareness Month to address sexual assault in its most harrowing
context, the rape of a child.
After our recent hearing on domestic minor sex trafficking, H.R.
3530, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, is an important step
in combating the crisis of child sex trafficking in our country and
helping survivors begin their lives anew.
Victims of child sex trafficking have suffered the worst trauma
imaginable. As a result, they require comprehensive and tailored
services to assist their recovery, but funding for the comprehensive
care that survivors need is lacking. For example, only 20 beds exist
for more than 2,200 children trafficked annually in New York City.
This bill is a step in the right direction, providing $5 million in
grants for the comprehensive services that victims of trafficking need
and correcting an administrative barrier that keeps domestic victims of
trafficking from the services given to foreign victims.
While the rescue of trafficking victims is necessary, so is the
prosecution of child rapists and traffickers. Federal courts have
interpreted the existing statute to cover the acts of patronizing and
soliciting.
[[Page H4505]]
Therefore, the addition of these terms under this bill is a mere
clarification. Individuals who patronize and solicit already have been
held criminally liable under the language of the existing law--
specifically under the provision criminalizing those who obtain those
services in the original section 1591.
The Justice for Victims Trafficking Act ensures that law enforcement
receives funds necessary to train, investigate, and prosecute more
cases, which will send the message that the rape of a child is a crime
that can be punished by local, State, and Federal officials.
Child rapists will find refuge in no jurisdiction. This bill will aid
in the coordination of investigations among Federal, State, and local
law enforcement and enhance reporting data for missing children.
Human trafficking is the second fastest-growing criminal industry in
the world, generating over $32 billion annually, and H.R. 3530 is the
most comprehensive piece of legislation to deal with this issue in
years.
I want to commend our colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe)
for introducing the legislation and want to commend him and our full
committee for working together across the aisle to reach compromise on
the spending and foreign impacts of this legislation to streamline its
passage.
Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3530.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), the chief sponsor of
this legislation and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman of the
Judiciary Committee for yielding me this time and also for his support
and work on this legislation, and I thank the ranking member as well.
Also, I want to thank my friend across the aisle, Carolyn Maloney
from New York, for being the chief cosponsor of this legislation on the
Democrat side.
Madam Speaker, Cheryl Briggs is one of many American children that
got caught in the slave trade. When she was 12 years of age, she ran
away from home because she was being assaulted by her father.
Not long after that, she was picked up as a hitchhiker by a trucker,
and then soon after that, she was put in the slave trade where she was
forced to have sex with men several times a day.
She also was forced to work at a strip club during the daytime, sold
at night, and also was forced to do that work in the daytime. She was
able to escape that trafficker because a patron at one of the clubs
figured out she was a mere child and called the police.
Sex trafficking of minor children happens all over the world. It
happens in America.
Recently, I was in South America. I went to a shelter in Peru, and I
met several girls. One of them was named Lilly. At 10 years of age--she
was 10--she was sold by her mother for a cell phone to a sex
trafficker. Lilly gave me this bracelet when I was there, and she asked
me to remember her and the other girls that were at the rescue shelter.
Madam Speaker, as the chairman and the ranking member pointed out, in
the United States, there is not much help for minor sex traffic
victims. There are approximately 300 beds--or less--in the whole
country for children victims of sex trafficking. Compare that to animal
shelters. We have over 3,000 animal shelters.
America needs to do better, and this bill will help America do
better, so we can proclaim not only to the traffickers and the buyers
of sex slaves that the victims of crime, the children, just aren't for
sale.
They are not for sale here in America or anywhere because they are
children. Children--the greatest resource any nation has are our
children; no matter whether they are runaways, throwaways, or
stowaways, they are not for sale.
This legislation enforces the law against the trafficker, the slave
trader that buys and sells these children. It makes sure that they go
to the penitentiary, and the law is very clear.
On the other end, it treats these victims of crime as victims of
crime. They are not criminals. They are not child prostitutes. There is
no such thing as a child prostitute. Children cannot consent to sex.
They are rape victims.
Society and the law are going to start treating them that way,
rescuing them and giving resources to children assessment centers, to
the police to recognize these children that have been captured and
stolen--their youth stolen and they are in the slave trade.
Most importantly, this bill goes after the demand, those people in
this country who buy these children for sex. The days of boys being
boys are going to be over in this country because those people in the
middle--they are not johns; they are child rapists.
They are going to be held accountable for their actions against these
girls. The law is clear. It is clear that the law will prosecute those
individuals. They will go to the same penitentiaries as the traffickers
for stealing the soul of the youth of America's greatest resource, our
children.
I am glad to see that this bill has so much bipartisan support that
it came out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously. It is one of
several bills that are coming to the House floor today to proclaim to
the country and to victims of crime and to criminals that the days of
the slave trade are going to end in the United States.
And that's just the way it is.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the lead cosponsor
on the legislation who has introduced many bills on this issue and who
has really been a fighter for those who have been trafficked.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the
gentleman for yielding and for his extraordinary work on this issue and
so many others. I rise in very strong support of Congressman Poe's work
and his bill.
Human trafficking comes in many different forms, and all of them are
awful. The most recent twist comes from the tragedy in Nigeria. Young
girls kidnapped and terrorized were sold like objects into a lifetime
of forcible rape. They say they are selling them into marriage. Nothing
could be further from the truth. They are being sold into human bondage
and into rape.
There is no crime on Earth more appalling, no offense as terrible, no
act of depravity as harmful to the community of a nation and certainly
to the individuals affected.
I want to express my gratitude to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe)
for his outstanding work on this issue. He has been an incredible
partner.
His groundbreaking work on sex trafficking is informed by his
experience as a judge and as a prosecutor where he witnessed firsthand
the tragic toll of human trafficking, coming face to face with both the
victims and the perpetrators of this terrible crime and knowing from
his experience what it is we need to do to help law enforcement get
convictions.
{time} 1500
He has been unwavering in his efforts to pass the Justice for Victims
of Trafficking Act, and I applaud his efforts.
Trafficking is one of the most profitable forms of organized crime,
preceded only by the selling of drugs and the selling of illegal
weapons. Unlike drugs and weapons which can only be sold once, the
human body can be sold again and again and again until they die.
The bill before us today is crucial to helping the survivors of human
trafficking, like Shandra Woworuntu, who put their lives back together
here. She is supposed to be here in the Chamber with us today. She was
with us in meetings earlier today. I want to thank her for her courage
in coming forward.
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act will help ensure that
other survivors do not find themselves in similar circumstances like
Shandra. She was educated, a former manager in a bank. She came to the
United States to become a manager at a hotel. She was immediately
swiped, her passport taken, and thrown into a dungeon of trafficking,
where she lived until she escaped.
When she escaped, there was no resources to help her. This bill will
change this, with grants to States and localities to help them and to
put the focus back on the demand side, to cut
[[Page H4506]]
down on the demand for trafficking and the selling of our children. No
child should be for sale in America, and this bill will help give law
enforcement the tools to win convictions.
My time is up. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and
I urge unanimous support for this important bill.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Marino), a member of the Judiciary Committee
Mr. MARINO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill.
I was U.S. attorney for the middle district of Pennsylvania for
several years. My staff and I prosecuted a prostitution ring. There
were several defendants, all were convicted. Convictions were affirmed
on appeal.
The victims were women and girls from their twenties down to their
teens to their low teens. They were kidnapped, tortured, mentally and
physically abused, and raped multiple times. Wiretaps revealed that the
defendants, the pimps, were on the telephone complaining that their
hands hurt so much from beating the girls into doing what the girls did
not want to do.
The sentences of the defendants were lengthy. In fact, one of the
ringleaders who went by the name of William Sleazy T. Williams--the
name is appropriate--received 45 years in prison.
This legislation must be passed.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a member of the Judiciary
Committee, a former judge and hard worker on this issue.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague of
the Judiciary Committee for managing this bill, and I acknowledge the
ranking member, Mr. Conyers, and our chairman, Mr. Goodlatte, for the
expeditious way in which we have moved forward on some very crucial
bills.
I also thank both of my friends, my colleague, a former judge, Ted
Poe from Texas and, as well, my colleague Carolyn Maloney from New York
for their astute collaborative work which is so very important for
really what we are trying to do here today.
Let me lay the groundwork for all that has been done, and that is
that we want to stamp out human slavery that has been an epidemic and a
plague and a cancer on this country and certainly around the world.
I am glad my friend mentioned the tragedy in Nigeria. Being in
meetings on this issue today, it is obviously an epidemic and one that
emphasizes a very special point, and that is young girls underage
cannot consent to marriage, they cannot consent to be kidnapped or to
be associated with someone that is going to do them harm on the basis
that they are married. They are enslaved. They are being trafficked.
They are being threatened unto their lives. Therefore, it is crucial
for us to acknowledge what it is. Boko Haram is clearly a dastardly
example of the tragic thugs that participate in human trafficking. They
may be that group in Nigeria, but certainly we know that there are
those here.
On the day that we had a Homeland Security field hearing on human
trafficking, the day before there was a massive finding of individuals
who had been trafficked. Certainly it was a question of whether they
had been trafficked or whether they were smuggled, but sometimes, our
law enforcement says, it meshes together.
It says that one study estimates that over 290,000 American youth are
at risk of becoming a victim of sex trafficking. The National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven
endangered runaways reported to the center is likely a victim of minor
sex trafficking.
I am glad the Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee
are working together and, under this legislation initiated by Mr. Poe,
who does bring his experience as a man who has seen these victims come
and cry out for help, that there are certain elements of this bill that
are so very important, and that is the availability of sums in the
Crime Victims Fund.
The testimony we heard in the Homeland Security field hearing in
Houston indicated that victims go unnoticed sometimes in terms of
getting help. I am glad to be able to have grants awarded to the
establishment of the enhancement of specialized training programs for
law enforcement officers, first responders, and health care officials
to identify victims and the acts of child human trafficking.
I thank Mr. Poe for looking forward to working with me for some
additional training regarding visas. I am also grateful that we have a
place of refuge for these individuals so that they are not the
criminal, but they are in fact the victim.
We are going a long way to embrace these victims, to get their lives
standing up, and to get those dastardly persons that would sex traffic,
human traffic, child traffic, and, in essence, hold them in slavery.
This is a very important step going forward.
I look forward to this body discussing our efforts going forward and
more such bills coming to embrace those who need our help and to save
lives. It is now long overdue, and I am very grateful the Judiciary
Committee has taken this step forward. Congratulations to the sponsors
of this bill. I am delighted to be a cosponsor.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3530, The Justice For
Victims of Human Trafficking Act of 2014.
Let me offer my appreciation and thanks to my colleague from Texas,
Judge Poe, for his work on this legislation and decades long commitment
and advocacy on behalf of victims of crime, especially child victims,
who are the most vulnerable and innocent victims.
Both Judge Poe and I along with our colleagues on the House Homeland
Security Committee held a field hearing in Houston on ``Combating Human
Trafficking in Our Major Cities.'' It was a fitting venue because,
regrettably, Houston is the human trafficking capital of the United
States.
Trafficking in humans, and especially domestic child trafficking, has
no place in a civilized society. Those who engage in this illicit trade
should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
That is why I was pleased that my Judiciary Committee colleagues
adopted my amendment during the markup of this important legislation
last month.
My amendment stated what should seem obvious in a modern, open
society which in many ways is benevolent:
It is the ``Sense of Congress that child human trafficking has no
place in a civilized society, and that persons who commit crimes
relating to child human trafficking should be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law.''
That means we need to ensure that state and local law enforcement
agencies have the tools, resources, and training necessary to identify,
apprehend, and prosecute criminals who ruthlessly traffic in children
and young persons.
And one of the most effective resources in bringing criminals to
justice is the cooperation and assistance of their victims.
Perpetrators of crime know that they are more likely to evade
detection and punishment when their victims refuse to assist or
cooperate with law enforcement. That is why they make it a point to
instill fear in their victims--for their own safety or that of family
and loved ones.
My second amendment offered during the Judiciary Committee Markup
would have strengthened the bill's enforcement regime but was withdrawn
in an effort to further refine it. The amendment complements the bill
by providing another tool in law enforcement's arsenal to tip the
balance in favor of victims so that they can utilize certain T and U
visas.
In 2000, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence
Protection Act (VTVPA), which created the T-Visa, and reserved it for
those who are or have been victims of human trafficking.
The Nonimmigrant Status (``T-Visa'') protects victims of human
trafficking and helps law enforcement by allowing victims to remain in
the United States to assist in the investigation or prosecution of
human traffickers.
These non-immigrant visas were established by Congress to provide
temporary legal status to victims of trafficking and enumerated crimes
who assist with the investigations or prosecutions of the criminal
activity in order to combat human trafficking.
The Jackson Lee Amendment simply provided that:
[T]he U.S. Attorney General shall provide training for
State and local law enforcement agencies on the immigration
law that may be useful for the investigation and prosecution
of crimes related to trafficking in persons, including
education on the availability of certain nonimmigrant visas
for victims of trafficking who cooperate in the investigation
or prosecution of the crime of which the individual was a
victim.
The Jackson Lee amendment would have strengthened the ability of
state and local law enforcement to identify, apprehend, and prosecute
domestic child traffickers by requiring the Attorney General to make
available the
[[Page H4507]]
training and education that will empower them to gain the cooperation
and active assistance of victims of human trafficking who would
otherwise refuse to cooperate out of fear of reprisal.
Unfortunately, many victims of crime and victims of human trafficking
are unaware of the existence and availability of this temporary relief.
And that is in part because many local and state law enforcement
officers are not aware.
The Jackson Lee Amendment was intended to help fill this information
gap by providing the informational resources to local law enforcement
who will be able in turn to share that information with the victims.
It is important that state and local law enforcement officials
receive continuous education and training that they may correctly apply
the law and perform one of their most important duties--apprehending
criminals. I am pleased that a number of my colleagues pledged their
support of this important part of the law.
At that field hearing, me and my Texas colleagues--Judge Poe,
Congressman Farenthold, Chairman McCaul--heard testimony from federal
law officials about how just the day before, on March 19, they had
discovered and rescued 115 people from a packed, rancid stash house on
Almeda School Road in south Harris County.
Ninety-nine were men, 16 were women, one of whom was pregnant and 19
were juveniles.
All of them had been kidnapped or smuggled into the United States.
Who knows what those women and children may have faced had they not
been rescued and the perpetrators caught?
By helping them, we will catch more human trafficking criminals. And
we help rescue and save children from becoming victims.
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and I look
forward to working with them on this critical problem.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), who has been a real leader in combating
sex trafficking and has legislation of her own which we will consider
later this afternoon.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Chairman and Madam Speaker, I rise today in support
of H.R. 3530, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
H.R. 3530 is a comprehensive, multipronged approach to address the
problem of human trafficking in the United States. The sponsor of this
legislation, Congressman Ted Poe, is a friend, colleague, and kindred
spirit to me on the issue of human trafficking. As a former judge,
Congressman Poe has drawn from his experience on the bench to craft a
bill that would provide support and aid to victims of trafficking, as
well as training for law enforcement and other first responders.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 3530 is one of the most comprehensive and
inclusive human trafficking bills proposed to date. H.R. 3530 provides
grants to help State and local governments offer services to victims in
order to give the survivors of human trafficking the sanctuary and
counseling they so desperately need after suffering through and
surviving this brutal crime.
Perhaps most importantly, H.R. 3530 addresses the demand side of
human trafficking by clarifying that buyers should be prosecuted along
with pimps. Madam Speaker, for too long those who patronize child
prostitutes have been overlooked. H.R. 3530 encourages law enforcement
to target and punish persons who purchase elicit sexual activities from
trafficking victims not as petty criminals but as serious offenders,
the serious offenders that they are.
For these reasons and others, Madam Speaker, I support H.R. 3530, the
Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), who has been working to help
these victims, particularly those in foster care.
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Justice for
Victims of Trafficking Act. I am a proud cosponsor of this bill because
I know it will play a vital role in our fight against child
trafficking.
First, I would like to commend Judge Poe for offering the bill and
for his ongoing commitment to end child trafficking and fighting for
victim rights. I would also like to commend Chairman Goodlatte, the
ranking member, and Representative Maloney for their long work on this
issue; and in the case of Representative Maloney, she has worked on
this issue for many, many years.
Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of American children are
trafficked each year. Our kids are robbed of their innocence and
coerced into a life on the streets where they are repeatedly abused.
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act will provide much-needed
grants to help provide necessary services to prevent exploitation and
rebuild the lives of trafficking survivors. Specifically, the grants
will be used to establish a variety of new programs, such as education,
housing, job training, and placement for survivors; victims services
programs, such as a 24-hour emergency social service response system
and counseling; and specialized training programs for law enforcement
officers, first responders, health care officials, and child welfare
officials. Innovative and specialized courts with wraparound services
like the STAR Court in Los Angeles County, which specifically focuses
on girls and boys who are trafficked, will also be eligible for the
grant funding.
By reinvigorating the Crime Victims Fund, this bill also helps
survivors recover from their trauma and develop normal, productive
lives.
Furthermore, the bill tackles demand by holding the buyers
accountable for their actions. No longer will the perpetrators get away
without a serious punishment to fit their crime. I personally refuse to
call them ``johns,'' a term which provides cover. Instead, they are
child abusers who are committing rape. This bill will help to ensure
their charges reflect the horrific nature of child trafficking.
Lastly, this bill will help protect our foster kids. It requires
States to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30
seconds.
Ms. BASS. It requires States to notify the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children about kids missing from foster care.
This is important because foster children disappear into the shadows
and no one tries to find them. Once these kids fall off the radar, they
often become trafficking victims. Making sure that we are looking out
for these kids is critical to protecting them from trafficking. We have
to be vigilant, and we have to give these kids the care and attention
they deserve.
Madam Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of the Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Hultgren).
Mr. HULTGREN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Goodlatte, and
I also want to thank Judge Poe for your important work and so many
others for coming together here.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act, H.R. 3530, and commend my colleague, Representative
Ted Poe, for introducing this critical legislation.
I am a proud cosponsor of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act
because it represents an all-encompassing approach to combating the
scourge of human trafficking. It amends the Federal criminal code to
impose penalties for crimes involving trafficking and preemptively
provides for deterrence by reallocating existing grants for victim
support. It affords additional enforcement and prosecution mechanisms
for authorities fighting against traffickers.
Nearly 150 years ago, Congress ratified the 13th Amendment, setting
in stone these timeless words:
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist
within the United States or any place subject to their
jurisdiction.
Today, human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It is a global crisis
that victimizes an estimated over 20 million children and women
worldwide. Yet ``global'' doesn't just mean overseas. Human trafficking
remains prevalent here in the United States in our cities and our
communities. Our country is the second highest destination for women
trafficked worldwide. An estimated 100,000 children are trafficked here
every year.
In my home State of Illinois, the National Human Trafficking Resource
Center estimates that 25,000 women and girls are exploited by sex
trafficking every single year. This number continues to grow.
[[Page H4508]]
As a member of the Congressional Human Trafficking Task Force, we are
working to coordinate the efforts of the congressional leadership and
international antitrafficking groups to punish perpetrators, rescue and
bring hope to victims, and assist nations in their fight against the
global epidemic of trafficking in human beings.
{time} 1515
Human trafficking targets the most vulnerable in society. The Justice
for Victims of Trafficking Act reflects a comprehensive effort to
strengthen opposition against culprits and offer hope to victims.
I support this bill and urge its passage.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan).
Mr. NOLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Justice for
Victims of Trafficking Act as a proud original cosponsor of the
legislation.
I want to join the chorus of people here in their praise for Judge
Poe and for Congresswoman Maloney for the tremendous work that they
have done over a number of years bringing this important legislation
forward; and, of course, to Congressman Goodlatte and Congressman Scott
likewise for bringing this forward.
It is too troubling to know that there are 300,000-some children that
are being sold into sex trafficking in this country, and that there are
only some 300 beds for them when attempts are made to rescue, as Judge
Poe just pointed out. These children aren't in some foreign country.
They are right here in our own backyards. These are our own children.
We can do so much better.
While our national law enforcement officials are fighting this
terrible scourge, there are many organizations like Men Against
Trafficking in Duluth, Minnesota, in my own congressional district, who
are out there providing safe harbor services for girls and boys that
are rescued from this terrible scourge.
This legislation represents the fact that Congress recognizes that we
can be of assistance in fighting this terrible scourge. We do so with
this act--again, of which I am a proud cosponsor. But I am so proud of
what Judge Poe and Carolyn Maloney have done on this.
What the bill does, it says that these children are the victims, they
are not the criminal, as they have so often been treated in our
society. They are the victims of child abuse, they are the victims of
rape and violence and unmentionable crimes and terrible, terrible
things. They are entitled to the protection, the medical services, the
counseling, all that we can provide.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional minute to
the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. NOLAN. This bill establishes a Trafficking Victims' Fund, at no
cost to the taxpayer, put on the backs of the real criminals in this:
the johns, the rapists, the murderers.
Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, I strongly urge passage of this bill.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2
minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana, Congresswoman Walorski.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today and speak on the
importance of combating human trafficking. I am grateful that the House
is bringing forth five antitrafficking bills to the floor today.
Human trafficking, which includes labor and sex trafficking, is the
second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world.
Trafficking may seem like an international problem, but there are
300,000 children at risk of sex trafficking here in the U.S.
The State of Indiana has formed a cutting edge, antitrafficking task
force that involves both public and private groups. This task force,
called IPATH, has investigated more than 200 cases in Indiana, and
continues to rescue children and adults from involuntary servitude in
commercial sex trafficking. Great work is being done in the Hoosier
State, but antitrafficking advocates agree that much more is needed.
That is why I am proud to cosponsor the Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act and proud to support the bills being voted on today.
This bill will provide law enforcement with necessary tools to
address the problem of trafficking by helping tackle the demand issue
itself and improve services for survivors. It also protects foster
children by requiring that the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children be notified when children are missing from foster
homes or child care institutions.
Madam Speaker, protecting people trapped in trafficking situations is
not a partisan or a political issue. It is not an issue that only
happens overseas. It happens on American soil, and it happens every day
all across this country.
We must work together to fight this issue, to be the voice for those
who are literally trapped, and to bring an end to this terrible crime.
I urge my colleagues to support the antitrafficking bills on the
floor today.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2
minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger).
Mr. PITTENGER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me
this time.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act, and much other legislation that we will consider
today.
I also rise in support of Antonia, Maria, and Rosa, three wonderful
women from Charlotte who fell victim to human trafficking.
Maria was trapped when she answered an ad for aspiring actresses.
Rosa was snatched from a local gas station while waiting for a ride.
Antonia dreamed of owning a bakery before falling victim to human
trafficking.
These women aren't statistics. They are individuals whom I know from
Charlotte, ordinary women--someone's daughter, someone's granddaughter.
Yet at a very young age they were forced into modern day slavery.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, trafficking is a
$32 billion a year industry, and the average age for a girl entering
the commercial sex trade is just 12 to 14 years old.
Madam Speaker, this is one of the most heinous of crimes. As Members
of Congress, we have a constitutional and moral obligation to protect
the most vulnerable in our society from this horrific exploitation.
Increased awareness and education is a critical first step in breaking
the cycle of exploitation here in the United States and around the
world.
Today, we have the opportunity to take legislative action, voting on
five bills which will help people like Antonia, Maria, and Rosa. Today,
we can vote to enhance the victim assistance programs, give law
enforcement better tools to catch the scum whom we call traffickers and
facilitators, and fix some of the loopholes exploited by traffickers.
Thank you to Mr. Goodlatte, to Judge Poe, to Mrs. Maloney, to Susan
Brooks, and to many others who are involved in this very important
effort. Thank you to the majority leader for his involvement, to all
members of the trafficking task force, and thank you to each Member who
will support this very important cause.
Thank you to Antonia Childs of Charlotte, who has dedicated her life
to helping other women escape modern day slavery. Maria and Rosa
wouldn't be on the road to recovery without you.
I urge my colleagues today to support the antitrafficking legislation
before us today.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, we have no further speakers, except for
myself. We are prepared to close.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support H.R.
3530, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, this is a great bipartisan bill dealing
with a serious tragedy in this country.
I urge my colleagues to join together and support this very, very
strongly, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this
important legislation and want to thank my Judiciary Committee
colleague, Mr. Poe, for all his work on this bill and this issue.
As a cosponsor of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, I join
the ever-growing number of Americans who are
[[Page H4509]]
standing up to the abhorrent practice of human trafficking.
Worldwide awareness concerning the trade in persons has increased
significantly in recent years, but awareness isn't enough.
With an estimated 27 million persons in slavery around the world and
hundreds of thousands within our own nation, now is the time for
action.
This legislation will help combat human trafficking by--boosting
support and protection for domestic human trafficking victims,
increasing and streamlining law enforcement resources, enhancing
victims' services, and strengthening our laws to ensure that both
buyers and sellers engaged in sex trafficking are held accountable for
their crimes.
I hope this body will join the anti-trafficking movement by adopting
this legislation with strong bipartisan support.
By doing so, we join those who have already taken action against
modern-day slavery--folks like my constituent, Vicki Moore.
Ten years ago, Vicki was alarmed to read about the commercial sex
trade in India.
But she wasn't just alarmed. She decided to do something about it.
Vicki founded a non-profit called Rahab's Rope.
Her organization gives hope and opportunity to women and girls who
are at risk or have been forced into the commercial sex trade in India.
Women helped by Rahab's Rope in India have the opportunity to produce
items that are then sold at the organization's store in Gainesville.
Proceeds from those sales go to help even more women and girls in
India.
The Rahab's Rope store also serves the important function of raising
awareness of the sex trade in India and worldwide.
In addition to its work overseas, Rahab's Rope works with local
organizations in Georgia to help women break out of the cycle of
poverty through education, skills and training, job coaching, and more.
As a long time supporter of Rahab's Rope, I commend Vicki and others
who have been on the front lines of this battle.
And hope this body will do everything in its power to support their
vital work of combating human trafficking.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3530, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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