[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H4515-H4522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STOP ADVERTISING VICTIMS OF EXPLOITATION ACT OF 2014

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 4225) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide 
a penalty for knowingly selling advertising that offers certain 
commercial sex acts, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4225

       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 ``Stop Advertising Victims of 
     Exploitation Act of 2014'' or the ``SAVE Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. ADVERTISING THAT OFFERS CERTAIN COMMERCIAL SEX ACTS.

       (a) In General.--Section 1591 of title 18, United States 
     Code, is amended in subsection (a)(1), by inserting after 
     ``obtains,'' the following: ``advertises,''.
       (b) Mens Rea Requirement.--Section 1591 of title 18, United 
     States Code, is amended in subsection (a), by inserting after 
     ``knowing, or'' the following: ``, except where, in an 
     offense under paragraph (2), the act constituting the 
     violation of paragraph (1) is advertising,''.
       (c) Conforming Amendments.--Section 1591(b) of title 18, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or obtained'' and 
     inserting ``obtained, or advertised''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or obtained'' and 
     inserting ``obtained, or advertised''.

  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. 4225, 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.
  Unfortunately, while the growth of the Internet and smartphones has 
proved to be of great value in many aspects of our lives, it has also 
been used by criminals to facilitate the commercial exploitation of 
children and other victims by providing an easy way for pimps or 
traffickers to market minor sex trafficking victims to potential 
purchasers who seek to do them harm.
  With the click of a button, individuals can now use Web sites to 
advertise, schedule, and purchase sexual encounters with minors, just 
like they would use these services to rent a car or order a pizza.
  The SAVE Act, introduced by Congresswoman Wagner from Missouri, makes 
a technical correction to an existing Federal sex trafficking statute, 
18 U.S.C., section 1591, to make clear that the law extends to 
traffickers who knowingly sell sex with minors and victims of force, 
fraud, or coercion through advertising, as well as to people or 
entities that knowingly benefit from the sale or distribution of such 
advertising.
  While much of the growth in this terrible crime is on the Internet, 
this bill is technology-neutral and applies to all advertising of 
children for sex, regardless of the medium.
  It is important to note that the bill clarifies the liability for the 
people or traffickers who place these ads, as well as the people and 
entities that knowingly profit from them.
  It is also important to note that these advertisements, as with all 
ads and other speech promoting illegal activity, are not protected 
speech under the First Amendment.
  Furthermore, in order to bring a case against a trafficker under this 
legislation, the government must prove that the defendant knew they 
were advertising and knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that the 
ad involved a minor or someone involved through force, fraud, or 
coercion.
  However, this legislation raises the bar even higher for defendants 
who, while not directly placing the ads, do knowingly benefit from the 
placement of advertising. Specifically, the bill requires the 
government to show that these defendants knew the advertisement 
involved a minor or a coerced adult. Reckless disregard is not 
sufficient.
  H.R. 4225 clarifies that people who advertise sex trafficking can 
face criminal liability. Under current law, there is the additional 
possibility of civil liability for defendants who violate the primary 
sex trafficking statute codified at section 1591.
  However, under section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, online 
publishers of third-party advertisements are generally immune from 
civil liability for such advertisements. H.R. 4225 does nothing to 
disrupt or modify the immunity already provided by section 230.
  While this legislation will help put more child traffickers in jail 
where they belong, this is not a precedent-setting bill. Congress has 
regulated advertisements, including online advertisements, many times.
  There are hundreds of references to advertising or advertisements in 
the Federal code, including in criminal provisions. Congress has even 
explicitly criminalized advertising on the Internet.
  Just last year, in a bill cosponsored by 127 bipartisan Members of 
Congress, Congress amended the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a crime 
to ``advertise for sale'' certain fraudulent military medals.
  During consideration of that bill, which passed the House by a vote 
of 390-3 and was signed into law, no Member raised a concern about the 
propriety of criminal advertising. Surely, saving young children from 
these horrors is no less deserving than fraudulent medals.
  This legislation simply clarifies and modernizes Federal criminal law 
to keep pace with the evolving trend of exploiting the Internet for 
criminal gains. The bill has support from more than 90 bipartisan 
cosponsors and was reported out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 
24-3.
  I want to commend our colleague, Congresswoman Wagner, for bringing 
forth this important legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, while I support the bipartisan efforts we are taking 
today with several bills to enhance our effort to prevent, investigate, 
and prosecute acts of sex trafficking, I must raise serious concerns 
about H.R. 4225, the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 
2014, which I cannot support in its present form.
  To be sure, the bill has the laudable goal of prosecuting those who 
knowingly facilitate sex trafficking by advertising certain prohibited 
sex acts. However, I must object to the mandatory minimum sentencing 
provisions which this new offense would trigger under existing 
statutes.
  Under the sex trafficking statute, as amended by this bill, a 
conviction for advertising of sex trafficking would result in a 
mandatory penalty of 10 or 15 years of imprisonment, depending on the 
age of the victim and other circumstances of the crime.
  While the acts prohibited by the legislation will usually warrant 
such long sentences, mandatory minimum sentences are the wrong way to 
determine punishment under this or any other criminal statute.
  Regardless of the nature or the circumstances surrounding the 
offense, the role of the offender in the particular crime or the 
history or characteristics of the offender, H.R. 4225 will require a 
judge to impose a 10- or 15-year sentence.

[[Page H4516]]

  Even if everyone in the case, from the arresting officer, the 
prosecutor, the judge, even the victim believes that the mandatory 
minimum would be an unjust sentence for a particular defendant in a 
case, this bill still requires the sentence to be imposed.
  The imposition of a mandatory minimum sentence is particularly 
troublesome when one considers the possible scope of defendants who 
could be prosecuted under this bill.
  Notably, the prohibition on advertising does not only apply to the 
sex trafficker who places the ad, but also applies to individuals and 
entities who facilitate or have a minor role in publishing the ad, such 
as someone who works for an Internet Web site which is involved.
  Those who are employed by a venture that benefits financially from 
the ad, but whose role in the organization does not place them in the 
chain of command with respect to acceptance or publishing the illegal 
ads could therefore be prosecuted under the bill.
  Specifically, there may be circumstances in which all of the 
employees of a communications company, including receptionists or 
computer maintenance workers, know that the venture publishes such 
advertising, but chose to look the other way.
  They should be held liable under the provisions of this bill, but 
many of them would certainly not warrant a mandatory sentence, in 
certain circumstances, of 15 years, not all of them.
  During the Judiciary Committee's markup of the bill, I offered an 
amendment to remove the application of the mandatory minimum provisions 
of this new bill and, instead, allow a judge to apply an appropriate 
sentence under the circumstances of the case, up to a statutory maximum 
of life imprisonment.
  Given the complicated nature of the Internet communications networks 
and other forms of advertising which would be affected by this bill, 
the role of the judge in evaluating each case is particularly 
important. While long sentences may be appropriate under the facts of a 
particular case, Congress cannot know the facts of every case in 
advance.
  Removing mandatory minimums, while still permitting the lengthy 
statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment, as my amendment would 
have done, will provide the appropriate spectrum of sentences for 
culpability and proportionate punishment.

                              {time}  1615

  Mandatory minimum penalties are already a major issue of concern for 
our criminal justice system, and we should not make matters worse by 
passing a new one with this bill. Studies of mandatory minimums have 
concluded that they fail to reduce crime, they waste the taxpayers' 
money, and they often require judges to impose sentences that simply 
violate common sense.
  Therefore, I am pleased that the Judiciary Committee's bipartisan 
Over-Criminalization Task Force is working diligently to assess our 
Federal criminal code and make recommendations for improvements. The 
penalties, including mandatory minimums, in the Federal code are among 
the issues the task force will consider. And while these issues are 
under review, we should not be passing new mandatory minimum sentences. 
In fact, if we ever expect to eliminate mandatory minimums from the 
code, we must first stop passing new ones.
  Now, mandatory minimums did not get into the code all at once but one 
at a time, each in a bill that otherwise made good sense. So if we are 
going to stop increasing the number of mandatory minimums, we must 
oppose bills that contain them.
  So while I strongly support the efforts to do more to combat the 
serious problem of sex trafficking by taking steps such as 
strengthening our laws and providing additional resources for law 
enforcement and victims, I must, unfortunately, oppose this bill in its 
current form because it creates new mandatory minimums which can be 
expected to require a judge in the future to impose a sentence that 
violates common sense.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 6 
minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the chief 
sponsor of this legislation.
  Mrs. WAGNER. I thank the gentleman from Virginia, Chairman Goodlatte, 
for his wonderful leadership on this issue and so many others.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4225, the 
Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation, SAVE, Act. But, Madam 
Speaker, I also rise today in support of all the good work done by my 
colleagues here in Congress on the issue of human trafficking.
  Madam Speaker, as a former United States Ambassador, I was exposed 
firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international 
level. I reported on the devastating consequences of human trafficking, 
where innocent women and children were dragged into the dark abyss of 
sex slavery. But never in my darkest moments did I ever think that 
human trafficking was so rampant right here in the United States of 
America.
  Madam Speaker, the faces behind me are photographs of actual victims 
of sex trafficking. These young women and children were forced into 
sexual slavery by ruthless traffickers. Madam Speaker, right now there 
are young women being forced into prostitution in virtually every 
district across the Nation. In fact, I was shocked to learn that my own 
hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, has been identified as one of the top 
20 areas for sex trafficking in the United States.
  Madam Speaker, this problem is hiding, hiding in plain sight. 
However, there is hope. I take hope from the work done by the law 
enforcement professionals who are on the front lines every single day, 
protecting our Nation's children from those who would seek to exploit 
them; I take hope from those who work in victims' services and their 
tireless efforts to help survivors recover, heal, and forge new lives 
out of the horrors of sexual enslavement; but most importantly, I take 
hope from all the survivors of this hideous crime. Their strength gives 
us strength; their resolve gives us inspiration; and their steadfast 
commitment to ending sex trafficking gives us the courage to fight.
  Madam Speaker, because of the efforts of many individuals and groups, 
I am happy to report that Congress has taken notice of this serious 
problem. Years of work by Representatives Smith, Poe, and Paulsen, and 
my cochair of the Human Trafficking Task Force, Congresswoman Maloney, 
among the so many others who have raised awareness of this issue, have 
laid the foundation for the long overdue action for Congress that they 
are presently taking.
  I am grateful that many of my colleagues have held events in their 
home districts to raise awareness and education of this crime. 
Representatives Davis, Hudson, Roskam, Coffman, Huizenga, and Heck, 
along with so very many others, have all held human trafficking events 
in their districts to raise awareness and offer solutions to end sexual 
assault and human trafficking. I applaud these efforts and look forward 
to continuing this work for years to come.
  However, Madam Speaker, there is much work to be done. As 
legislators, we have an obligation to come together and do something 
because we can, because we should, and because we must.
  Over the last 10 years, prostitution has slowly but persistently 
migrated to an online marketplace. Classified services, like 
backpage.com and others, are the vehicles for advertising the victims 
of the child sex trade to the world. Pimps and traffickers blatantly 
advertise their victims' sexual services, with provocative photographs 
and unsubtle messages, complete with per-hour pricing. The traffickers 
pay Web sites like Backpage to display their messages. These Web sites 
reportedly reap enormous profits at the expense of the victims of sex 
trafficking. Revenue from U.S. online prostitution advertising totaled 
$45 million just in the year 2013. Many of these ads feature children 
and trafficking victims. This results in thousands of children every 
year being openly sold for sex on the Internet.
  Madam Speaker, government intervention is necessary to end 
facilitation of sex trafficking by Web sites like Backpage and others 
who commercially advertise this criminal activity. Companies that base 
their business models off of the profits made by selling sex with 
children should not be allowed to operate. The SAVE Act seeks

[[Page H4517]]

to criminalize this behavior, thereby dramatically reducing the 
victimization of vulnerable children and women forced into sexual 
slavery in the U.S.
  The protections included in the SAVE Act apply to two classes of 
victims: underage children and those who are being forced to engage in 
commercial sex acts against their will. The offense created by the SAVE 
Act applies to any form of advertisement. Online postings, newspaper 
classifieds, even billboards would be considered unlawful if the 
advertiser knew it would lead to sex trafficking.
  Madam Speaker, there is well-established precedent for Congress to 
criminalize the advertising of illegal goods or services, including the 
advertisement of child pornography, weapons of mass destruction, 
illegal narcotics, and animal fighting. Surely--surely--advertisements 
offering sex with children should also be subject to the same 
restrictions. The penalties are 15 years to life if the victim, the 
child victim, is younger than 14 years old, 10 years to life if the 
child victim is 14 to 18 years old.
  The advertisement of victims is the key link in the human trafficking 
chain. Businesses make millions of dollars every month connecting johns 
with pimps and their victims. This link needs to be broken. 
Criminalizing the advertisement of trafficking victims will stem the 
flow of money, resulting in a reduction of both demand and supply.
  The victims of sex trafficking are not nameless, faceless children. 
They are our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and neighbors. They are 
the vulnerable youth of our society, the ones who should be protected 
the most, not exploited for money and greed.
  I urge my colleagues to support the SAVE Act because it will provide 
the tools necessary for law enforcement to combat the sexual 
exploitation and enslavement of women and children in the United 
States.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlelady from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).
  Ms. KUSTER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri, 
Representative Ann Wagner, for her friendship and her leadership, and I 
thank my colleagues, Representative Maloney, Representative Scott, and 
others.
  I am so proud to join my colleagues here on the floor of the House 
today in passing this commonsense bill to strengthen and protect 
victims of sex trafficking. This legislation would penalize individuals 
who knowingly host and sell advertisements for the commercial 
exploitation of minors and trafficking victims.
  Just last week, I hosted a roundtable in New Hampshire with 
advocates, prosecutors, and survivors who confirmed in harrowing detail 
that human trafficking is a crime that is being committed all too 
frequently across this country. It remains a serious problem both here 
and abroad.
  Recently, I was proud to reach across the aisle and work with my 
colleagues to lead a letter that all House women Representatives signed 
urging the Obama administration to push the United Nations Security 
Council to add Boko Haram to the Al-Qaida Sanctions List, following the 
abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls threatened to be sold into sexual 
slavery by this terrorist group. Through this effort, we became a 
powerful voice against the horrors of this and other instances of human 
trafficking that are taking place around the world.
  Both Democrats and Republicans in this House understand that we must 
work together to protect our women, girls, boys, and men, and they know 
that trafficking isn't just a political issue; it is a human issue. And 
contrary to popular belief, it is one that is happening right here in 
our backyard.
  Domestic child sex trafficking is a serious problem in the United 
States, with an estimated close to 300,000 American youth at risk of 
commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. It is imperative that 
we help law enforcement officials rescue domestic victims, track down 
their exploiters, provide additional tools for prosecutors to treat 
trafficked minors as victims instead of criminals, and ensure that 
these victims can access protective services.
  I applaud House leadership on both sides of the aisle for bringing 
these five bipartisan bills to the floor to prevent human trafficking 
and to provide support for victims, both here and abroad.
  As a mother, I can't even imagine the pain and anguish that these 
families are going through as they fight to bring their loved ones back 
home. It is essential that we pass these bills today and do everything 
we can in Washington to support Jasmine in New Hampshire and victims 
all across this country, to support our States' and countries' efforts 
to eliminate human trafficking for good.
  I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman 
Goodlatte for his leadership, and the committee and all of those who 
have stood before me and will stand after me to discuss this important 
issue.
  I am proud to rise in support of the SAVE Act. It is one step that 
brings us closer to our goal of ending domestic and international 
trafficking, and protecting and helping the victims of trafficking.
  Last week, I hosted a human trafficking summit in Champaign, 
Illinois, to give my constituents the opportunity to speak directly 
with and learn from experts on this important issue. It was humbling to 
hear the personal story of a survivor, Mrs. Aubrey Lloyd, and see the 
passion of those offering services to help victims of this horrible 
practice.
  As a husband and the father of a 17-year-old daughter, this issue is 
deeply personal to me. Aubrey talked about how one night, she was doing 
her French homework, got in an argument with her mother, went to a 
friend's house and wasn't able to return home because she had become a 
victim of human trafficking. Aubrey was 16 at the time. That could be 
any child in America today who is held against their will.
  Congress is choosing to look directly at this issue and do our part 
to raise awareness and offer concrete solutions to end this abhorrent 
practice.
  Somebody else who joined us that day is Chris Baker. Chris has a 
ministry that removes tattoos, removes brandings of sex trafficking 
victims. Aubrey still had hers. Chris reminded me of a quote by William 
Wilberforce, where he said:

       You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say 
     again that you did not know.

  Let's work together to end this abhorrent practice.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the 
gentleman for yielding and for his incredible, principled work in so 
many areas, and I want to note his hard work on combating mandatory 
sentences. I feel that he is right in many ways. But because this crime 
is so out of control, I am strongly supporting my colleague and 
cochair, Representative Wagner's bill.

                              {time}  1640

  We cochair the caucus on antitrafficking in the women's caucus, and 
this bill is designed to stop the advertising of children for 
exploitation in sex trafficking. And we have tried over and over to 
stop it.
  I will now place in the Record a letter that Marsha Blackburn and I 
wrote addressing the online promotion of human trafficking, meetings, 
and letters. It went nowhere.

                                 Congress of the United States

                                   Washington, DC., April 3, 2012.
     Larry Page,
     Chief Executive Officer, Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA.
       Dear Mr. Page: As Members of Congress committed to 
     combating all forms of human trafficking, we write to you 
     with concerns about reports of Google's advertising 
     practices. Recently, dozens of human rights groups called on 
     the National Association of Attorneys General to investigate 
     Google's advertising practices that these groups believe 
     contribute to the problem of human trafficking in America and 
     globally.
       Whatever Google is doing or is not doing to prevent these 
     sorts of advertisements from appearing on their properties, 
     Google has not satisfied a significant number of human

[[Page H4518]]

     rights organizations who have a specialized understanding of 
     how these ads contribute to the human trafficking of women 
     and girls. We are particularly concerned that these human 
     rights groups may have identified yet another area where 
     Google profits from illicit activities such as Google's 
     advertising of controlled substances for which your company 
     paid a $500,000,000 forfeiture to the United States last 
     year.
       Accordingly, we request that you provide us with answers to 
     the following initial questions we have regarding these 
     developments:
       1. Apart from Google's donations to large human rights 
     organizations, what is your company doing internally to 
     ensure that sexually exploitative advertisements do not 
     appear?
       2. What is Google's stated internal policy regarding 
     exploitative advertising? What evidence do you have that 
     those policies are being complied with by both Google's 
     internal and external advertising sales teams?
       3. What steps does Google take to instruct its advertising 
     sales managers, consultants, and other employees regarding 
     the evaluation of advertisers of such exploitative marketing?
       4. If Google were to determine that it profits from such 
     advertising, what steps would you take to ensure those 
     profits were publicly disclosed and then disgorged? Would 
     that process require restating Google's earnings for past 
     securities filings?
       Online markets provide traffickers with the ability to 
     reach untold customers across all political jurisdictions. As 
     a global leader and innovator in internet technologies, 
     Google is in a unique position to do its part to fight human 
     exploitation and trafficking, and we would encourage the 
     company to proactively address these concerns.
       We look forward to your reply and to engaging with Google 
     cooperatively to stop human trafficking in America and around 
     the world.
           Sincerely,
     Marsha Blackburn,
       Member of Congress.
     Carolyn Maloney,
       Member of Congress.
                                  ____


Reps. Maloney and Blackburn Join Efforts To Address Online Promotion of 
                           Human Trafficking


        April 4, 2012--Issues: Human Trafficking Women's Issues

              (Press Contact: Jon Houston (202) 225-7944)

       Washington.--Representatives Marsha Blackburn and Carolyn 
     Maloney yesterday sent a bipartisan letter to Google 
     questioning how the company's advertising practices addresses 
     human trafficking.
       Rep. Carolyn Maloney said: ``As a leader in technology, I 
     encourage Google also to lead in the fight against online 
     human trafficking. Too many people believe that human 
     trafficking is a problem only in foreign countries but online 
     advertising has opened new markets for the estimated 100,000 
     children in the United States--most of whom are American 
     citizens--exploited through commercial sex every year, with 
     the average age of first exploitation between 12-13 years 
     old. These are our daughters, their schoolmates, and their 
     friends; everyone--every company--must understand the 
     reality: that sex trafficking is the slavery of the 21st 
     century. I hope Google will look into its practices to make 
     sure it does not contribute to web-based sex trafficking.'' 
     Rep. Maloney is co-chair of the Congressional Human 
     Trafficking Caucus, working to educate people about the 
     reality of the trade in human lives and toward its 
     elimination.
       Rep. Marsha Blackburn stated: ``Illicit online advertising 
     threatens more than just the freedom of the Internet--it 
     denies women and children their fundamental right to human 
     dignity. I have no doubt that if Google was found to profit 
     from online ads that promoted human trafficking, they would 
     immediately stop the placement of those ads. Since Google has 
     a unique ability to help thwart this modern-day form of human 
     slavery, we are looking forward to learning how Google 
     responds to various human rights critics on this issue and 
     whether Google's advertising policies address the 
     exploitation of vulnerable women and girls.''
       Text of the letter from Representatives Blackburn and 
     Maloney, addressed to Google's CEO, Larry Page can be read 
     here.
       Last week, a group of anti-trafficking organizations called 
     on the National Association of Attorneys General to 
     investigate Google for profiting from the sale of online 
     advertisements that contributes to human trafficking in a 
     letter that can be seen here. Last month, 19 U.S. Senators 
     sent a letter to the Village Voice, owner of the 
     controversial website Backpage.com, calling for them to stop 
     using online advertising to promote child prostitution on 
     their website.

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I will now place in the Record a 
letter that Congressman Nadler and I wrote to Web sites of the media 
trying to stop them from promoting our children as sex objects. They 
are still doing it.

  Maloney and Nadler Call On Village Voice Media To Shut Down Website 
               Frequented by Sex Traffickers--May 7, 2012

       New York, NY.--U.S. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-
     NY) and Jerrold L. Nadler (D-NY) today sent a letter to 
     Village Voice Media, LLC expressing concerns about the 
     frequency with which that company's Backpage.com website is 
     used to advertise minors and trafficked persons and urging it 
     to shut down its notorious ``adult services'' section.
       In a statement accompanying the release of the joint 
     letter, whose full text is included below, Congresswoman 
     Maloney said: ``Law enforcement authorities and anti-
     trafficking advocates agree that the adult services section 
     of Village Voice's Backpage.com is the single busiest online 
     marketplace for the sexual trafficking of minors and 
     trafficking victims anywhere in the United States. It is high 
     time the Voice lived up to its reputation as a beacon of 
     progressivism, and shut down this cesspool.'' Rep. Maloney 
     serves as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Human 
     Trafficking Caucus, which works to educate people about the 
     reality of the trade in human lives and toward its 
     eradication.
       Congressman Jerrold Nadler said, ``The Village Voice must 
     ensure that it is not in any way assisting in the horrific 
     business of sex trafficking. Clearly Backpage.com has not 
     done enough to prevent human trafficking on its site. They 
     should shut down their adult services page immediately, 
     before it is used by criminals to further promote human 
     trafficking.''
       Background:
       The sexual trafficking of minors, which is illegal under 
     federal and New York State law, is on the rise in the United 
     States and around the world, with most knowledgeable 
     estimates of the number of domestic under-age trafficking 
     victims in the tens of thousands. The U.S. Department of 
     Justice estimates the average age at which minors begin to be 
     exploited by sex traffickers is between the ages of 12 and 14 
     for girls and between the ages of 11 and 13 for boys.
       The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Act 
     of 2008 established criminal penalties for those found guilty 
     of acting with ``reckless disregard'' for the sexual 
     exploitation of minors. In New York City alone, the District 
     Attorneys of Kings, Queens and Manhattan have all pressed 
     charges against alleged traffickers who used Backpage.com to 
     market sex to potential johns.
       Nineteen United States Senators and 51 Attorneys General 
     have joined the growing chorus of calls from non-profit 
     advocates and organizations urging Village Voice Media to 
     remove the adult services section from Backpage.com. On April 
     25, 2012, S. Res. 439 was introduced expressing the sense of 
     the Senate that Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC should 
     eliminate the ``adult entertainment'' section of the 
     classified advertising website Backpage.com. A New York City 
     Council hearing on human trafficking held last month included 
     pointed questioning from several Council Members to 
     representatives of Backpage.com, as well as testimony from 
     local district attorneys about the use of the website by a 
     large proportion of the traffickers they have prosecuted.
       Text of Letter from Representatives Maloney and Nadler to 
     Village Voice Media, LLC.
                                  ____

                                                      May 4, 2012.
     Mr. Jim Larkin,
     Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Village Voice Media 
         Holdings, LLC, 1201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ.
       Dear Mr. Larkin: We are deeply troubled by information from 
     members of law enforcement that Backpage.com, which is owned 
     by Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC (``Village Voice''), is 
     frequently being used to advertise the sexual exploitation of 
     minors and trafficked persons. Backpage.com can create a 
     significant impact on trafficking by shutting off a major 
     source of advertising for these criminals--the adult services 
     section of its website.
       As you may know, estimates as to the number of children 
     being sexually exploited in the United States vary widely; 
     however, most estimates place the number in the tens or 
     hundreds of thousands. Many of these young people are 
     runaways, who were in foster care or from abusive homes. 
     According to the Department of Justice, the estimated average 
     age of entry into prostitution is 12-14 for girls, 11-13 for 
     boys. Trafficking in children is illegal under federal law, 
     and state law, and federal law makes clear that people who 
     benefit from this trade cannot pretend to turn a blind eye. 
     In 2008, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims 
     Protection Act amended Title 18, Section 1591 of the United 
     States Code to make it clear that a person can be found 
     guilty for acting with ``reckless disregard'' of the fact 
     that a child will be used for commercial sexual purposes. 
     Courts have found that ignorance is deliberate if the 
     defendants were presented with facts putting them on 
     notice that criminal activity was particularly likely and 
     yet intentionally failed to investigate. Over and over 
     again, law enforcement has found a link between the sexual 
     exploitation of minors or trafficking victims and 
     Backpage.com.
       The National Association of Attorneys General reports that 
     its members have tracked more than 50 instances, in 22 states 
     over three years, of charges filed against those trafficking 
     or attempting to traffic minors on Backpage.com. In our area, 
     on March 8, 2012, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown 
     announced that he was prosecuting defendants in a case 
     involving a 15-year-old Long Island girl who was kidnapped 
     and taken to Queens where she was drugged and gang-raped by 
     thugs who reportedly sold her on Backpage.com. Similarly, on 
     March 13, 2012, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance 
     announced the indictment of a man

[[Page H4519]]

     who was forcing a woman to work for him as a prostitute by 
     physical violence, threats and psychological manipulation, 
     and withholding her permanent resident card and birth 
     certificate. The press release announcing the indictment 
     specifically says the defendant ``advertised multiple females 
     for prostitution using online advertising on websites such as 
     Backpage.com in order to locate potential clients.''
       On April 25, 2012, the New York City Council conducted a 
     hearing on the connection between Backpage.com and sex 
     trafficking. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes 
     testified that, among the 40 cases his sex-trafficking unit 
     has prosecuted in the past two years, ``one website, above 
     all, [was] most frequently used to exploit children and 
     advertise trafficked victims--that website is Backpage.com.'' 
     Similarly, Daniel Alonso, Chief Assistant District Attorney 
     in Manhattan, testified that ``ads placed on Backpage.com 
     have played a part in nearly every other sex trafficking 
     investigation and case seen by my office.'' He went on to say 
     that ``Backpage.com and web sites like it in effect serve to 
     enable trafficking by providing a place for traffickers--who 
     are, after all, criminals--to drum up demand for what they 
     view as a product.''
       We are strong supporters of the First Amendment, but its 
     free speech protections do not extend to the facilitation of 
     criminal activity, such as the sexual exploitation of minors 
     on the Internet. We are aware that Backpage.com argues that 
     it cooperates with law enforcement and that its efforts have 
     led to successful prosecutions of some traffickers; we also 
     know, however, that countless other criminals have posted 
     advertisements of minors and trafficked women without being 
     brought to the attention of law enforcement.
       If Backpage.com's procedures were sufficient to interdict 
     the majority of cases in which minors are trafficked, then we 
     would be more inclined to accept your protestations that 
     Backpage.com serves a valuable function in assisting law 
     enforcement in protecting minors. In fact, the 51 Attorneys 
     General who have expressed their concern about Backpage.com 
     argue that Backpage.com is ``a hub for such activity,'' ie., 
     for the sexual exploitation of children and prostitution.
       Backpage.com has argued that if it were to shut down its 
     adult services section, the business would simply transfer to 
     other, darker places on the Internet. While that may be true, 
     it is also true that if the business transferred to a less 
     prominent location, it might be harder for the casual user to 
     find and, therefore, might make this business less lucrative. 
     Furthermore, when a company like the Village Voice is engaged 
     in selling children or trafficking victims for sex, it 
     legitimizes the industry. Given the magnitude of the business 
     done by Backpage.com involving trafficked persons, it is hard 
     to believe that your controls are as comprehensive as you 
     claim.
       We join the 19 United States Senators, including New York 
     Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, 51 Attorneys General, dozens of 
     human rights and sexual assault organizations, faith leaders, 
     elected officials and more than a quarter of a million 
     Americans who contacted you or signed a petition on this 
     issue, urging you to remove the adult services section from 
     Backpage.com. Too many children and too many trafficking 
     victims have been sold on your website for us to accept any 
     more excuses.
       We await your prompt response.
           Very truly yours,
                                               Carolyn B. Maloney,
                                               Member of Congress.
                                                Jerrold L. Nadler,
                                               Member of Congress.

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I don't know how to do it unless 
we have a concrete law. And this law is not without precedent. Congress 
has passed laws to criminalize the advertising of illegal goods. They 
have passed laws to criminalize the advertising of child pornography, 
of weapons of mass destruction, and of narcotics. Surely, we can pass a 
law that criminalizes selling children as sex objects. We have tried 
meetings, we have tried letters, we have tried sanctions, and we have 
tried press. We have tried everything. I don't know how we stop it 
unless we pass a law that says it is illegal.
  I want to tell a story. I first got involved in combating sex 
trafficking because a company in my district called Big Apple Tours was 
advertising online, publishing pamphlets of going to Thailand, to the 
Philippines or upstate New York with pictures of children. You can have 
as many as you want. I wrote a letter complaining. This is how brazen 
they were. They took my letter and put it on the Internet along with 
their advertising and made fun of it. Why is she complaining about the 
parties we are having?
  So it has been out of control, and this is a step towards bringing it 
into control. The attorney general of New York went after them and took 
down their site. It no longer is up. But it shows how brazen these 
exploiters are. And it is big business. It is the third most profitable 
form of organized crime in our Nation preceded only by the selling of 
narcotics and the selling of illegal guns. But the selling of the human 
body can happen again and again until the person is sick and dies. You 
sell a gun once, and you sell a drug once. You can sell a young child 
over and over again.
  We really have to do everything we can to stop it. This act adds 
advertising to the types of conduct that constitutes sex trafficking. 
It is common sense that if they are advertising the selling of a young 
child, it is sex trafficking. And we can stop it. This is something we 
can do that will literally save lives.
  The FBI ranks this type of rape as preceded only by murder in terms 
of the destruction of what it does to an individual, and often the 
inability of that individual to live a normal life afterwards. It is a 
horrific crime, the 21st century form of slavery. I can't think of 
anything more abusive. And it is what is happening now in Nigeria to 
those young women.
  It is happening right here in our backyard. My colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle and the women's caucus have heard testimony of 
foster children--of American children--that have been captured, 
tricked, and drugged. We heard a story on the floor today of a 
constituent's child, a child in his neighborhood, that was exploited.
  By passing this bill, we can stop this advertising. We can cut off 
this form of exploitation and this abuse. I think that it is an 
important bill, and I am supporting it with reservation on the 
mandatory sentencing, which I hope will be cut out in the Senate, but 
it is important that we take steps to prevent it.
  If we pass laws to stop the advertising of child pornography, we can 
certainly pass a law that stops the selling of a child in sex abuse.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield the gentlelady an additional 1 minute.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I could go on all day. My time 
is expired. I thank the gentleman for his leadership. I know that many 
others want to speak on this important issue.
  I congratulate Congresswoman Wagner on her persistence on this bill, 
and I am proud to support her.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).
  Mr. ROTHFUS. I thank the chairman.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Stop Advertising 
Victims of Exploitation Act, which will make the advertising of a 
trafficking victim for a commercial sex act a crime.
  Human trafficking is despicable and unacceptable. It is horrific that 
millions of victims worldwide are trafficked each year, and it is 
happening in our local communities. Last month, I hosted a trafficking 
roundtable in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, with community organizations 
and law enforcement agencies to discuss ways to combat trafficking in 
western Pennsylvania. Sadly, this problem exists in cities and towns 
across America, and together we can do something to eliminate it.
  As a father of six, I cannot imagine the horrible situations to which 
trafficking victims are exposed. We must put a stop to these crimes, 
and today's bill is an important way to do this.
  I thank my friend, Congresswoman Wagner, for her efforts on the SAVE 
Act, as well as the sponsors of today's bills, as we work to raise 
awareness about and combat human trafficking.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentleman very much.
  Again, this is a historic day, Madam Speaker, and it is a day, 
tragically, when we wish we had been able to stamp out this dastardly 
act, if you will, collective act of trafficking of our children, the 
advertising and the sheer slavery of it all, holding people against 
their will, using them over and over again.
  I, too, have had the opportunity to see firsthand the devastation of 
ones who have been trafficked and then ultimately feel that their 
life's career can only be in prostitution. These may be adults, but 
they started being abused

[[Page H4520]]

and exploited as children. Just about a year or 2 ago, we had Attorney 
General Holder in my district, with all of those who were gathered 
around the issue of trafficking, human slavery, and had a meeting in 
the district, and the outpouring of the crisis was enormously 
overwhelming.
  This morning in a markup in the Border and Maritime Security 
Subcommittee, of which I am the ranking member, Madam Miller is the 
chairwoman, we discussed unaccompanied minors coming across the border, 
victims-to-be, if you will, 60,000 coming across our border, children 
who are unaccompanied who are clearly potentially victims in this 
horrible human trafficking.

  So I am a cosponsor of the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation 
Act and am well aware of the heinousness of depicting and advertising 
for these sex acts with children under 14 and those over 14. And I know 
for a fact that this is the beginning of the end of many of their 
lives. We know that there are ultimate acts that are so terrible that a 
child cannot overcome, that the sexual acts that are being advertised, 
in whatever means, are life-ending in many instances. And so the idea 
of making this the kind of crime that shows the concern of the American 
public is important.
  I would also say to you that I am one that is concerned about 
mandatory minimums, and I hope that as we make our way through, there 
will be further discussions of this legislation. But at this time I 
stand in support of it. I have always said that the weakness on the 
mandatory minimums for me is when you involve undermining, destroying, 
killing, using in an abusive sexual manner, trafficking, and holding 
against their will children. They are vulnerable. They are without the 
resources to help themselves. And let me say this. Many runaways in 
this country fall victim to this. Many unaccompanied children that come 
across the border fall victim to this. Many children who are in 
conditions where they do not have a family structure fall victim to 
this. But they fall victim to this because there are so many who will 
exploit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield the gentlelady an additional 1 minute.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentleman again for his leadership.
  But there are many who exploit, continue to exploit from the comfort 
of their home. How terrible it is to go into workplaces and find that 
individuals are using their computers to engage in this. How horrible 
it is to go into homes and find computers filled with this kind of 
trash, and how horrible it is to see that people will profit from the 
advertising and the selling of commercial acts in whatever way they do.
  So I would thank the sponsors of this legislation and recognize that 
we have opportunities to look at how we construct this kind of remedy 
for these tragic and horrible acts that ultimately result in the death 
of our children, either at their own hand, tragically, or by those who 
would abuse them through commercial sex acts. This should be something 
that we should stamp out of our society, out of our system, and out of 
this Nation. We need to begin to do it as we make our way through these 
bills today.
  Madam Speaker, this bill, of which I am a cosponsor, the SAVE Act, 
has a commendable purpose and I am convinced that it will help in our 
efforts to end exploitation of children.
  H.R. 4225, the ``Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 
2014,'' amends title 18 of the United States Code to impose a criminal 
penalty for knowingly selling advertising that offers certain 
commercial sex acts.
  Specifically, it provides for criminal liability for the 
advertisements of commercial sex acts that are prohibited under 
existing 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1591 if the advertiser either: (a) benefits 
financially or receives anything of value from that advertising, or (b) 
distributes the advertising.
  It provides for a statutory maximum of five years' imprisonment or a 
fine. It does not mandate a statutory minimum sentence or fine.
  And while I strongly agree with the purpose of the bill--I do wish it 
had gone through regular order in the Judiciary Committee on which I 
serve.
  It is critically important that the bill allows those who might have 
concerns because of certain unintended consequences to voice those 
issues before the full committee.
  My wish is that going forward; we would assume regular order in the 
Judiciary Committee and yield to the conventions which have made our 
Committee a force and one with prestige and honor throughout its 
history.
  I ask my colleagues to support this important legislation which helps 
end exploitation of our precious children.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to 
yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers).
  Mrs. ELLMERS. Madam Speaker, thank you to the chairman for bringing 
this very important legislation forward. I am pleased to be able to 
speak in strong support of the number of bills that we have today that 
will combat the problem of human sex trafficking.
  I would like to emphasize the urgency that this issue requires. Just 
this morning, one of our local papers in Fayetteville, North Carolina, 
was reporting that a local mother and son have been arrested and 
charged with human trafficking of a child victim, sexual servitude of a 
child and promoting the prostitution of a minor. This issue is real, 
and it is happening in our own backyards and across our Nation and 
across the world.
  This is only the beginning of this very important mission, and I, for 
one, will not rest until we find a way to stop this. This is just, 
again, the beginning of our fight, and I am proud to have cosponsored 
these bills today to stop this horrifying practice and help these 
victims. We will continue to do more until we eradicate this form of 
slavery in the United States and throughout the world.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho).
  Mr. YOHO. I would like to thank Mr. Goodlatte.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in complete support of erasing human 
trafficking from the face of the Earth. I am a proud cosponsor of all 
the bipartisan bills before us today, bills that will give us, the 
courts, and law enforcement the tools and resources we need to combat 
the plague that is human trafficking.
  It is unacceptable that today, in 2014, the 21st century, human 
beings are being sold, owned, and held against their will living a life 
that is, for lack of a better term, hell on Earth. Human trafficking is 
defined by the Department of Homeland Security as ``a modern-day form 
of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for exploitation or 
commercial gain.''
  The victims of human trafficking are the most vulnerable among us: 
the poor, immigrants in search of a better life--a better life for 
their families--women, and even children. These exploited persons are 
victimized by the traffickers who lure them in with false promises of a 
better life and then are coerced into unspeakable acts, domestic 
servitude, or other types of forced labor.
  The traffickers only see the victims as a means to make a profit, no 
different from a commodity or livestock on a farm, and certainly not as 
the human beings that they are. Too often in our communities, there is 
a lack of pushback or even awareness that this terrible practice of 
modern-day servitude exists. It does, and it happens within our own 
neighborhoods, towns, and counties.
  Even when the problem of trafficking is realized, law enforcement 
does not have the tools it needs to go after the criminals or take care 
of the victims.
  Americans need to take a hard stance, lead on the issue, and let it 
be known that there is zero tolerance for this horrendous practice. The 
first step is educating entire communities, since a lack of awareness 
is our foremost threat. Second, we must provide the resources to law 
enforcement and make this a priority among the legal community. 
Finally, we need to recognize and treat the victims of trafficking not 
as criminals but as victims.
  My office in Florida's Third District has been taking steps and will 
continue to do so to make north central Florida a zero tolerance zone 
for human trafficking. We have brought together representatives from 
the Department of Homeland Security. I just want to say that we stand 
in support of all of these

[[Page H4521]]

bills, and we urge all of our Members to.

                              {time}  1645

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to 
yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Herrera 
Beutler).
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman.
  There is no faster growing form of organized crime in the world than 
human sex trafficking, and unfortunately, it is happening right here in 
the United States. More than 100,000 girls are caught up in sex 
trafficking every year in the United States. Just last month, my local 
paper reported on a couple being charged with prostituting a 17-year-
old girl who was under their control. As you have heard today, that is 
hardly an isolated story.
  We are here not just to discuss the problem, but the solutions. We 
are seeking to disable Web sites like backpage.com that advertise 
children for commercial sex and make it a Federal crime for a company 
to knowingly post advertisements for sex with minors.
  These bills will also increase funding for services to victims--these 
girls are victims--and give prosecutors better tools to go after the 
traffickers.
  We cannot close our eyes and pretend this crime does not exist. We 
must take responsibility and be the voice for these children and defend 
those who cannot defend themselves.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, the statistics associated with human 
trafficking are nothing short of staggering. Studies have estimated 
that it is a nearly $10 billion industry in the United States, and it 
affects over 300,000 young men and women that are victims of human 
trafficking. The human toll is real and significant. The SAVE Act 
changes the idea that the Internet can be used as a marketplace for 
those purposes.
  The SAVE Act does what 47 State attorneys general have done and asked 
us to do. The SAVE Act makes it a Federal crime to knowingly advertise 
for the sexual exploitation of minors and trafficking victims.
  While this is not the end of human trafficking and sexual 
exploitation of minors, it is a necessary and long overdue step.
  I want to commend my colleague, Mrs. Wagner, for her leadership on 
this very important issue and for constructing a very thoughtful piece 
of legislation.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I just have one speaker remaining, if 
the gentleman is prepared to close.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  Madam Speaker, mandatory minimums have resulted in bizarre sentences 
being imposed today. Girlfriends of drug dealers are serving decades 
behind bars because their sentences were based on the weight of the 
drugs involved in their boyfriend's drug dealings. Many other people 
are serving times clearly longer than required because of mandatory 
minimums.
  Under this bill, if a Web site is raided, this bill could require the 
judge to impose 15-year sentences on each and every employee, from the 
receptionist to computer maintenance personnel, no discretion, no 
consideration of an individual's role in the enterprise, everybody gets 
15 years.
  So if a sentence violates common sense, mandatory minimums require 
the judge to impose it any way, so if we are ever going to try to 
address the problems created by mandatory minimums, we have to stop 
passing bills like this one that can require sentences of at least 10-
15 years, regardless of the facts in an individual case, even when the 
bill is otherwise worthy.
  This is how so many mandatory minimums got into the code to begin 
with, one by one, each one in an otherwise worthy bill. The only way to 
begin to put an end to mandatory minimums is to stop passing new ones.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) to close the debate for 
our side of the aisle.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman and Mrs. Wagner 
for bringing about an increased awareness of the stark realities of 
human trafficking and modern day slavery in our world.
  While these tragedies have focused us on the issue at hand, the 
terrible crime of human trafficking is sadly not a new phenomenon, nor 
is it a concern solely outside our borders.
  During our fight against this heartbreaking epidemic, we must 
recognize and support the invaluable work of nonprofit groups and law 
enforcement agencies who are giving their all to prevent this crime and 
protect its victims.
  I am proud to report that today, in my district in Pennsylvania, the 
Bensalem Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney's 
Office are being presented with an award for their proactive pursuit of 
human trafficking crimes over the past year. We are all thankful for 
the persistent efforts of these organizations and law enforcement 
organizations.
  A remarkable nonprofit in Pennsylvania known as Worthwhile Wear is 
opening an 83-acre property in the greater Philadelphia area, as a 
long-term housing and aftercare facility for sexually exploited and 
trafficked women. The work of this group sheds light on the importance 
of providing a compassionate environment for those affected by this 
deplorable crime.
  We are all encouraged to see this work on both sides of the aisle, 
people coming together to address this growing problem. The passage of 
these bills will bring us closer to our goals of ending both domestic 
and international trafficking, an objective we should never abandon. I 
encourage passage of all these bills under suspension.
  Madam Speaker, recent events have brought about an increased 
awareness of the stark realities of human trafficking and modern day 
slavery in our world.
  While these tragedies have focused us on the issue at hand, the 
heinous crime of Human Trafficking is sadly not a new phenomenon--nor 
is it a concern solely outside our borders. As a member of the Victims' 
Rights Caucus, I've been monitoring the growth of this problem in 
communities across the United States, including my home district in 
Pennsylvania.
  During our fight against this heart-breaking epidemic, we must 
recognize and support the invaluable work of non-profit groups and law 
enforcement agencies who are giving their all to prevent this crime and 
protect its victims. I am honored to have the opportunity to work 
closely with organizations in my district such as the Network of 
Victims Assistance and the Bucks County Anti-Trafficking Coalition as 
they diligently formulate effective responses to local issues.
  I am proud to report that today in Pennsylvania's 8th district, the 
Special Investigations Unit of the Bensalem Police Department and the 
Bucks County District Attorney's Office are being presented with a LEAD 
Award for their proactive pursuit of human trafficking crimes over the 
past year. As a legislator, a parent, and an active member of my 
community, I am grateful for their persistent efforts.
  Additionally, a remarkable non-profit known as Worthwhile Wear, has 
announced that they will be opening a new 83 acre property in the 
Greater Philadelphia area, as a long-term housing and aftercare 
facility for sexually exploited and trafficked women. The honorable 
work of this group sheds light on the importance of providing a 
compassionate environment for those affected by this deplorable crime.
  I am encouraged to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
coming together to address this growing problem. The five bipartisan 
bills under consideration today will help provide support to 
trafficking victims, fortify law enforcement efforts, and codify 
prevention tactics. The passage of these bills will bring us closer to 
our goals of ending both domestic and international trafficking, an 
objective that we should never abandon.
  I urge for quick passage of this legislation in both the House and 
Senate, and call on the President to sign these bills into law and join 
the House in making putting an end to human trafficking a priority.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr.

[[Page H4522]]

Goodlatte) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 
4225, 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.
  Mrs. WAGNER. 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.

                          ____________________