[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H4529-H4534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTERNATIONAL MEGAN'S LAW TO PREVENT DEMAND FOR CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING

  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4573) to protect children from exploitation, especially sex 
trafficking in tourism, by providing advance notice of intended travel 
by registered child sex offenders outside the United States to the 
government of the country of destination, requesting foreign 
governments to notify the United States when a known child sex offender 
is seeking to enter the United States, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4573

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the 
     ``International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex 
     Trafficking''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Angel Watch Center.
Sec. 5. Sense of Congress provisions.
Sec. 6. Enhancing the minimum standards for the elimination of 
              trafficking.
Sec. 7. Assistance to foreign countries to meet minimum standards for 
              the elimination of trafficking.
Sec. 8. Rules of Construction.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Megan Nicole Kanka, who was 7 years old, was abducted, 
     sexually assaulted, and murdered in 1994, in the State of New 
     Jersey by a violent predator living across the street from 
     her home. Unbeknownst to Megan Kanka and her family, he had 
     been convicted previously of a sex offense against a child.
       (2) In 1996, Congress adopted Megan's Law (Public Law 104-
     145) as a means to encourage States to protect children by 
     identifying the whereabouts of sex offenders and providing 
     the means to monitor their activities.
       (3) In 2006, Congress passed the Adam Walsh Child 
     Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-248) to 
     protect children and the public at large by establishing a 
     comprehensive national system for the registration and 
     notification to the public and law enforcement officers of 
     convicted sex offenders.
       (4) Law enforcement reports indicate that known child-sex 
     offenders are traveling internationally, and that the 
     criminal background of such individuals may not be known to 
     local law enforcement prior to their arrival.
       (5) The commercial sexual exploitation of minors in child 
     sex trafficking and pornography is a global phenomenon. The 
     International Labour Organization has estimated

[[Page H4530]]

     that 1.8 million children worldwide are victims of child sex 
     trafficking and pornography each year.
       (6) Child sex tourism, where an individual travels to a 
     foreign country and engages in sexual activity with a child 
     in that country, is a form of child exploitation and, where 
     commercial, child sex trafficking.
       (7) According to research conducted by The Protection 
     Project of The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School 
     of Advanced International Studies, sex tourists from the 
     United States who target children form a significant 
     percentage of child sex tourists in some of the most 
     significant destination countries for child sex tourism.
       (8) In order to protect children, it is essential that 
     United States law enforcement be able to identify child-sex 
     offenders in the United States who are traveling abroad and 
     child-sex offenders from other countries entering the United 
     States. Such identification requires cooperative efforts 
     between the United States and foreign governments. In 
     exchange for providing notice of child-sex offenders 
     traveling to the United States, foreign authorities will 
     expect United States authorities to provide reciprocal notice 
     of child-sex offenders traveling to their countries.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Angel Watch 
     Center established pursuant to section 4(a).
       (2) Child-sex offender.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``child-sex offender'' means an 
     individual who is a sex offender described in paragraph (3) 
     or (4) of section 111 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and 
     Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16911) by reason of being 
     convicted of a child-sex offense.
       (B) Definition of convicted.--In this paragraph, the term 
     ``convicted'' has the meaning given the term in paragraph (8) 
     of section 111 of such Act.
       (3) Child-sex offense.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``child-sex offense'' means a 
     specified offense against a minor, as defined in paragraph 
     (7) of section 111 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and 
     Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16911), including--
       (i) an offense (unless committed by a parent or guardian) 
     involving kidnapping;
       (ii) an offense (unless committed by a parent or guardian) 
     involving false imprisonment;
       (iii) solicitation to engage in sexual conduct;
       (iv) use in a sexual performance;
       (v) solicitation to practice prostitution;
       (vi) video voyeurism as described in section 1801 of title 
     18, United States Code;
       (vii) possession, production, or distribution of child 
     pornography;
       (viii) criminal sexual conduct involving a minor, or the 
     use of the Internet to facilitate or attempt such conduct; 
     and
       (ix) any conduct that by its nature is a sex offense 
     against a minor.
       (B) Other offenses.--The term ``child-sex offense'' 
     includes a sex offense described in paragraph (5)(A) of 
     section 111 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act 
     of 2006 that is a specified offense against a minor, as 
     defined in paragraph (7) of such section.
       (C) Foreign convictions; offenses involving consensual 
     sexual conduct.--The limitations contained in subparagraphs 
     (B) and (C) of section 111(5) of the Adam Walsh Child 
     Protection and Safety Act of 2006 shall apply with respect to 
     a child-sex offense for purposes of this Act to the same 
     extent and in the same manner as such limitations apply with 
     respect to a sex offense for purposes of the Adam Walsh Child 
     Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
       (4) Jurisdiction.--The term ``jurisdiction'' means any of 
     the following:
       (A) A State.
       (B) The District of Columbia.
       (C) The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
       (D) Guam.
       (E) American Samoa.
       (F) The Northern Mariana Islands.
       (G) The United States Virgin Islands.
       (H) To the extent provided in, and subject to the 
     requirements of, section 127 of the Adam Walsh Child 
     Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16927), a 
     federally recognized Indian tribe.
       (5) Minor.--The term ``minor'' means an individual who has 
     not attained the age of 18 years.

     SEC. 4. ANGEL WATCH CENTER.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall establish within the Child Exploitation 
     Investigations Unit of United States Immigration and Customs 
     Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of Homeland Security a 
     Center, to be known as the ``Angel Watch Center'', to carry 
     out the activities specified in subsection (d).
       (b) Leadership.--The Center shall be headed by the Director 
     of ICE, in collaboration with the Commissioner of United 
     States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and in 
     consultation with the Attorney General.
       (c) Members.--The Center shall consist of the following:
       (1) The Director of ICE.
       (2) The Commissioner of CBP.
       (3) Individuals who are designated as analysts in ICE or 
     CBP.
       (4) Individuals who are designated as program managers in 
     ICE or CBP.
       (d) Activities.--
       (1) In general.--The Center shall carry out the following 
     activities:
       (A) Receive information on travel by child-sex offenders.
       (B) Establish a system to maintain and archive all relevant 
     information, including the response of destination countries 
     to notifications under subsection (e) where available, and 
     decisions not to transmit notification abroad.
       (C) Establish an annual review process to ensure that the 
     Center is consistent in procedures to provide notification to 
     destination countries or not to provide notification to 
     destination countries, as appropriate.
       (2) Information required.--The United States Marshals 
     Service's National Sex Offender Targeting Office shall make 
     available to the Center information on travel by child-sex 
     offenders in a timely manner for purposes of carrying out the 
     activities described in paragraph (1) and (e).
       (e) Notification.--
       (1) To countries of destination.--
       (A) In general.--The Center may transmit notice of 
     impending or current international travel of a child-sex 
     offender to the country or countries of destination of the 
     child-sex offender, including to the visa-issuing agent or 
     agents in the United States of the country or countries.
       (B) Form.--The notice under this paragraph may be 
     transmitted through such means as determined appropriate by 
     the Center, including through an ICE attache.
       (2) To offenders.--
       (A) General notification.--
       (i) In general.--If the Center transmits notice under 
     paragraph (1) of impending international travel of a child-
     sex offender to the country or countries of destination of 
     the child-sex offender, the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
     in conjunction with any appropriate agency, shall make 
     reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice through 
     electronic or telephonic communication to the child-sex 
     offender prior to the child-sex offender's arrival in the 
     country or countries.
       (ii) Exception.--The requirement to provide constructive 
     notice under clause (i) shall not apply in the case of 
     impending international travel of a child-sex offender to the 
     country or countries of destination of the child-sex offender 
     if such constructive notice would conflict with an existing 
     investigation involving the child-sex offender.
       (B) Specific notification regarding risk to life or well-
     being of offender.--If the Center has reason to believe that 
     to transmit notice under paragraph (1) poses a risk to the 
     life or well-being of the child-sex offender, the Center 
     shall make reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice 
     through electronic or telephonic communication to the child-
     sex offender of such risk.
       (C) Specific notification regarding probable denial of 
     entry to offender.--If the Center has reason to believe that 
     a country of destination of the child-sex offender is highly 
     likely to deny entry to the child-sex offender due to 
     transmission of notice under paragraph (1), the Center shall 
     make reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice 
     through electronic or telephonic communication to the child-
     sex offender of such probable denial.
       (3) Sunset.--The authority of paragraph (1) shall terminate 
     with respect to a child-sex offender beginning as of the 
     close of the last day of the registration period of such 
     child-sex offender under section 115 of the Adam Walsh Child 
     Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16915).
       (f) Complaint Review.--The Center shall establish a 
     mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offenders 
     affected by notifications of destination countries of such 
     child-sex offenders under subsection (e).
       (g) Consultations.--The Center shall seek to engage in 
     ongoing consultations with--
       (1) nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based 
     organizations, that have experience and expertise in 
     identifying and preventing child sex tourism and rescuing and 
     rehabilitating minor victims of international sexual 
     exploitation and trafficking;
       (2) the governments of countries interested in cooperating 
     in the creation of an international sex offender travel 
     notification system or that are primary destination or source 
     countries for international sex tourism; and
       (3) Internet service and software providers regarding 
     available and potential technology to facilitate the 
     implementation of an international sex offender travel 
     notification system, both in the United States and in other 
     countries.
       (h) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary of Homeland 
     Security and the Secretary of State may provide technical 
     assistance to foreign authorities in order to enable such 
     authorities to participate more effectively in the 
     notification program system established under this section.

     SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS PROVISIONS.

       (a) Bilateral Agreements.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the President should negotiate memoranda of understanding or 
     other bilateral agreements with foreign governments to 
     further the purposes of this Act and the amendments made by 
     this Act, including by--
       (1) establishing systems to receive and transmit notices as 
     required by title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and 
     Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.); and

[[Page H4531]]

       (2) establishing mechanisms for private companies and 
     nongovernmental organizations to report on a voluntary basis 
     suspected child pornography or exploitation to foreign 
     governments, the nearest United States embassy in cases in 
     which a possible United States citizen may be involved, or 
     other appropriate entities.
       (b) Notification to the United States of Child-sex Offenses 
     Committed Abroad.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
     President should formally request foreign governments to 
     notify the United States when a United States citizen has 
     been arrested, convicted, sentenced, or completed a prison 
     sentence for a child-sex offense in the foreign country.

     SEC. 6. ENHANCING THE MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE ELIMINATION 
                   OF TRAFFICKING.

       Section 108(b)(4) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act 
     of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7106(b)(4)) is amended by adding at the 
     end before the period the following: ``, including severe 
     forms of trafficking in persons related to sex tourism''.

     SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO MEET MINIMUM 
                   STANDARDS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF TRAFFICKING.

       The President is strongly encouraged to exercise the 
     authorities of section 134 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152d) to provide assistance to foreign 
     countries directly, or through nongovernmental and 
     multilateral organizations, for programs, projects, and 
     activities, including training of law enforcement entities 
     and officials, designed to establish systems to identify sex 
     offenders and provide and receive notification of child sex 
     offender international travel.

     SEC. 8. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

       (a) Department of Justice.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed to preclude or alter the jurisdiction or authority 
     of the Department of Justice under the Adam Walsh Child 
     Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.), 
     including section 113(d) of such Act, or any other provision 
     law, or to affect the work of the United States Marshals 
     Service with INTERPOL.
       (b) Angel Watch Center.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed to preclude the Angel Watch Center from 
     transmitting notice with respect to any sex offender 
     described in paragraph (3) or (4) of section 111 of the Adam 
     Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 
     16911) or with respect to any sex offense described in 
     paragraph (5) of such section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include any extraneous material for the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  International Megan's Law, to prevent demand for child sex 
trafficking, will bolster law enforcement efforts to combat a crime 
that is worldwide. It affects hundreds of thousands of young children 
every year. In particular, this bill addresses an issue of child sex 
tourism, by which adults travel overseas.
  They do this to exploit children in countries that are currently 
struggling to deal with this influx of child predators, and part of 
that influx is of Americans who are child predators.
  Many children victimized by this appalling crime have also been 
trafficked--trafficked into prostitution--recruited or transferred or 
sold in order to be used sexually for someone's profit.
  This bill helps fight back. This bill takes care of a problem that 
exists at present, as there are multiple U.S. agencies seeking to 
combat child trafficking, but not with any coordination, and they are 
not doing it in time to prevent those who try to travel overseas. We 
could be much more effective.
  This bill officially recognizes an Angel Watch Center within the 
Department of Homeland Security's Child Exploitation Investigations 
Center. Operation Angel Watch originated as a partnership with the U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, and it currently collects and analyzes 
the foreign travel date of convicted child sex offenders to determine 
whether the notification to U.S. officials or foreign governments is 
warranted.
  Last year alone, Angel Watch sent 1,700 leads to 100 countries as 
part of this effort to proactively and strategically alert 
international law enforcement. Angel Watch's work is time-sensitive. 
Travel data is sometimes not made available within the 24 hours before 
a flight, while other helpful information collected by the Department 
of Justice is, in fact, not even shared with Angel Watch or is not 
shared soon enough.
  This bill solidifies the Angel Watch Center as an important part of 
the U.S. response to child sex tourism, and importantly, it improves 
the timeliness of the information the center receives by requiring the 
Justice Department to share its travel records promptly. This will 
allow Angel Watch to better detect and to report the travel of child 
predators.
  I want to thank the bill's author, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith), for his persistent leadership and dedication to this issue. I 
would also like to recognize the chairman and ranking member of the 
Committee on the Judiciary, as well as the ranking member, Mr. Eliot 
Engel from New York, for his assistance on this important measure.
  Madam Speaker, I want to say something briefly about other bills that 
I have been involved with in today's antitrafficking package. One is 
H.R. 3530, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, introduced by 
Judge Poe, our colleague from Texas.
  I want to thank the Committee on the Judiciary for consulting with 
the Foreign Affairs Committee to ensure that the bill makes progress 
both at home and also abroad.
  On the Human Trafficking Congressional Advisory Committee that I 
established last year in southern California, I hear directly from 
advocates and from law enforcement and from survivors, themselves, 
about the insufficient resources that law enforcement has as a tool 
available to rescue victims and available to prosecute traffickers here 
in the U.S.
  By ensuring a victims center allocation of resources, enhancing 
deterrents, and prioritizing the protection of trafficking and child 
pornography victims, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act 
represents important progress in this struggle.
  I also strongly support H.R. 4225, the Stop Advertising Victims of 
Exploitation, or SAVE Act, introduced by the gentlelady from Missouri, 
Representative Wagner.
  In 2013, revenue from U.S. online prostitution advertising totaled an 
estimated $45 million. As underscored by arrests in 22 States, those 
ads, such as on backpage.com, sometimes involve the marketing of 
children, of underage girls. This legislation will help stop this 
exploitation.
  In March, more than 40 of us here in Congress wrote to urge Attorney 
General Eric Holder to take immediate action to end backpage.com's 
facilitation of the buying and selling of people, including of 
children. To date, we have not received a response. This legislation 
would produce that effect.
  All five of the bills being considered today represent important 
steps towards abolishing the injustice of human trafficking, towards 
protecting vulnerable individuals, and towards restoring the dignity of 
those who have survived such exploitation. They deserve our strong 
support.
  Madam Speaker, I submit for the Record an exchange of letters between 
me and Chairman Goodlatte of the Judiciary Committee regarding this 
bill of which I am proud to be a cosponsor, and I would ask all Members 
here to support it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                     Washington, DC, May 13, 2014.
     Hon. Ed Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rayburn House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing with respect to H.R. 
     4573, the ``International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for 
     Child Sex Trafficking'' which the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs ordered reported favorably on May 9, 2014. As a 
     result of your having consulted with us on provisions in H.R. 
     4573 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on the Judiciary, I agree to discharge our 
     Committee from further consideration of this bill so that it 
     may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for 
     consideration.
       The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 4573 at 
     this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject 
     matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our 
     Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as 
     this bill

[[Page H4532]]

     or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address 
     any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our Committee also 
     reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate 
     number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving 
     this or similar legislation, and asks that you support any 
     such request.
       I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming 
     this understanding with respect to H.R. 4573, and would ask 
     that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be 
     included in the Congressional Record during Floor 
     consideration of H.R. 4573.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, May 15, 2014.
     Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, Rayburn House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Goodlatte: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs on H.R. 4573, International 
     Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking, and 
     for agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of 
     that bill. The suspension text contains edits to portions of 
     the bill within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on 
     the Judiciary that were drafted in consultation with your 
     committee.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on the Judiciary, or prejudice its jurisdictional 
     prerogatives on this resolution or similar legislation in the 
     future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 4573 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the 
     resolution. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     legislation and look forward to continuing to work with the 
     Committee on the Judiciary as this measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4573, 
known as International Megan's Law, and I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Before I begin, I would first like to commend our colleague, Mr. 
Chris Smith of New Jersey, for his leadership on human rights, on 
antitrafficking issues, and for his and his staff's hard work on H.R. 
4573. I can't begin to tell our colleagues how relentless Mr. Smith has 
been and his staff has been. This has really been almost a personal 
crusade for him.
  I know, if it weren't for the gentleman from New Jersey, we would not 
be this far on this legislation, so I really think our colleagues 
should know of his dedication and hard work on this matter.
  I also want to thank the Judiciary Committee for its bipartisan input 
on this bill. I know all of the parties worked hard to make sure that 
the bill is a practical and effective mechanism which will help make a 
difference in the lives of those victimized by sexual predators.
  We worked very closely with the Judiciary Committee on this bill as 
well. This is a really good product with many bipartisan inputs from 
several committees, primarily from Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary.
  International Megan's Law aims to prevent child sex offenders and 
traffickers from exploiting vulnerable children when they cross an 
international border.
  In many countries, extreme poverty and gaps in law enforcement create 
zones of impunity in which sex offenders exploit vulnerable children. 
Sometimes, local officials have no idea that this is going on. 
Sometimes, they turn a blind eye; and sometimes, unfortunately, 
officials are even complicit in this crime.
  H.R. 4573 establishes an Angel Watch Center within Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement that would provide advance notice to foreign 
countries when a convicted child sex offender travels to that country.
  The bill also calls on the President to negotiate agreements with 
foreign governments that would encourage information sharing on known 
child sex offenders.
  Around the world, as many as 27 million people are victims of human 
trafficking, many of them children exploited in prostitution. These 
repugnant practices amount to modern slavery. They violate our deepest 
moral values, and they demand a timely and effective response.
  Madam Speaker, we need to do all we can to encourage governments 
around the world to live up to their responsibilities and confront this 
crime. Protecting trafficked children requires timely victim 
identification, placing them in safe environments, and providing them 
with comprehensive support services--physical and mental health care, 
educational opportunities, legal assistance, and the reintegration with 
family and community.
  No single government or single law will put an end to child sex 
tourism or to child sex trafficking, but every step we take strengthens 
our ability to prevent these crimes, to protect its victims, and to 
punish those responsible. So, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 4573.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on 
Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International 
Organizations. He is also the author of this bill.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. First of all, let me begin by thanking our 
distinguished chairman, Ed Royce, for his leadership on combating human 
trafficking in general and for his strong support for this legislation 
today. To him and his staff, I am deeply, deeply grateful.
  Then, to Eliot Engel, the ranking member, we work as a team, and he 
works as a team, and it is one of the most bipartisan committees, 
probably, in the House.
  Thank you for your leadership on this as well and for your kind words 
a moment ago. I do deeply appreciate it.
  Madam Speaker, protecting women and children from violence and 
predatory behavior is among the highest duties and responsibilities of 
government.

                              {time}  1745

  So today is truly a historic day--a historic day in the struggle to 
end human trafficking and to protect the weakest and must vulnerable 
from modern-day slavery.
  As prime author of the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
2000, as well as reauthorizations of that law in 2003 and 2005, I 
believe the five bills under consideration by the House today will 
significantly prevent the horrific crime of human trafficking, protect 
and assist victims, and prosecute those who exploit and abuse.
  Madam Speaker, as we all know, legislative priorities in the U.S. 
House of Representatives don't happen by default, nor by happenstance. 
I especially want to single out Majority Leader Eric Cantor for his 
extraordinary leadership in ensuring that these five bills--and there 
will be others, I am sure, in their wake--were brought to the floor.
  There were multiple referrals to committees and subcommittees. I know 
that our bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee--we worked very 
closely with the Judiciary Committee and their staff--as well as 
Homeland Security, which also was very supportive. It is that kind of 
coordination and leadership that makes what looks like an easy walk--
and this has not been an easy walk for these bills; it never is--to 
come to the floor today with all of the differences of opinion.
  We are united on the floor of the House of Representatives today in 
saying in a bipartisan way absolutely ``no'' to this crime of human 
trafficking.
  So thank you Eric Cantor for that leadership. It is deeply, deeply 
appreciated.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 4573, the International Megan's Law to Prevent 
Demand for Child Sex Trafficking, is a serious attempt to mitigate 
child sex tourism by noticing countries of destination concerning the 
travel plans of convicted pedophiles. And to protect American children, 
the bill encourages the President of the United States and everyone 
else, like the Secretary of State, to use bilateral agreements and 
assistance to establish reciprocal notification so that we will know 
when a convicted child abuser comes to the United States.
  Madam Speaker, in 1994, a young girl in my district, then my hometown 
of Hamilton Township, was lured into the home of a convicted pedophile 
who lived across the street from her home. Megan Kanka, 7 years old, 
was raped and murdered.

[[Page H4533]]

  No one, including Megan Kanka's parents or any of the other 
neighbors, knew that their neighbor across the street had been 
convicted twice and jailed for child sexual assault.
  The combination of concern for at-risk children and outrage towards 
those who abuse them led to enactment of Megan's Law--public sex 
offender registries--in every State in the country. In 2006, Chairman 
Sensenbrenner nationalized the whole idea and concept of the registry 
as part of his historic law, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety 
Act.
  Madam Speaker, it is imperative that we take the lessons learned on 
how to protect our children from known child sex predators within our 
borders and expand those to children globally. Child predators thrive 
on secrecy, a secrecy that allows them to commit heinous crimes against 
children with impunity and without any meaningful accountability. 
Megan's Law, with its emphasis on notification, must go global to 
protect American children and children worldwide.
  Let's not forget the prevalence or the size of this abuse. Nobody 
knows for sure exactly how many, but the International Labor 
Organization estimates that 1.8 million children are victims of 
commercial sexual exploitation around the world every year.
  Madam Speaker, it is also worth noting that in 2010 the Government 
Accountability Office issued a report entitled, ``Current Situation 
Results in Thousands of Passports Issued to Registered Sex Offenders.'' 
They found that at least 4,500 U.S. passports were issued to registered 
sex offenders in fiscal year 2008 alone. The GAO emphasized that this 
number is probably understated due to the limitations of the data that 
it was able to access and analyze.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ROYCE. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you, Chairman Royce.
  Meanwhile, the law enforcement and media reports continue to document 
Americans on the U.S. sex offender registries who were caught sexually 
abusing children in East Asia and Central and South America and 
everyplace in the world. It is the same horror movie replayed over and 
over. We must do more to warn destination countries so that they can, 
in turn, protect their children from sex tourism. We have the 
information and technology that is employed to protect children.
  Madam Speaker, I ask Members to support this legislation. It is the 
second time that we have brought this bill to the floor. It is slightly 
different than it was in 2010. It passed then. It got no action in the 
United States Senate.
  I hope all five of these historic bills are taken up in a very timely 
fashion by the U.S. Senate because protecting the weakest and the most 
vulnerable--women, children, and especially the at-risk population--
from this cruelty must be an imperative. And the Senate needs to act, 
as we are acting.
  I would like to thank the National Center for Missing and Exploited 
Children for their support of the legislation.
  Mr. ENGEL. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentleman, the ranking member of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, for his leadership on so many issues of 
compassion and passion, and certainly this issue. I thank the chairman 
of the full committee, as well as the author of this bill, Mr. Smith.
  I was on the Judiciary Committee when Megan's Law was passed. Now I 
am on the Homeland Security Committee.
  So I raise this paradoxical question: who equates sex trafficking and 
tourism? That is what is going on internationally around the world.
  Individuals who may have been convicted here in the United States, 
may be labeled here in the United States, can secure passports and have 
a full and flourishing and horrific ongoing experience by utilizing and 
abusing the children in foreign countries.
  Many times, these countries are developing nations. We can call the 
roll of names. Many times, law enforcement are collaborating with these 
sex tourists. There is an area set aside for these sex tourists. In 
fact, it is called that. They go there with impunity and abuse 
children--street children who have no other way to go.
  This is an important initiative. Again, it is the round circle of 
addressing this question holistically.
  Just today in the markup in the border security and maritime security 
committee we discussed, as I indicated in earlier debate, the 60,000 
children that come across the border to the United States 
unaccompanied.
  We also mentioned the need to provide enhanced training for our CBP 
officers at the border. That will complement this legislation, which 
establishes protocols to discern those individuals who are coming into 
our country who are convicted pedophiles.
  It is Megan's Law International. It is Megan's Law relief for those 
who are being abused outside of our border.
  I am very pleased that there is an Angel Watch Center to assist the 
CBP and that the effort has been made in this bill to ask our President 
to collaborate on bilaterals with countries to establish the link 
between their convicted sex predators and to be able to identify them, 
as we identify them here in the United States, to stop this dastardly 
act across and around the world.
  So I congratulate the proponents of this legislation and I hope this 
will be one more step in saving some child's life. They may not be in 
our boundaries. They may not be within our borders, but they may be 
outside of them. And I can assure my colleagues that it is documented 
every day that sex tourism is a big business. Until we put a stop to it 
in some way, it will continue to grow.
  With that, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation, H.R. 
4573, and I thank the proponents of the legislation.
  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlelady 
from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), a member of the Committee on Financial 
Services and author of the SAVE Act, an important antitrafficking 
measure that was debated earlier this afternoon.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership 
in this.
  I rise today, Madam Speaker, in support of H.R. 4573, the 
International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking.
  My very good friend, Congressman Chris Smith, a champion on all 
issues around human rights, antitrafficking, and taking care of the 
most vulnerable, has introduced this important legislation to protect 
children at home and abroad from the scourge of sex trafficking.
  H.R. 4573 will provide advance notice of foreign travel by registered 
sex offenders to the government of the destination country.
  Madam Speaker, this notice would allow the foreign government to 
identify and scrutinize the sex offenders' activity, ensuring that they 
do not engage in the ghastly practice of sex tourism.
  Sex offenders often plan their trips by seeking out the locations 
where the most vulnerable children can be found, many times in 
countries where law enforcement is unable to effectively guard against 
the problem. Madam Speaker, sex offenders should not be allowed to use 
the anonymity provided by foreign travel to help hide their hideous 
crimes.
  The U.S. should take a leading role as a global defender of children 
from sexual abuse. This is why I support H.R. 4573, because it will 
give governments the information they need to prevent sexual offenders 
from taking advantage of gaps in law enforcement.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to once again thank 
Chairman Royce, Representative Smith of New Jersey, and the Judiciary 
Committee for their hard work on this legislation.
  Again, I want to single out Representative Smith for being relentless 
in this bill.
  I appreciate the willingness of all interested parties to make the 
compromises necessary to ensure that this is a truly bipartisan 
product. The result is an important tool in the fight against child sex 
tourism and trafficking.
  I want to thank Chairman Royce as well.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.

[[Page H4534]]

  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, you have heard today about the 
unconscionable child sex tourism industry which has been operating now 
for years overseas. There are child victims at home here, too.
  Our proactive efforts to help countries identify incoming child 
predators will also encourage them to alert us when those foreigners 
convicted of sex offenses against children attempt to enter the United 
States, just as we are going to control the process on this side.
  I thank Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Mr. Eliot Engel of New 
York, and I encourage Members to support passage of the International 
Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4573, the 
International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Sex Trafficking. This bill, 
along with the others under consideration this week, will dramatically 
improve our efforts to diminish the tragic effects of human trafficking 
and child exploitation.
  I am especially pleased to speak in support of this particular 
legislation, which would curb child sexual exploitation. Recently I 
chaired a field hearing in Houston on the unconscionable issue of human 
trafficking and child exploitation in our major cities. In Houston, and 
in many other cities across the United States, women and children, some 
not even in their teens, are held against their will and forced into 
prostitution rings.
  At our hearing, one of the witnesses spoke about entering the world 
of sex trafficking at age 12. Now, decades later, she is working to 
rescue girls in the same situation. As a father of five children, I 
cannot imagine what she went through.
  As Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, I am pleased to 
highlight some of the great work done by the Department of Homeland 
Security in this area.
  One of the provisions of H.R. 4573 I helped work on and am pleased to 
highlight is a provision to authorize the Angel Watch Center. The 
Center is led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in a 
joint effort with Customs and Border Protection to proactively identify 
registered sex offenders with an offense against a child, who are 
travelling abroad from the United States.
  The Angel Watch program currently provides publicly available child 
sex offender information to notify and alert foreign law enforcement 
partners when a child sex offender may be travelling to engage in sex 
tourism with a minor.
  Through the Angel Watch program, HSI has provided more than 1,700 
leads to 100 countries as a preemptive notification in the fight 
against child sex tourism.
  However, despite the great work done by DHS to alert foreign law 
enforcement partners, currently, only one country, Australia, sends 
reciprocal information to the United States. That is why I am pleased 
that the bill before us today includes language that will strengthen 
reciprocal efforts for the United States to also receive information 
from other foreign governments, so that our law enforcement officials' 
are alerted when a child-sex offender may travel to the United States.
  I want to thank Chairman Smith, the sponsor of this bill, for his 
work on this important legislation, and I appreciate the opportunity to 
highlight the important role that the Department of Homeland Security 
plays in fighting sex trafficking.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4573, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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