[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6703-H6704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ENHANCING SERVICES FOR RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS VICTIMS OF YOUTH 
                        TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2014

  Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 5076) to amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to 
increase knowledge concerning, and improve services for, runaway and 
homeless youth who are victims of trafficking.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5076

       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 ``Enhancing Services for 
     Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act of 
     2014''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS.

       The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) 
     is amended--
       (1) in section 343(b)(5)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ``, severe forms of 
     trafficking in persons (as defined in section 103(9) of the 
     Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7102(9))), and sex trafficking (as defined in section 103(10) 
     of such Act (22 U.S.C. 7102(10)))'' before the semicolon at 
     the end,
       (B) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ``, severe forms of 
     trafficking in persons (as defined in section 103(9) of the 
     Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7102(9))), and sex trafficking (as defined in section 103(10) 
     of such Act (22 U.S.C. 7102(10)))'' after ``assault'', and
       (C) in subparagraph (C) by inserting ``, including such 
     youth who are victims of trafficking (as defined in section 
     103(15) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 
     U.S.C. 7102(15)))'' before the semicolon at the end, and
       (2) in section 351(a) by striking ``or sexual 
     exploitation'' and inserting ``sexual exploitation, severe 
     forms of trafficking in persons (as defined in section 103(9) 
     of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7102(9))), or sex trafficking (as defined in section 103(10) 
     of such Act (22 U.S.C. 7102(10)))''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Heck) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5076.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nevada?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 5076, the Enhancing Services for 
Runaway And Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act, legislation I 
introduced to help better serve our most vulnerable youth who are the 
victims of extreme trafficking.
  Mr. Speaker, trafficking is an issue that hits close to home for me. 
I represent parts of the city of Las Vegas and the surrounding suburbs. 
When people think of Las Vegas, they think of the lights, the 
magnificent hotels, shopping, fine dining, and nightlife. But the 
city's reputation as a national and international tourist destination, 
combined with the transient nature of the population, has made Las 
Vegas a prime target for human traffickers.
  In fact, between 1994 and 2014, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police 
Department recovered 2,229 victims of sex trafficking. Just last year, 
Metro recovered 107 children victims of human trafficking.
  All of us, Federal and State officials, law enforcement, the courts, 
all of us have a moral obligation to eradicate trafficking and support 
its victims. And it will take close coordination between all 
stakeholders to achieve the dual goals of ending the human trafficking 
epidemic and assisting the victims.
  To help facilitate that coordination, I hosted representatives from 
Nevada's State government, law enforcement, the judiciary, and victims' 
rights groups for a roundtable discussion on ways to combat 
trafficking, and also offer more support to victims or potential 
victims.
  At that roundtable I met Annie. She came to Las Vegas to make a 
better life for herself, and was, instead, ensnared in the sex 
industry. Thankfully, Annie got out.
  This is how she described her life as a victim of human trafficking: 
``I felt like a dirty, cheated, disrespected, violated, and worthless 
individual to society. I didn't know who Annie was anymore. I often 
wanted to end my own life.''
  Now she is an advocate devoted to helping other victims of 
trafficking. One of the things that she and others at the roundtable 
talked about was the need for improved resources for victims' advocacy 
and support, especially for youth victims and at-risk youth.
  To that end, I introduced H.R. 5076, the Enhancing Services for 
Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act. My bill amends 
the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to enable the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to apply existing grant resources to train staff on 
the effects of human trafficking on runaway and homeless youth victims, 
and for developing statewide strategies to reach such youth.
  It also allows the Secretary to utilize the Street Outreach Program 
to provide street-based services for runaway and homeless youth who are 
victims of trafficking.
  Our Nation's runaway and homeless youth deserve access to services 
that will help them escape a life of crime, abuse, and neglect. By 
passing this simple fix to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, we can 
help ensure that those suffering from the trauma of these deplorable 
acts will have access to the care and support they need.
  I would like to thank Chairman Kline of the Education and the 
Workforce Committee, as well as my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Scott) 
for working with me on this important piece of legislation.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Enhancing 
Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5076, the Enhancing Services 
for Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act of 2014. I am 
honored to have joined my colleagues, Mr. Heck and Mr. Kline, and 
appreciate their leadership on this important issue.
  Our bill makes an important change in the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act so that victims of trafficking can be better served. We know that 
trafficking and youth homelessness often affect similar populations. 
Young people that have run away or are homeless are particularly 
vulnerable to sexual exploitation and trafficking, and programs 
targeted towards runaway and homeless youth should be simultaneously 
equipped to support victims of trafficking when there is such an 
overlap.
  Research consistently confirms the correlation between running away 
and becoming exploited through prostitution. For example, according to 
a 2006 FBI Uniform Crime Report, girls who run away from their homes, 
group homes, foster homes, or treatment centers are at high risk of 
being targeted by a trafficker and becoming exploited.
  Street Outreach Programs were created to provide services to 
``runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are 
at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse.'' Every year, 25,000 of 
these young people find shelter as a result of these programs.

[[Page H6704]]

  The legislation being considered today ensures that Street Outreach 
Programs can rely on funding already available through the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Act.
  This allows the Department of Health and Human Services to provide 
street-based services such as individual assessments, treatment, 
counseling, or access to emergency shelter for runaway and homeless 
youth who are also victims of trafficking. Because of the overlap that 
often occurs with homelessness and trafficking, this just makes good 
sense.
  Additionally, it is important that we provide the necessary resources 
to States, organizations, and other entities to train staff working 
with these victims. This additional training, authorized by this bill 
under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act research grants, will allow 
service providers to successfully address and respond to the behavioral 
and emotional effects of abuse and assault.
  Our bill ensures that staff training will also include ways to 
recognize and respond to the unique needs and circumstances of 
trafficking victims. This is a simple change but an important one 
necessary to improve services available.
  It is my hope that we can continue to work in this spirit of 
bipartisanship and work together to improve and strengthen programs 
that support our Nation's children, and I encourage all of my 
colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline), the 
chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and for 
his dedicated and hard work in combating sex trafficking.
  Mr. Speaker, each year an estimated 300,000 innocent children fall 
victim to sex trafficking right here in the United States. The victims 
can be homeless or runaway youth. Others are simply taken from their 
parents in the blink of an eye. The victims' families are our 
neighbors, our friends, and our loved ones.
  As a father of two and a grandfather of four, for me it is impossible 
to fathom the pain and suffering they must feel knowing their son or 
daughter is trapped in a modern-day slave trade filled with darkness 
and hopelessness. While we will never fully comprehend the grief these 
families are forced to bear, we can, as a Nation, fight this heinous 
crime with every tool available.

                              {time}  1730

  There are heroic efforts underway right now to locate victims of 
youth sex trafficking and return them to their families. Last week, the 
Education and Workforce Committee had an opportunity to hear from John 
Ryan, who is the head of the National Center for Missing and Exploited 
Children.
  The center plays a vital role in a national effort to protect 
vulnerable youth, leading a partnership among law enforcement, 
government agencies, and private ventures like Honeywell, Google, and 
Lifetouch.
  In my home State of Minnesota, the center has helped resolve cases 
involving 1,699 endangered runaways and 373 family abductions. The 
center's 24-hour CyberTipline has provided law enforcement more than 2 
million leads of child sexual exploitation.
  The center and its staff provide an invaluable service to families. 
They stand on the front lines of this critical battle each and every 
day. Despite these and other achievements, we know more can be done to 
protect our most vulnerable youth.
  Right now, many kids are falling through the cracks of child welfare 
systems. Often, they are not properly identified as sex trafficking 
victims when they enter the system and are then lost in the shuffle 
once they are in State custody, and too often, runaway and homeless 
youth who are victims of sex trafficking do not receive the special 
help they need.
  That is why I strongly support this legislation, which will enhance 
existing services for runaway and homeless youth. I am also proud to 
support legislation we will consider in just a few moments that will 
improve how State child welfare systems identify and respond to victims 
of youth sex trafficking.
  Finally, we will also consider legislation that ensures victims are 
properly identified when reported to the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children CyberTipline.
  Mr. Speaker, we have to do more to address this national crisis. The 
bills the House is considering today move our country in the right 
direction. I am humbled to help lead this bipartisan effort and urge my 
colleagues to support the legislation.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. HECK of Nevada. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5076.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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