[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6724-H6727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND RECOVERY ACT OF 2014
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5135) to direct the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking to identify strategies to prevent children from
becoming victims of trafficking and review trafficking prevention
efforts, to protect and assist in the recovery of victims of
trafficking, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5135
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 ``Human Trafficking
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE REPORT ON CHILD TRAFFICKING
PRIMARY PREVENTION.
(a) Review.--The Interagency Task Force to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking, established under section 105 of the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103),
shall conduct a review that, with regard to trafficking in
persons in the United States--
(1) in consultation with nongovernmental organizations that
the Task Force determines appropriate, surveys and catalogues
[[Page H6725]]
the activities of the Federal Government and State
governments to deter individuals from committing trafficking
offenses and to prevent children from becoming victims of
trafficking;
(2) surveys academic literature on deterring individuals
from committing trafficking offenses, preventing children
from becoming victims of trafficking, the commercial sexual
exploitation of children, and other similar topics that the
Task Force determines appropriate;
(3) identifies best practices and effective strategies to
deter individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to
prevent children from becoming victims of trafficking; and
(4) identifies current gaps in research and data that would
be helpful in formulating effective strategies to deter
individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to
prevent children from becoming victims of trafficking.
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Interagency Task Force to Monitor
and Combat Trafficking shall provide to Congress, and make
publicly available in electronic format, a report on the
review conducted pursuant to subparagraph (a).
SEC. 3. GAO REPORT ON INTERVENTION.
On the date that is one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to Congress a report, which shall
include--
(1) information on the efforts of Federal and select State
law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking in the
United States; and
(2) information on each Federal grant program, a purpose of
which is to combat human trafficking or assist victims of
trafficking, as specified in an authorizing statute or in a
guidance document issued by the agency carrying out the grant
program.
SEC. 4. PROVISION OF HOUSING PERMITTED TO PROTECT AND ASSIST
IN THE RECOVERY OF VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING.
Section 107(b)(2)(A) of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting
before the period at the end the following: ``, including
programs that provide housing to victims of trafficking''.
SEC. 5. VICTIM OF TRAFFICKING DEFINED.
In this Act, the term and ``victim of trafficking'' has the
meaning given such term in section 103 of the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).
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. Mr. 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. 5135, currently under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today to speak in favor of H.R. 5135, the Human Trafficking
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2014, introduced by
Representative Kristi Noem.
The crisis of human trafficking is ruinous to the lives of its
victims, many of whom are drawn from the ranks of the most vulnerable
in our society. This crisis has touched nearly every corner of the
globe, and even exists here in the United States.
The Justice Department, and its many State and local partners, have
made great strides to rescue children and other victims from the
terrible crime of sex trafficking. Last month, the FBI announced a
successful nationwide sting that led to the rescue of 168 children and
the arrest of 281 pimps in more than 100 cities.
Also last month, the Justice Department seized a major Web site known
for promoting illegal sex trafficking and indicted its owner. Both of
these cases, and the many other trafficking cases that have been
brought in recent years, show that law enforcement is making progress
in the fight against child exploitation. But sadly, there remains more
work to be done.
Studies suggest that over 290,000 youth are at risk of commercial
sexual exploitation in the United States. To effectively combat human
trafficking, we must cut it off at its root by trying to prevent the
trafficking before it can occur.
H.R. 5135 requires the existing Interagency Task Force to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking to survey and catalog the methods being employed by
our Federal and State governments to deter individuals from committing
trafficking offenses and children from being victimized.
The bill also directs the task force to identify best practices and
what gaps might exist, if any, in research and data so that we can
place new and valuable tools in the hands of law enforcement.
One challenge that victims of sex trafficking often face is a lack of
financial independence that keeps them trapped in a life of
prostitution. H.R. 5135 helps to address that by clarifying that
existing Federal trafficking grants may be used for programs that
provide housing for victims of sex trafficking.
As I have said before, sex traffickers, and the buyers who enable
them to stay in business, dehumanize their victims, treating them as
objects to be used for the profit and pleasure of others, instead of
human beings creating in the image of God.
In May of this year, the House passed a number of antitrafficking
bills that originated in the House Judiciary Committee, which are all
awaiting consideration by the Senate. I encourage my colleagues on the
other side of the Capitol Hill to move swiftly to pass those bills.
I am pleased that we can consider another set of bipartisan
antitrafficking bills here today. It is important that we do everything
that we can to bring an end to this illicit industry. H.R. 5135 will
help us to do just that. I hope that this body will join with me and
Congresswoman Noem in supporting this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, 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. 5135, the Human Trafficking
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2014. This bill is vital
to identifying best practices and effective strategies to deter
individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to prevent
children from becoming victims, and it, therefore, enjoys bipartisan
support in the House.
This bill will encourage Federal, State, and local governments to
work together as an Interagency Task Force to investigate and enforce
the existing laws. This task force will emphasize prosecution of the
purchasers of sex with children as child rapists. These purchasers are
usually referred to as ``johns'' who pay for sex with children, but
insofar as children cannot consent to sex, the johns are legally
committing rape and should be prosecuted as rapists.
The bill encourages law enforcement coordination with intergovernment
organizations and academics who will put into practice what research
and data demonstrate will work to prevent these crimes.
The GAO will submit a report on how the Federal grant programs' funds
have been used to combat human trafficking or to assist victims of
trafficking. An Interagency Task Force will submit a report to Congress
on its findings.
The bill will also provide housing to protect and assist children in
recovering victims of trafficking. To date, the number of victims,
especially child victims, greatly exceeds the number of available
shelter beds.
Without a safe place to stay, many rescued victims will end up
running away and returning to their abusers due to the unique trauma
bond that occurs in these cases.
{time} 1915
Along those lines, we must do more to rescue child victims and expand
the services they need. Our country has a moral imperative to protect
and help these children who are vulnerable, warrant special protection,
and need these services, even in the best of circumstances.
This vulnerability is compounded amongst children who have been
victims of sexual exploitation, physical violence, trauma, and extreme
poverty. With our protection, support, and assistance, we can help them
survive.
I commend my colleague from Virginia, the chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, for working to bring the bill to the floor, and I commend
our colleague from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) for introducing the
legislation.
[[Page H6726]]
I urge my colleagues to join me in prosecuting those who rape
children, protecting and rescuing child victims, and providing the
victims with the support that they need.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to yield
4 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), the chief
sponsor of the legislation.
Mrs. NOEM. I thank the chairman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, over the past several years, my eyes have really been
opened to the disturbing type of slavery that we have seen across the
world and here at home.
I have heard about human trafficking before and young children being
sold for sex overseas, but I guess I didn't really realize how much it
was happening here in the United States and even in my home State of
South Dakota. The more I learned about human trafficking and the risk
that it posed to our kids, the more I became convicted that I needed to
do something about it.
The average age of a child that is trafficked is just 11 to 14 years
old. Many times, the trafficker will lure these children in, pretending
to be their friend or their boyfriend, control them through the use of
drugs or alcohol, and give them the comfort and stability that they may
be lacking at home. After they have them isolated and dependent, they
sell them for sex.
It is heartbreaking for me as a mom, as an aunt of many nieces and
nephews, as a 4-H leader, and as a person who works with our youth
every single day to think about the innocent children that are being
forced into this disgusting industry and becoming slaves to these
predators.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are at risk to being
trafficked here in the United States, so this isn't a problem that is
far away. It is a problem that is right here in our backyards.
Back in South Dakota, I held a lot of roundtables and a Justice
Against Slavery Summit. I heard from local shelters, from law
enforcement officers, tribal leaders, from victims and advocate groups
and learned from their expertise.
I learned a lot about what was being done to stop human trafficking
and what additional tools they needed from Congress and what we should
pursue. While we talked about the problem, I wanted them to focus on
what they needed for solutions. With the insight of all these community
leaders, we identified ways we could rout out the disgusting industry
and help victims recover.
That is why I am so proud to be here today to introduce H.R. 5135,
the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act. This
bipartisan bill was based on those conversations that I had during
those roundtables and the summit that I held in South Dakota on how
best to prevent and combat human trafficking. The best way to stop
human trafficking in its tracks is to prevent it.
My bill launches a task force review to look into Federal and State
trafficking-prevention activities. The review will be in done in
consultation with nongovernmental organizations, like those I heard
from in South Dakota, and will work to identify and develop best
practices to prevent trafficking.
Next, it requires an inventory to be done of existing antitrafficking
efforts by the Federal Government. It is important to take a hard look
at all of these programs across the Federal Government to ensure that
Federal resources are targeted and that they are used where they are
needed.
We can also identify any gaps in Federal programs that need to be
filled, and finally, my bill improves existing Department of Justice
grants and allows them to be used for shelters for survivors.
Did you know, nationwide, there is only about 200 beds available for
underage victims of sex trafficking? Many of these kids, once they are
rescued from their trafficker, have nowhere safe to go. They don't have
any other option, and so often, what they are forced to do is to return
to their trafficker.
Many who are in the foster care system don't have the family support
that is necessary to be safe and to recover. Sadly, without a place to
recover from the trauma that has happened in their lives, kids return
back to those traffickers, and that is why it is important that we use
Federal resources wisely to promote more facilities to help these
recovering children.
I am proud to be standing here with my colleagues on both sides of
the aisle to take action on this bill today and the other bills that
were brought to deal with sex trafficking. It is an issue that we can
and we should all stand together on. Together, these bills will do more
to prevent trafficking, give law enforcement more tools to deal with
it, and help our victims recover.
I am grateful for my colleagues and to the leadership for making this
a priority in the House. I urge my colleagues to support this package
and continue our fight to end human trafficking.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes
to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), who has also been a
leader on this issue of combating sex trafficking.
Mrs. BLACK. I thank the chairman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government reports that as many as 17,500
people are trafficked into our country annually. With the rise of the
Internet, the number of sex trafficking incidents in particular has
exploded. We must do what we can to combat this rising epidemic by
identifying best practices in combating trafficking, so that others can
duplicate these successful models.
I am proud that in my home State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Bureau
of Investigation has developed a card that would identify an algorithm
of how law enforcement would interview those who potentially have been
sex-trafficked, as well as on the back of the card, those kinds of
resources that can be used to help those who are in this situation.
Systems like this must be identified, studied, and duplicated to
combat trafficking, and I am proud to support this bill from
Congresswoman Noem, which would help to make this very important work
successful.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to yield
2 minutes to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer).
Mr. CRAMER. I thank the chairman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that my home State of North Dakota is
enjoying the blessing of an energy boom, an economic boom, which is
driven largely by an oil and gas renaissance that has us contributing
now over 1 million barrels of oil per day toward America's energy
security, but with the blessing of this energy boom comes some unwanted
consequences, and chief among them is a growing demand for the product
of human trafficking. It has caused the citizens of our clean and
beautiful State to be somewhat alarmed and rightfully so.
Our local and State law enforcement agencies are stressed to the max.
Our nonprofit and faith-based communities are doing all that they can
to assist, and they are doing it with great effort, but they need some
additional help and encouragement.
So this and the many other House bills that will be passed in the
next couple of days dealing with this plague of human trafficking will
provide the tools that, frankly, only the Federal Government can
provide to assist--not replace, but assist local, State, and nonprofit
agencies in this fight against the plague of human trafficking in our
society.
I encourage all of my colleagues to support this and the other bills
before us.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, having no further requests for time, I am
prepared to close.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume
to say to all that, as the chair of the Judiciary Committee, I
appreciate the bipartisan work that has been done on many of these sex
trafficking bills.
I appreciate especially the work of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
[[Page H6727]]
Scott), who is the ranking member on the Crime Subcommittee, and the
ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Conyers, as well. I commend
the chairman of that subcommittee, Mr. Sensenbrenner, as well as
Congresswoman Noem for their leadership on this issue.
Sex trafficking is a serious problem, and while we see it around the
world, we should not overlook the fact that it is a serious problem
right here in the United States.
This bill joins several others that we have already passed through
the House of Representatives to address this serious problem, and it
deserves the same bipartisan support that the others received, and it
also deserves the consideration of the other side of the Capitol, by
the other body which needs to take these bills up and pass them as
well, so they can go to the President's desk and be signed into law.
This is truly a bipartisan effort to address a serious national
problem, and we all need to join into the solution.
With that, 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. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5135.
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.
____________________