[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 2, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ENDING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

  The SPEAKER. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Costello) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
515, and I commend Congressman Smith for his continued leadership 
efforts to combat human trafficking. It is an issue many of us take 
very, very seriously.
  This Congress, the House has passed several commonsense, bipartisan 
pieces of legislation to end human trafficking, and we remain dedicated 
to finding solutions to prevent this criminal activity, to protect 
victims, and to prosecute those individuals who seek to exploit 
innocent children.
  One year ago today, I spoke on this critical piece of legislation 
when it first came to the House floor. I am glad the Senate has finally 
considered it, and I am proud to be standing here again today as this 
legislation will finally make its way to the President's desk for his 
signature following the legislation's passage here in the House.
  Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is not a distant concept. It exists in 
communities across America. An estimated 300,000 young Americans are in 
danger of becoming victims of sex trafficking. The average age, believe 
it or not, is 12 to 14 years old for girls. Last year alone, my home 
State of Pennsylvania had a total of 106 reported cases of human 
trafficking and 514 calls of human trafficking violations. In fact, 
Pennsylvania has stepped up the fight by enacting stricter human 
trafficking laws, and it was named one of the top five ``most 
improved'' States by the Polaris Project.
  The legislation we have passed here in the House is another step in 
the right direction. We have made progress, but there is more that we 
can and must do. I look forward to working with my colleagues to 
continue the fight against human trafficking.


                            Barclay Grounds

  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I also rise to highlight 
the success of a local land preservation effort in West Chester 
Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
  The Barclay Grounds, located in West Chester Borough, is a beautiful 
property. The land has a rich history dating back to William Penn's 
charter from the King. Over the years, it has served as an orchard and 
has been utilized for agricultural purposes as well as for passive 
recreation activities. For over 2 years, local officials and grassroots 
volunteers have worked on a common mission: to preserve the Barclay 
Grounds for future generations.
  I can recall, when I was a county commissioner, when a gentleman by 
the name of John Cottage, who founded the Barclay Grounds Preservation 
Alliance, came in to see us, and I and my then-colleagues on the Board 
of County Commissioners, Terence Farrell and Kathi Cozzone, decided 
that this was a worthwhile endeavor. We provided the seed funding, if 
you will, to help kick-start the grant application process for several 
funding streams to make sure that we would be able to preserve the 
Barclay Grounds.
  I am pleased to stand before this country today and say that a group 
of local officials and local volunteers did something great in a local 
community that is going to preserve for future generations a really 
historic, cultural, and environmental gem.
  I commend the dedicated officials in the West Chester community, 
including the West Chester Borough Council, a lot of people involved in 
the preservation movement, including the grant writing teams at the 
Natural Lands Trust, as well as the Brandywine Conservancy and many 
others, for their efforts to preserve this passive park.

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