[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 23, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4484-H4489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PUT TRAFFICKING VICTIMS FIRST ACT OF 2017

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2473) to ensure compliance with the Justice for Victims of 
Trafficking Act of 2015, to make strides toward eradicating human 
trafficking, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2473

       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 ``Put Trafficking Victims 
     First Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON SAFE HARBOR LAWS.

       Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the 
     Office for Victims of Crime, shall issue a report to be 
     posted on a publicly available website that includes--
       (1) the impact of State safe harbor laws and associated 
     services on the re-victimization of victims of trafficking 
     (as such term is defined in section 103(15) of the Victims of 
     Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7102(15))), the recovery of victims, victim outcomes, and 
     prosecutions of traffickers; and
       (2) best practices and recommendations on the development 
     and implementation of effective State safe harbor laws that 
     promote full recovery of victims of trafficking and do not 
     interfere with prosecutions of traffickers.

     SEC. 3. TRAINING FOR PROSECUTIONS OF TRAFFICKERS AND SUPPORT 
                   FOR STATE SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING.

       (a) In General.--Section 107(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Victims of 
     Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7105(b)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended to read as follows:

[[Page H4485]]

       ``(ii) 5 percent for training and technical assistance, to 
     be provided in coordination with the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services, including with respect to--

       ``(I) increasing capacity and expertise on security for and 
     protection of service providers from intimidation or 
     retaliation for their activities;
       ``(II) ``investigating, prosecuting, and preventing human 
     trafficking through a trauma-informed and victim-centered 
     approach that provides services and protections for victims 
     of trafficking;
       ``(III) facilitating the provision of evidence-based, 
     trauma-informed care and mental health services to victims of 
     trafficking;
       ``(IV) ensuring that all victims of trafficking, including 
     United States citizens, lawful permanent residents, and 
     foreign nationals, are eligible for services;
       ``(V) ensuring that law enforcement officers and 
     prosecutors make every attempt to determine whether an 
     individual's participation in human trafficking is free from 
     force, fraud, or coercion of any means before arresting them 
     for, or charging them with, an offense;
       ``(VI) effectively prosecuting traffickers and individuals 
     who patronize or solicit children for sex, and facilitating 
     access for child victims of trafficking to the same type of 
     court procedures and legal protections accessible to child 
     victims of sexual assault, rape, child sexual abuse, or 
     incest, and clarifying the right of child victims of 
     trafficking to not be treated as criminals as a result of 
     their victimization; and
       ``(VII) encouraging States to identify the locations of 
     victims of trafficking and serve those victims, including 
     through efforts that utilize internet outreach, through 
     methods informed by survivors of human trafficking, and by 
     offering help and services that are responsive to victims' 
     needs in their communities.''.

       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on October 1, 2017.

     SEC. 4. WORKING TO DEVELOP METHODOLOGIES TO ASSESS PREVALENCE 
                   OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

       (a) Working Group.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National 
     Institute of Justice, in consultation with the Director of 
     the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, shall establish 
     an expert working group, which shall include survivors of 
     human trafficking, experts on sex and labor trafficking, 
     representatives from organizations collecting data on human 
     trafficking, and law enforcement officers. The working group 
     shall, utilizing, to the extent practicable, existing efforts 
     of agencies, task forces, States, cities, research 
     institutions, and organizations--
       (A) identify the methodological and practical barriers 
     hampering data collection on sex and labor trafficking;
       (B) identify the information that should be collected, and 
     how that information should be collected; and
       (C) recommend practices that could be standardized as 
     replicable best practices to promote better data comparison, 
     aggregation, and analysis.
       (2) Pilot testing.--Not later than 3 years after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National 
     Institute of Justice shall implement a series of pilot 
     studies to test promising methodologies studied under 
     paragraph (1).
       (b) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National 
     Institute of Justice, in consultation with the Secretary of 
     Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of the Human 
     Smuggling and Trafficking Center, shall submit to Congress a 
     report, which includes--
       (A) the efforts made in developing robust, comprehensive 
     methodologies to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking 
     at the national and regional levels;
       (B) best practices for determining the trends of human 
     trafficking in the United States;
       (C) evaluations of the effectiveness of current policies 
     and procedures to address the needs of victims of 
     trafficking, including appropriate housing and services from 
     trained trauma-informed care service providers; and
       (D) an analysis of the varying characteristics of victims 
     of trafficking in different regions, including age, gender, 
     race or ethnicity, involvement in the child welfare system, 
     involvement in the juvenile or criminal justice system, the 
     number of foster care placements, the number of congregate 
     care placements, and whether an individual is a victim of sex 
     trafficking or labor trafficking, and recommendations for how 
     to address the unique vulnerabilities of different victims.
       (2) Availability of report.--The report required under 
     paragraph (1) shall be made publicly available on the website 
     of the Department of Justice.
       (3) Input from relevant parties.--In developing the report 
     under paragraph (1), the Director shall seek input from the 
     United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, victims 
     of trafficking, human trafficking survivor advocates, service 
     providers for victims of sex and labor trafficking, and the 
     President's Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking.
       (c) Survey.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute 
     of Justice, in coordination with Federal, State, local, and 
     tribal governments, and private organizations, including 
     victim service providers and expert researchers, shall 
     develop and execute a survey of survivors seeking and 
     receiving services through a model agreed upon by service 
     providers for victims of trafficking, government entities, 
     and research experts to better understand where and how 
     victims of trafficking are accessing services, how they are 
     referred to services, including referrals by first 
     responders, how assessment tools work to identify victims of 
     trafficking, and to help estimate the prevalence of human 
     trafficking and victim identification in the United States. 
     Survey results shall be made publicly available on the 
     website of the Department of Justice.
       (d) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are 
     authorized to carry out this section.

     SEC. 5. REPORT ON PROSECUTORS SEEKING MANDATORY RESTITUTION 
                   IN TRAFFICKING CASES.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the 
     Administrative Office of the United States Courts, shall 
     submit to Congress a report on efforts to increase mandatory 
     restitution orders and use of asset forfeiture to provide 
     restitution to victims of trafficking that shall be posted on 
     a publicly available website, which shall include the 
     following:
       (1) Information on the Department of Justice's training 
     programs on mandatory restitution and the use of asset 
     forfeiture to provide restitution to victims of trafficking, 
     and recommendations of necessary additional training to 
     ensure mandatory restitution is ordered in all relevant human 
     trafficking cases.
       (2) An assessment of obstacles that continue to prevent 
     Federal prosecutors and Federal courts from ordering 
     restitution.
       (3) An assessment of whether the asset forfeiture 
     provisions in the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 
     2015 and the amendments made by that Act have helped increase 
     requests to transfer forfeited proceeds for restitution, 
     including how many requests have been made and how many of 
     those requests have been approved, and whether United States 
     Attorneys offices are properly informed about requesting 
     transfers.
       (4) An assessment of how establishing trauma-informed, 
     victim-centered investigative and prosecutorial procedures 
     can help improve mandatory restitution orders, including by 
     encouraging victims of trafficking to cooperate in criminal 
     cases, equipping victims of trafficking with proper 
     assistance during criminal proceedings, and helping victims 
     of trafficking secure mandatory restitution.
       (5) The annual number and percentage of Federal cases 
     related to human trafficking, separating sex trafficking and 
     labor trafficking, during the period beginning on June 1, 
     2015, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, in 
     which restitution was ordered, and the amount of restitution 
     ordered in each case.
       (6) Data on the participation and non-participation of 
     victims of trafficking in criminal proceedings, data on the 
     participation and nonparticipation of victims of trafficking 
     in witness protection programs and services, and 
     recommendations for encouraging the participation of victims 
     of trafficking in such proceedings.

     SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS ENCOURAGING STATES TO ADOPT 
                   PROTECTIONS FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING.

       Congress recognizes and applauds the State legislative 
     bodies that have taken tremendous steps to adopt protections 
     and services for victims of trafficking. Congress encourages 
     States to do the following:
       (1) Uphold the basic rights and dignity of human 
     trafficking survivors.
       (2) Adopt a survivor-centered approach to addressing human 
     trafficking that ensures the safety, confidentiality, and 
     well-being of victims of trafficking, while recognizing 
     symptoms of trauma and coping mechanisms that may impact 
     victims' interactions with law enforcement, the justice 
     system, and service providers.
       (3) Implement screening mechanisms for all children 
     entering child welfare services, the juvenile justice system, 
     or the criminal justice system to identify child victims of 
     trafficking and connect them with appropriate services, 
     including appropriate housing and services from trained 
     trauma-informed care service providers, and to try to 
     identify foreign nationals who may be victims of trafficking.
       (4) Ensure that child victims of trafficking are provided 
     with a range of protections, including access to child 
     welfare services, trauma-informed programming, and the same 
     legal rights afforded to other children who experience sexual 
     abuse, rape, or incest, including ensuring that--
       (A) criminals who exploit child victims of sex trafficking, 
     including offenders who purchase, solicit, or obtain a child 
     for purposes of engaging in a commercial sex act, face 
     serious penalties and sentences under sex trafficking laws, 
     and are not given lesser sentences; and
       (B) child victims of trafficking are never referred to as 
     ``child prostitutes'' or ``underage sex workers'' in law or 
     official documents and proceedings.
       (5) Develop a 24-hour emergency response plan to provide 
     victims trafficking with immediate protection and support 
     when they are first identified, which may include physically 
     moving victims of trafficking to a place of safety, attending 
     to the immediate

[[Page H4486]]

     medical and emotional needs of survivors, assessing whether 
     survivors are under risk for harm, retaliation, or 
     intimidation, and directly connecting survivors with victim 
     advocates, housing, and service providers.
       (6) Adopt protections for victims of trafficking that 
     include the right--
       (A) to be treated as a victim of crime and afforded 
     justice, respect, and dignity;
       (B) to protection if the victim's safety is at risk or if 
     there is danger of harm, retaliation, or recapture by the 
     trafficker;
       (C) to comprehensive trauma-informed, long-term, culturally 
     competent care and healing services oriented toward 
     emotional, psychological, and family healing;
       (D) to evidence-based screening and assessment tools, 
     treatment plans, and therapy to address traumatic stress and 
     associated mental health symptoms;
       (E) to safe and effective emergency and long-term housing; 
     education, vocational, and job assistance and training; 
     mentoring programs; language assistance; drug and substance 
     abuse services; and legal services;
       (F) for child sex trafficking victims to be treated as 
     children in need of child protective services and to be 
     served through the child welfare system, where appropriate, 
     in place of the juvenile justice system;
       (G) for all victims of trafficking, including United States 
     citizens, lawful permanent residents, and foreign nationals, 
     to be eligible for services;
       (H) to have convictions and adjudications related to 
     prostitution and nonviolent offenses vacated and such records 
     cleared and expunged if offenses were committed as a direct 
     result of the victim being trafficked, and protection for 
     foreign nationals from being removed, being determined to be 
     inadmissible, or losing any immigration benefit because of 
     such conviction or arrests;
       (I) to the same type of court procedures and legal 
     protections accessible to victims of sexual assault, rape, 
     child sexual abuse, or incest, including the right to not be 
     treated as a criminal; and
       (J) to retain all rights regardless of whether the crime 
     has been reported to law enforcement.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson 
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             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. 2473, 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.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2473, the Put Trafficking 
Victims First Act of 2017, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Human trafficking has plagued communities and neighborhoods across 
America. Victims have endured horrific trauma, violence, and 
reoccurring abuse. As a result, there is a tremendous need for expanded 
victim services, improved data on the prevalence and trends of human 
trafficking, and effective mechanisms to identify and rescue 
trafficking victims.
  H.R. 2473 takes reasonable steps to increase victim services while 
improving upon the tools already available to combat human trafficking. 
The bill directs the Attorney General to provide a report on the 
effectiveness of State safe harbor laws to ensure these laws are based 
upon a survivor-centered approach.
  In addition to the report, the bill instructs States to recognize 
coping mechanisms and the symptoms of trauma as local law enforcement 
interacts with victims of human trafficking.
  Furthermore, the legislation provides for increased training and 
technical assistance for State and Federal agencies, prosecutors, and 
law enforcement on how to take a victim-centered approach to preventing 
human trafficking. This provision promotes evidence-based training in 
order to improve the physical and mental health services provided to 
victims.
  The bill's focus on supporting victims continues as H.R. 2473 
instructs the National Institute of Justice to establish detailed 
methodologies to review the modern trends and detail the prevalence of 
human trafficking throughout the United States. The survey will not 
only assess how victims of trafficking are accessing services, but, in 
addition, help estimate the prevalence of human trafficking in the 
United States.
  Moreover, H.R. 2473 will provide assistance to trafficking victims 
seeking restitution, many of whom still face many obstacles in Federal 
court. The bill directs the Attorney General to report on efforts to 
increase mandatory restitution for victims by providing Congress with 
data involving the number of Federal cases related to human trafficking 
in which restitution was ordered, as well as the participation rate of 
victims in trafficking criminal proceedings.
  Finally, the bill expresses the sense of Congress that States should 
implement trauma-informed, victim-centered care for all trafficking 
victims.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress' intent is clear: Protecting victims from the 
heinous crime of human trafficking is of utmost concern. I commend the 
gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for introducing this important 
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
                                            Committee on Education


                                            and the Workforce,

                                     Washington, DC, May 23, 2017.
     Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to confirm our mutual 
     understanding with respect to H.R. 2473, Put Trafficking 
     Victims First Act of 2017. Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Education and the Workforce with regard to H.R. 
     2473 on those matters within my committee's jurisdiction and 
     agreeing to make improvements to the legislation to address 
     concerns.
       The Committee on Education and the Workforce will not delay 
     further consideration of this bill. However, I do so only 
     with the understanding this procedural route will not be 
     construed to prejudice my committee's jurisdictional interest 
     and prerogatives on this bill or any other similar 
     legislation and will not be considered as precedent for 
     consideration of matters of jurisdictional interest to my 
     committee in the future.
       I respectfully request your support for the appointment of 
     outside conferees from the Committee on Education and the 
     Workforce should this bill or a similar bill be considered in 
     a conference with the Senate. I also request you include our 
     exchange of letters on this matter in the committee report 
     and in the Congressional Record during consideration of this 
     bill on the House Floor. Thank you for your attention to 
     these matters.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Virginia Foxx,
     Chairwoman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                     Washington, DC, May 23, 2017.
     Hon. Virginia Foxx,
     Chair, Committee on Education & the Workforce, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Chairwoman Foxx: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on the Judiciary and agreeing to be discharged from 
     further consideration of H.R. 2473, the ``Enforcing Justice 
     for Victims of Trafficking Act,'' so that the bill may 
     proceed expeditiously to the House floor.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of 
     your committee or rejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives on 
     this bill or similar legislation in the future. I would 
     support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate 
     number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate 
     conference on this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 2473 in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. 
     I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and 
     look forward to continuing to work together as this measure 
     moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Bob Goodlatte,
                                                         Chairman.

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2473, the Put 
Trafficking Victims First Act of 2017.
  I congratulate the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass) for the introduction of this 
legislation.
  This bill is intended to improve the implementation of the Justice 
for Victims Trafficking Act of 2015. The 2015 act expanded the Federal 
response to trafficking concerning services and benefits for victims, 
criminal justice, domestic sex trafficking of children, and interagency 
coordination and training.
  I support H.R. 2473 for several reasons. To begin with, this measure 
will strengthen the effectiveness of the 2015 act in various ways. For 
example, H.R. 2473 requires that training be provided for prosecutions 
of traffickers. When children fall prey to the sex trade and

[[Page H4487]]

then are treated as criminals rather than victims, their injuries are 
compounded.
  We had the first human trafficking hearing of any committee in 
Houston, Texas, just a few years ago under the auspices of the Homeland 
Security Committee. Our committee determined this very point: that 
children fall prey and then become victims of the criminal justice 
system.
  That is not the way to deal with our children who are victims, 
innocent children who have been turned into human traffic products by 
the heinous traffickers. As such, this training is critical to ensure 
that human trafficking victims are treated as victims and afforded 
justice, respect, and dignity.
  Second, H.R. 2473 establishes a working group to develop best 
practices or best methods to assess the prevalence of human 
trafficking. We know that there is a growing epidemic of abhorrent 
practices of sex trafficking, and we must consider all methods to help 
law enforcement stop these crimes.
  The working group will identify barriers that hamper human 
trafficking data collection and identify what information should be 
collected, as well as ascertain current practices being used by 
different agencies and organizations that can be standardized into best 
practices. As a result, H.R. 2473 will help ensure the most effective 
prevention practices are standardized so that perpetrators of sex 
trafficking are ultimately brought to justice.
  Lastly, the legislation encourages States to adopt protections for 
sex trafficking victims. These victims are often very afraid to seek 
help, particularly from law enforcement because of the risk that they 
will be treated as criminals again rather than victims. H.R. 2473 
recognizes the critical fact that children involved in sex trafficking 
are victims and not criminals. They absolutely should not be treated as 
criminals.
  In acknowledgement of this fact, the bill identifies a broad range of 
important initiatives that States should undertake that would provide 
meaningful assistance to these victims: upholding basic rights, 
facilitating ways to identify child trafficking, providing emergency 
long-term housing. Each of these initiatives should help ensure that 
these victims are not revictimized and help enable them to be guided 
back to a normalized life.
  Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, I am pleased to support this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the chief sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Goodlatte) for his leadership on this area of human trafficking, along 
with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), my good friend, for 
all of her support on this human trafficking issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present the Put Trafficking Victims 
First Act to the House of Representatives. I am thrilled to have the 
opportunity to address the concerns of victims of human trafficking 
across our country.
  Too often, victims of trafficking are overlooked and underserved. 
This must stop. America needs to afford trafficking victims the same 
justice, protections, and dignity that other victims of crime receive.
  In my home State of Missouri, I have met with countless survivors, 
along with survivors across this country, and I have listened to their 
painful stories. They need help to rebuild their lives, and that is 
exactly what my bill will do.

                              {time}  1730

  One important place to start is in the courtroom, where we need 
victim-centered practices oriented toward justice and recovery. For 
example, victims technically have access to mandatory restitution in 
Federal courts, but the sad reality is that, according to one estimate, 
sex trafficking victims get restitution in only 14 percent of Federal 
sex trafficking cases. This, Mr. Speaker, is unacceptable. My bill will 
direct the Attorney General to make mandatory restitution mandatory and 
implement victim-friendly procedures in Federal criminal cases.
  Another big problem is that we just don't have good data on how to 
identify and rescue victims and put them on a path toward success. We 
don't really know where to find victims, what portions may be coming 
from foster care, or what their age, ethnicity, or other 
characteristics are. We can't help them if we can't find them. So we 
desperately need good data and reporting in order to improve victim 
outreach.
  To answer this need, my bill establishes a national working group to 
develop robust methodologies to determine the prevalence and trends of 
tracking and evaluating how to best identify victims and address their 
needs. My bill will establish a national survey of survivors so we can 
better understand how victims are accessing help.
  Yet another problem is that we are failing to provide trauma-informed 
care to victims, care that would help victims recover and cooperate 
with criminal investigations so we can put pimps and buyers behind 
bars. Lack of help for victims in the justice system can lead to 
revictimization, or even result in victims being criminalized for 
offenses they were forced to commit.
  That is why we will train agencies, law enforcement, and prosecutors 
across the country to implement victim-centered approaches to 
investigating and preventing trafficking. We encourage law enforcement 
and prosecutors to make every attempt to determine whether an 
individual's participation in trafficking is, in fact, free from fraud, 
force, or coercion before arresting or charging them.
  Finally, victims of trafficking are mostly served at the State level, 
so it is critical that States improve how they respond to victims. My 
bill encourages States to improve outreach, screen children entering 
child welfare services and the justice system, screen foreign nationals 
who may be labor trafficked, create safe harbor laws, and develop 
emergency response plans.
  Mr. Speaker, together we can get victims of trafficking out of 
dangerous and abusive situations and create better, more accessible 
trauma-informed services. I urge my colleagues to put trafficking 
victims first and to support this legislation.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the original cosponsor of this 
legislation and one of the champions of protecting children and a 
leader of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2473, the Put 
Trafficking Victims First Act of 2017. I thank Ranking Member Jackson 
Lee, Chairman Goodlatte, and also Representative Ann Wagner of Missouri 
for her leadership in combating trafficking in America. The importance 
of a bipartisan approach cannot be overstated or diminished.
  Over the years, we have made tremendous progress, but the work is far 
from over. The Put Trafficking Victims First Act is a great first step 
forward in addressing the perilous deficiencies in sex trafficking 
policies and services in America.
  As an original cosponsor of this bill, I am grateful for the 
inclusion of my amendments that serve to further support and strengthen 
this important legislation by providing necessary language and focus on 
young victims in the child welfare system.
  In drafting legislation that calls for data collection assessments to 
help identify and implement effective and responsive models of justice 
and relief services, we must always be cognizant of the need to draw 
awareness and find solutions to eradicate the devastating epidemic of 
young children who are in the U.S. child welfare system from becoming 
victims of sex trafficking.
  In particular, it is imperative that we better identify and screen 
the characteristics of children and youth involved in the child welfare 
and justice systems and that we provide greater access to appropriate 
housing and services from trained trauma-informed care service 
providers. Far too often, we hear stories about victims who cannot 
access housing, shelter, or mental healthcare and are unable to expunge 
or seal their criminal records and are treated like criminals rather 
than victims.
  As the cofounder of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I am

[[Page H4488]]

particularly concerned about what we are doing to combat the 
devastating epidemic of young girls in the foster care system falling 
prey to child exploitation and sex trafficking. I hear horrific stories 
of foster girls who have been trafficked far too often, and I hear that 
the average age of a girl being involved in trafficking is 12 years 
old.
  Mr. Speaker, this week we have over 100 youth here from 98 different 
congressional districts who will be shadowing their Members of Congress 
tomorrow. We met with the youth yesterday, and a number of them stepped 
forward and talked about being involved in the trafficking system and 
how they fell through the cracks in child welfare.
  It is important that we remember that the purpose of the child 
welfare system is to protect children who are abused or neglected. When 
we take custody of these children, then we--meaning the local, State, 
or Federal Government--in effect become their parents. So if your own 
child showed up missing and you don't do anything about it, then 
obviously you are considered responsible. This is exactly what is 
happening with child sex trafficking in the United States.
  H.R. 2473 further encourages States to implement screening mechanisms 
for all children entering the child welfare system and criminal and 
juvenile justice systems to better identify child trafficking and 
connect them with appropriate services. I urge my colleagues to vote 
for H.R. 2473.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), a member of the Committee on the 
Judiciary.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Goodlatte for the 
time and also his work on this issue of human sex trafficking in the 
United States. I support this legislation.
  I also compliment Congresswoman Wagner, Congresswoman Bass, 
Congresswoman Maloney, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and other 
women. I mention that because when we presented the Justice for Victims 
of Trafficking Act 2 years ago and worked on that massive legislation 
that is excellent legislation, I am convinced that it was the women in 
the United States House of Representatives who got it done. They made 
sure that this legislation passed, and then they trotted down the 
hallway to the Senate and--I will use the word--``encouraged'' our 
Senators to take the bill up, and it passed there, and President Obama 
did sign the legislation. I am convinced there is nothing more powerful 
than a woman who has made up her mind, and the women in this House made 
up their mind about human sex trafficking. I just wanted to point that 
out.
  This legislation is important. There are many stories. I am going to 
talk about a 9-year-old girl who lived not far from where we are today 
here in the United States Capitol. When Ashley's mother died, she was 
left alone. Like any lost and lonely child, she sought the comfort that 
she needed of love and safety. A woman came in to Ashley's life, 
offering her the care that Ashley was looking for as a 9-year-old: 
comfort and love. Ashley felt like she was safe for the first time 
since she had lost her mother. She was an orphan in Washington, D.C. 
Little did she know that the woman who was being nice to her was faking 
it all because she was grooming Ashley to be a sex slave here in 
Washington.
  You see, traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of victims, 
destroying their self-worth and their hope for a better life. In some 
cases, traffickers steal the soul of young children. They have no hope 
and they have no self-worth.
  That happened to Ashley, this 9-year-old girl. She was trafficked on 
the streets of Washington, D.C., and online for 5 years. At 16, a peace 
officer here in Washington, D.C., arrested her for prostitution. She 
was brought before a judge, and the judge recognized that she was not a 
criminal, she was not guilty of prostitution. Children cannot commit 
the crime of prostitution. He recognized her plight and he ordered her 
into a treatment program to help her recover from being a trafficking 
victim. It is my opinion that that judge saved Ashley's life.
  As was mentioned here on the House floor by Congresswoman Bass, the 
average age of a trafficking victim here in the United States of 
America is between 12 and 13. That means some girls are younger, like 
Ashley. She was 9. What a statistic. And, yes, it is mostly young minor 
females. Boys are trafficked. Adult females are trafficked as well, but 
the scourge is the biggest when it is our children.
  Like the laws of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, they 
have increased judge and prosecutor training, giving them tools to deal 
with the scourge of human trafficking. It is nothing more than modern 
sex slavery. That is what human trafficking is.
  Congresswoman Wagner's Put Trafficking Victims First Act continues to 
improve the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act and improve the 
process by encouraging more training and a focus on victim-centered 
approaches in the courtroom. I was a judge for 22 years in Houston. We 
had none of this legislation to help rescue and restore victims of 
trafficking, and now we do.
  We should remember that in our country we treat trafficking victims, 
like Ashley, like victims and make survivors out of them. Gone are the 
days that we are going to treat them like criminals. They are not 
criminals. They are victims of crime. We must stop the sale of children 
on the marketplace of sex slavery. This legislation helps do that. 
Victims like Ashley deserve treatment and care, and I support the work 
that has been done in the Put Trafficking Victims First Act, and I 
support the fact that it will help victims.
  As co-chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus, along with the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Costa), we understand the importance of victims 
and we understand the importance of this legislation. No more, Mr. 
Speaker. Not in our city, not in our States, and not in our country.
  And that is just the way it is.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time 
to close.
  What an appropriate time so that I can add my appreciation to the 
chairman and the ranking member, Mr. Conyers, the ranking member of the 
subcommittee that I am on, and to the chairman of the subcommittee. We 
have enjoyed working together on this legislation. To the cosponsors of 
this legislation, Mrs. Wagner and Ms. Bass. And then to the potent 
statement of my friend and fellow Texan, Congressman Ted Poe, who 
modestly indicated that we, as women, helped drive this, frankly, he 
beat us to the finish line riding his horse, but I want to thank him 
very much for his great leadership and interest in this very important 
area.

                              {time}  1745

  This bill is a wonderful complement to the igniting of understanding 
about the vileness of human trafficking.
  I think it is important to take note that the Homeland Security 
Department has trained airline stewards to recognize human trafficking 
victims on airplanes. Many of them are children, camouflaged as an 
adult and their special child--niece or nephew--traveling together.
  This legislation is all about pointing out, finding, saving the 
victims, making sure they get treatment, and making sure that human 
trafficking is identified.
  So I am also pleased that this measure, as amended, requires a report 
on State safe harbor laws. As we all know, safe harbors play a critical 
role in preventing youth, forced into the sex trade, from being 
revictimized again and stigmatized a second time by the criminal 
justice system, almost similar to the little girl who was looking for 
love. Instead, she got victimized and turned into a human trafficking 
product.
  H.R. 2473 also fosters better collaboration among the Federal, State, 
and local law enforcement in the fight against sex trafficking and 
encourages States to adopt protections for trafficking victims by 
providing rehabilitation and recovery services for victims of human 
trafficking.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this measure and, as 
well, to be reminded of all those children who will be helped and 
saved.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this fine 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H4489]]

  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. 2473, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to direct 
the Attorney General to study issues relating to human trafficking, and 
for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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