[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H10218-H10220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ACT
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (S. 1536) to designate a human trafficking prevention
coordinator and to expand the scope of activities authorized under the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's outreach and education
program to include human trafficking prevention activities, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1536
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 ``Combating Human Trafficking
in Commercial Vehicles Act''.
SEC. 2. HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION COORDINATOR.
The Secretary of Transportation shall designate an official
within the Department of Transportation who shall--
(1) coordinate human trafficking prevention efforts across
modal administrations in the Department of Transportation and
with other departments and agencies of the Federal
Government; and
(2) in coordinating such efforts, take into account the
unique challenges of combating human trafficking within
different transportation modes.
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.
Section 31110(c)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following: ``The program
authorized under this subsection may support, in addition to
funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition,
prevention, and reporting of human trafficking, while
deferring to existing resources, as practicable.''.
SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
Section 31313(a)(3) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:
``(E) support, in addition to funds otherwise available for
such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of
human trafficking; or''.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an
advisory committee on human trafficking.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Composition.--The Committee shall be composed of not
more than 15 external stakeholder members whose diverse
experience and background enable them to provide balanced
points of view with regard to carrying out the duties of the
Committee.
(2) Selection.--The Secretary shall appoint the external
stakeholder members to the Committee, including
representatives from--
(A) trafficking advocacy organizations;
(B) law enforcement; and
(C) trucking, bus, rail, aviation, maritime, and port
sectors, including industry and labor.
(3) Periods of appointment.--Members shall be appointed for
the life of the Committee.
(4) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Committee shall be filled
in the manner in which the original appointment was made and
shall not affect the powers or duties of the Committee.
(5) Compensation.--Committee members shall serve without
compensation.
(c) Authority.--Not later than 9 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and
appoint all members of the Committee.
(d) Duties.--
(1) Recommendations for the department of transportation.--
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Committee shall make recommendations to the
Secretary on actions the Department can take to help combat
human trafficking, including the development and
implementation of--
(A) successful strategies for identifying and reporting
instances of human trafficking; and
(B) recommendations for administrative or legislative
changes necessary to use programs, properties, or other
resources owned, operated, or funded by the Department to
combat human trafficking.
[[Page H10219]]
(2) Best practices and recommendations.--
(A) In general.--The Committee shall develop recommended
best practices for States and State and local transportation
stakeholders to follow in combating human trafficking.
(B) Development.--The best practices shall be based on
multidisciplinary research and promising, evidence-based
models and programs.
(C) Content.--The best practices shall be user-friendly,
incorporate the most up-to-date technology, and include the
following:
(i) Sample training materials.
(ii) Strategies to identify victims.
(iii) Sample protocols and recommendations, including--
(I) strategies to collect, document, and share data across
systems and agencies;
(II) strategies to help agencies better understand the
types of trafficking involved, the scope of the problem, and
the degree of victim interaction with multiple systems; and
(III) strategies to identify effective pathways for State
agencies to utilize their position in educating critical
stakeholder groups and assisting victims.
(D) Informing states of best practices.--The Secretary
shall ensure that State Governors and State departments of
transportation are notified of the best practices and
recommendations.
(e) Reports.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
(1) submit a report on the actions of the Committee
described in subsection (d) to--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of
the House of Representatives; and
(2) make the report under paragraph (1) publicly available
both physically and online.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the Department
of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking
established under subsection (a).
(2) Human trafficking.--The term ``human trafficking''
means an act or practice described in paragraph (9) or
paragraph (10) of section 103 of the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Transportation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Graves) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.
General Leave
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
to include extraneous material on S. 1536.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
{time} 1500
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 1536 empowers the Department of Transportation to
play an important role in combating human trafficking. Specifically
what this bill does is it directs the Secretary of Transportation to
designate a human trafficking prevention coordinator from within the
Department; it expands the scope of activities authorized under the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's outreach and education
program and under the Commercial Driver's License program
implementation grants to include human trafficking prevention
activities; and it requires the Secretary to establish an advisory
committee on human trafficking.
S. 1536 is supported by Members on both sides of the aisle, and it
passed the Senate with unanimous consent.
I would like to commend Ms. Esty for her leadership on the House
version of this bill. Because of her work and her partnership on this
with Mr. Katko, the House version passed through committee unanimously.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 1536, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill as well. S. 1536
will help ensure that the U.S. Department of Transportation has the
necessary tools to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking in
commercial vehicles.
In 2016, more than 7,000 cases of human trafficking were reported to
the National Human Trafficking Hotline. With this legislation, Congress
is stepping in to ensure DOT has additional authority and resources to
combat this egregious crime.
This bill provides the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
FMCSA, more flexibility to combat human trafficking by authorizing
funding from two existing grant programs to be used to support the
reporting and the prevention of human trafficking. The bill will also
help DOT coordinate efforts to fight human trafficking with other
Federal agencies, and it establishes an advisory committee on human
trafficking.
The advisory committee will convene experts from law enforcement,
victim advocacy organizations, and the transportation industry to
advise DOT of concrete steps it can take to improve the recognition and
the prevention of trafficking.
The advisory committee will also develop and share best practices
with State and local stakeholders so that they are better equipped to
combat the trafficking in their own communities.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported an
identical bill, H.R. 3813, authored by the gentlewoman from Connecticut
(Ms. Esty), to the House in November.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any speakers, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Connecticut (Ms. Esty), the author of the bill.
Ms. ESTY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly support the passage of S. 1536, the
Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act. This
bipartisan, bicameral bill is an important step in combating the
terrible crime of human trafficking.
The Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act will help
stem the tide of trafficking by providing training to commercial truck
drivers through the Department of Transportation to recognize and
report trafficking, further empowering them to prevent this horrendous
crime.
Specifically, this bill designates a human trafficking prevention
coordinator at the U.S. Department of Transportation and increases
outreach, education, and reporting efforts at the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration.
Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is an appalling and inhumane crime,
and it is occurring in communities all over my home State of
Connecticut and throughout the entire United States. As I learned when
a human trafficking ring was broken up in my small hometown, anyone can
become a victim of this crime regardless of race, age, gender, or
socioeconomic status.
This appalling crime takes many forms, the vast majority of which are
sexually exploitative in nature. Shockingly, the average age a teen
enters the sex trade in the United States is 12 to 14 years old, and
many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.
Truckers and commercial drivers are often the first line of defense
against human trafficking in the United States. Their eyes and ears are
on the roads, where victims are being moved across borders and from
city to city.
The Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act is
supported by Truckers Against Trafficking, the National District
Attorneys Association, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the
Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, and ECPAT-USA.
I am proud to be the coauthor of the House companion to the No Human
Trafficking on Our Roads Act along with my friend, John Katko of New
York.
I am also pleased that we will be voting today on another bill that
Congressman Katko and I coauthored, the No Human Trafficking on Our
Roads Act.
Both bills were originally introduced in the Senate by Senators
Klobuchar and Thune and passed unanimously. Both bills were also passed
unanimously out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my friends and colleagues to join me in voting
``yes''
[[Page H10220]]
on the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act and the
No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act today so we can send these very
important pieces of legislation to the President's desk for his swift
signature.
Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my Republican and Democratic
colleagues both in the House and the Senate for their work on these two
important bills.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Ms. Norton,
for having this amazing interest to our country put before us for a
vote.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1532, No Human Trafficking on
Our Roads, and S. 1536, the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial
Vehicles Act.
As the vice chair of the congressional bipartisan Caucus for Women's
Issues and a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
I am pleased that we are solving these issues of real concern.
Human trafficking is an inexcusable crime. According to the National
Human Trafficking Resource Center, about 8 in 10 reported victims are
women. It is a crime that exploits women more than anyone else, and
especially young girls.
Mr. Speaker, combating human trafficking is a serious concern of
mine. Unfortunately, in my district--I represent the Metro Detroit
area--a major international transportation and shipping hub in
southeast Michigan, we rank number seven in total human trafficking
cases reported in our country.
These bills mark progress toward combating human trafficking. We are
improving our systems to better recognize and report this crime. We are
closing loopholes in our transportation system that traffickers have
taken advantage of for far too long.
I am proud to support these bills, and I urge my colleagues to
support them as well.
Mr. Speaker, today I needed a vote and a voice for something that is
good for this country, and so I stand here in support.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me
in supporting this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yoder). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 1536.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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