[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 20, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ALLOW STATES AND VICTIMS TO FIGHT ONLINE SEX TRAFFICKING BILL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Mr. President, on a totally different matter, the 
Senate continues to consider a bill that would strike back against the 
evils of sex trafficking. The topic is all too familiar to me and many 
of my colleagues who have fought against child exploitation for 
decades. In recent years, as trafficking has migrated from street 
corners to smartphones, reports of child sex trafficking have ticked up 
dramatically.
  My friend and colleague from Ohio, Senator Portman, has been 
especially committed to rooting out the cause of this crisis. He has 
built a broad bipartisan coalition in support of the legislation 
currently before the Senate. It is designed to close a loophole in 
existing law that allows websites to avoid responsibility, even as they 
knowingly facilitate trafficking. It would ensure that any institutions 
that are party to this reprehensible practice are subject to strict 
penalties--the ones they deserve.
  I urge each of my colleagues to join us in taking decisive action for 
our Nation's children.

                          ____________________