[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8251-8252]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
        Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Kirk, and Mr. Bennet):
  S. 1118. A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act to better enable State child welfare agencies to prevent sex 
trafficking of children and serve the needs of children who are victims 
of sex trafficking, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am pleased to join Senators 
Portman, Blumenthal, Cantwell, Brown, and Kirk to introduce the Child 
Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013. This bipartisan 
legislation will help us to better understand and combat the 
unforgivable and fast-growing criminal enterprise of trafficking 
children for sex right here in the U.S.
  We cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore this terrible 
problem. Child victims of sex trafficking need and deserve the full 
range of coordinated assistance and care required to help them recover 
from this trauma.
  Unfortunately, some people still refuse to acknowledge that American 
children are being bought and sold for sex and they criticize the few 
estimates surrounding trafficking rates that do exist. As a 
policymaker, it is hard to advance an issue when there are critics who 
deny its very existence. For those of us who have spoken to law 
enforcement officers, child welfare workers and judges who work with 
these victims every day, we know that denying that the problem exists 
will not make it go away.
  I became engaged in efforts to address child trafficking a few years 
ago when I had the opportunity to accompany police officers along 82nd 
Avenue in my hometown of Portland. I will never forget a 15-year-old 
girl working out there with the tools of the trade--a cell phone to 
stay in constant contact with her pimp and report how much money she 
had made; a 15-inch butcher knife to try to protect herself; and, a 
purse full of condoms.
  This problem does exist, but we still do not know its full scope--we 
do not know how many children in the U.S. are victimized by pimps, 
Johns and traffickers every year. Quantifying the problem, as simple a 
step as that may seem, is truly is the first step in bringing these 
children out of the shadows to help them progress from victims to 
survivors.
  The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 provides a 
framework for systematically identifying and tracking the number of 
child trafficking victims who are in our Nation's foster care system. 
It would further require child welfare agencies to promptly report 
information on missing and abducted children to law enforcement and 
would require law enforcement authorities to notify the National Center 
for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, when a child is missing from 
State care.
  The bill would also take steps to ensure children who are sex 
trafficked or exploited are treated as victims, not criminals. The 
protections, services and protocols established for abused and 
neglected children within the child welfare system are rarely extended 
to trafficked children and youth, and in most States, such children 
aren't even categorized as victims. Instead, they are often sent to the 
juvenile justice system and criminalized for being raped and 
trafficked.
  The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act would amend Federal 
law to say all child victims of sex trafficking are victims of abuse 
and neglect. It would require state plans, under the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act, designed to improve child protection 
services contain: provisions and procedures requiring identification 
and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to 
be victims of sex trafficking; provisions and procedures for training 
child protective services workers to identify and provide comprehensive 
services for children who are victims of sex trafficking; a description 
of efforts to coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile justice, 
and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters 
to serve these victims; and an annual State data report on the number 
of children identified as known or suspected to be victims of 
trafficking.
  These steps alone will not solve the problem before us. These are 
still some very daunting problems that need to be overcome, and the 
current fiscal climate alone presents a significant barrier to 
providing resources needed by victims, child welfare workers, law 
enforcement and service providers. Still, this is an important step 
toward making sure that vulnerable foster children are protected from 
pimps, Johns and traffickers.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Mikulski):
  S. 1119. A bill to amend the Public Health Services Act to provide 
for integration of mental health services and mental health treatment 
outreach teams, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by my colleague 
from Maryland, Senator Mikulski, in introducing the Positive Aging Act 
of 2013, which will help to increase older Americans' access to quality 
mental health screening and treatment services in community-based 
settings.
  The legislation we are introducing today is particularly important 
for States like Maine that have a disproportionate number of older 
persons. Sixteen percent of Maine's population is 65 or older, and, 
with the highest median age, Maine is the ``oldest'' State in the 
Nation. Moreover, our percentage of older adults is increasing; by 
2030, more than one in five Mainers will be over the age of 65.
  One of the most daunting public health challenges facing our Nation 
today is how to increase access to quality mental health services for 
the more than 46 million American adults living with severe, disabling 
mental disorders that can devastate their lives and the lives of the 
people around them.
  What is often overlooked is the prevalence of mental illness among 
our Nation's elderly. Nearly one in five older adults in America have 
one or more mental health conditions. Moreover, older white males age 
85 and older have the highest rate of suicide of any group in the 
country. Particularly disturbing is the fact that the mental health 
needs of older Americans are often overlooked or not recognized because 
of the mistaken belief that they are a normal part of aging and 
therefore cannot be treated.
  While effective treatments exist for mental health disorders, it is 
estimated that nearly two-thirds of older adults with a mental health 
problem do not receive the services they need. Older adults with 
evidence of a mental disorder are generally less likely than younger 
and middle-aged adults to receive mental health services and, when

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they do, they are less likely to receive care from a mental health 
specialist. Failure to treat mental disorders leads to poorer health 
outcomes for other medical conditions, higher rates of 
institutionalization, and increased health care costs.
  Fortunately, important research is being done that is developing 
innovative approaches to improve the delivery of mental health care for 
older adults by integrating it into primary care settings. This 
research demonstrates that older adults are more likely to receive 
appropriate mental health care if there is a mental health professional 
on the primary care team, rather than simply referring them to a mental 
health specialist outside the primary care setting. Multiple 
appointments with multiple providers in multiple settings simply don't 
work for older patients who must also cope with concurrent chronic 
illnesses, mobility problems, and limited transportation options. The 
research also shows that there is less stigma associated with 
psychiatric services when they are integrated into general medical 
care.
  The Positive Aging Act builds upon this research and authorizes 
funding for projects that integrate mental health screening and 
treatment services into community sites and primary care settings. 
Specifically, the Positive Aging Act of 2013 would authorize the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to fund 
demonstration projects to support integration of mental health services 
in primary care settings. It would also support grants for community-
based mental health treatment outreach teams to fund demonstration 
projects to support integration of mental health services in primary 
care settings. To ensure that these geriatric mental health programs 
have proper attention and oversight, it would mandate the designation 
of a Deputy Director for Older Adult Mental Health Services in the 
Center for Mental Health Services, and it would also include 
representatives of older Americans or their families and geriatric 
mental health professionals on the Advisory Council for the Center for 
Mental Health Services. Finally, it would require State plans under 
Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to include descriptions 
of the States' outreach to and services for older individuals.
  We are fortunate today to have a variety of effective treatments to 
address the mental health needs of American seniors. The Positive Aging 
Act will help to ensure that older Americans have access to these 
important services. I therefore urge my colleagues to sign on as 
cosponsors of the legislation, which has been endorsed by numerous 
mental health, aging, and health care organizations, including the 
American Psychological Association, the American Association for 
Geriatric Psychiatry, the American Geriatrics Society, and the National 
Association of Social Workers.

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