[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of a package of 
human trafficking legislation to be considered by the House today. I 
also rise to recognize and support all the good work done by my 
colleagues to combat the hideous crime of human trafficking.
  Madam Speaker, as a former United States Ambassador, I was exposed 
firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international 
level. I witnessed and reported on the devastating consequences of 
human trafficking, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think 
human trafficking was so rampant right here in the United States of 
America.
  Madam Speaker, right now, there are young women and children being 
forced into prostitution in virtually every district across this 
Nation. In fact, I was shocked to learn that my own hometown of St. 
Louis has been identified as one of the top 20 areas for sex 
trafficking in the United States.
  Madam Speaker, this problem is hiding in plain sight. Every year, 
thousands of young Americans' lives are impacted by this despicable 
crime. However, I take hope from all the good work being done by law 
enforcement and those who work in victims' services. Most importantly, 
I take hope from all the survivors of this hideous crime. Their 
strength gives us strength; their resolve gives us inspiration; and 
their steadfast commitment to ending sex trafficking gives us all the 
courage to fight.
  Madam Speaker, because of the efforts of many individuals and groups, 
I am happy to report that Congress has taken notice of this very 
serious problem. Years of work have raised awareness of this issue and 
have laid the foundation for the long overdue action that Congress is 
presently taking. I applaud these efforts, and I look forward to 
continuing this work for years to come.
  However, Madam Speaker, there is much work yet to be done. As 
legislators, we have an obligation to come together and do something 
because we can, because we should, and because we must. I urge Senator 
Reid to take up the bills that the House has already passed that take 
steps to address this horrible crime, including the Stop Advertising 
Victims of Exploitation, or SAVE, Act, which I had the pleasure of 
passing with overwhelming bipartisan support.

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