[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 1185-1187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) will 
control the remainder of the hour as the designee of the majority 
leader.
  Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is a real problem, and it 
is happening right here in America. It is not just happening overseas. 
And whether you live in a State like mine of South Dakota or in New 
York City, it is impacting every single State in our country, right in 
our backyards.
  The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, and boy, 
do we have a problem. I am thrilled that we have so many Members here 
to speak on this important issue, not only the problems we are having, 
but what we are doing this week to address those here in this country, 
to give as many tools to our law enforcement officers to make sure that 
we address the problems we are seeing on our streets every single day 
and protect as many children and victims as possible.
  I would like to yield now to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho). 
He has been extremely active in the fight to end human trafficking 
through legislation on Capitol Hill as well as through community 
engagement at his home in Florida. In his district, Congressman Yoho 
has brought together representatives from Homeland Security, from local 
police and sheriff's offices, and State's attorneys for roundtable 
summits to raise awareness and develop best practices for ending human 
trafficking in Florida.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from the 
great State of South Dakota.
  I rise in solidarity with the growing coalition that is united in the 
global fight against human trafficking. The numbers are overwhelming. 
We have all heard the estimates of over 22 million people being 
trafficked worldwide; sometimes, though, they seem far away. People 
often say: That kind of stuff doesn't happen here. It happens overseas. 
It doesn't happen right here.
  No, Mr. Speaker, this is happening in our own backyards. There is an 
estimate of over 1 million teenagers running away every year in the 
United States. Runaways are most at risk and vulnerable to trafficking. 
In fact, runaways are typically picked up and pimped out or trafficked 
within the first 48 hours.
  Just 5 days ago in my home State of Florida, a 15-year-old girl was 
discovered by police in a motel being sexually abused and trafficked 
several times a day. Her parents had been handing out missing child 
flyers in the neighborhood. Luckily, someone recognized her picture 
from an online ad and contacted authorities. That young girl went from 
being a runaway to a trafficking victim in less than a month.
  That precious 15-year-old child could have been anybody's child. It 
could have been yours or mine. However, it is not just runaways that 
become victims of trafficking. Traffickers don't discriminate based on 
economic class, race, gender, or age. Traffickers are motivated by 
profit, solely profit.
  The average cost of a slave worldwide is roughly $90. Human 
trafficking is a $30-plus billion industry, and it is the second 
largest source of revenue for terrorists around the world. As the 
world's fastest growing criminal enterprise, it is shocking how little 
people know about this horrendous practice. Furthermore, it is 
appalling how little is put forward in effort to stop it.
  This week, the House of Representatives will pass a series of bills 
designed to streamline law enforcement resources, toughen penalties for 
offenders, and provide resources to victims. I commend the sponsors of 
these bills as well as all Members up here today who are willing to 
stand up and say enough is enough. Human trafficking is not a 
Republican or Democrat issue. Taking a stand against trafficking is 
something we all must do, remembering that, while January is National 
Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we must all be vigilant and active 
in our fight.
  No, Mr. Speaker, your neighborhood and my neighborhood are not 
immune. No city is exempt, and these victims are part of our daily 
lives, quietly suffering with almost nowhere to turn. We cannot in good 
conscience continue our daily routines without making every effort to 
stamp out the practice of forced labor, domestic servitude, and sex 
trafficking.
  I encourage all Americans to go to the Department of Homeland 
Security's Web site and watch the Blue Campaign video to become 
familiar with the common signs of human trafficking. Let's all work to 
stomp out this scourge of activity on humanity.
  Mrs. NOEM. I thank the gentleman for being involved in the issue and 
working so hard to protect as many victims as possible across the 
country.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler). Last 
year, Congresswoman Hartzler held a human trafficking summit in 
Columbia, which was one of her most successful events that she did all 
year. Additionally, she held a foster care listening session with 
Congresswoman Bass where they also listened to concerns regarding 
foster youth and how human trafficking does impact our children who are 
involved in foster care.
  Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Representative Noem's 
leadership on this and the opportunity to share tonight how horrific 
this crime is and how we must unite and stand together to put an end to 
it.
  With almost 21 million victims globally and more than 293,000 
American youth at risk of sexual commercial exploitation and 
trafficking each year, this heinous crime must be stopped. This week, I 
am proud to work with my colleagues to vote on legislation that will 
take steps to do just that.
  Tonight I would like to share the story of an amazing woman in my 
district that I had the privilege of meeting last year. Misty, a 
survivor of human trafficking, was first trafficked at the age of 14, 
and it would be 16 more years before she would finally escape a world 
in which she was brutally beaten and tortured regularly to keep her 
submissive. When she was severely injured 5 years ago, she thought she 
was going to die and was too tired to go on anymore. It was then that 
she agreed to go with a kind police officer who found her that day to 
get some help.
  There aren't words to adequately describe the strength and courage of 
this woman who testified against her trafficker; who, thankfully, 
because of Misty's testimony this fall, was found guilty of all 
charges. Despite the horrific conditions Misty had to endure, she 
willingly shares her story with others and says her experience 
motivates her to help others who have been in similar situations. It is 
women like Misty who inspire me to fight against this scourge in our 
society. It is a crime against humanity, and it must be stopped.
  Mrs. NOEM. I thank the gentlewoman for being involved in the issue 
and for telling the stories that so many of us need to hear. It is when 
you hear these stories that truly your heart is impacted to where you 
can't let it go, where you start to work day in and day out to do all 
that you can to make sure that we have the tools necessary to stop this 
industry.
  I turn next to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is a 
longtime advocate for human rights and
for the alleviation of human suffering. He is the sponsor of 
International Megan's Law, which cracks down on the practice of sex 
tourism. He is also sponsor of the Human Trafficking Prioritization 
Act, which will make sure that our government gives human trafficking 
the top priority it deserves in our diplomacy with other countries.
  With that, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank Mrs. Noem for yielding and for the 
leadership that she has demonstrated, along with Congresswoman Wagner. 
As Judge Poe said, women of our caucus have stood up and are leading 
the fight to combat human trafficking with a zero tolerance policy.
  This is an historic week in the House as we seek to pass 12 bills to 
fight human trafficking. As the prime author of the landmark 
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 as well as reauthorizations 
of that law in 2003 and

[[Page 1186]]

2005, I believe the bills under consideration by the House today and 
tomorrow will further prevent horrific crimes of human trafficking, 
protect and assist victims, and aid the prosecution of those who 
exploit and abuse.
  A special thanks to our Republican leadership, especially Conference 
Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who 
have made this a priority for the House. Hopefully, it will be extended 
to the Senate, and the President will follow that lead.
  When I first introduced TVPA, Trafficking Victims Protection Act, in 
1998, the legislation was met with a wall of skepticism and opposition. 
People both inside of government and out thought the bold new 
legislation that included sheltering, asylum, and other protections for 
the victims, long jail sentences and asset confiscation for the 
traffickers, and tough sanctions for governments that failed to meet 
minimum standards was merely a solution in search of a problem.

                              {time}  1815

  Mr. Speaker, for most people at the time, the term ``trafficking'' 
applied almost exclusively to illicit drugs or weapons. Reports of 
vulnerable persons, especially women and children, being reduced to 
commodities for sale were often met with surprise and credulity or 
indifference. It took 2 years and numerous congressional hearings to 
overcome opponents and muster the votes for passage.
  Now, according to the ILO, approximately 21 million people are 
victimized. Some put the number as high as 36 million subjected to 
modern-day slavery. The ILO also says that traffickers make profits in 
excess of $150 billion a year.
  We do have a tier system. We have a trafficking office, an Ambassador 
at Large; we have a robust effort on the State level. Many States have 
passed laws that mirror what we have done on the Federal level, so that 
there are more tools in the tool box to put these traffickers behind 
bars and to liberate the women and children.
  For the past 15 years, we have seen progress on a number of anti-
trafficking fronts, including laws, over 300 laws around the world to 
combat trafficking; and an estimated 125,000 victims have been rescued 
worldwide.
  We also, over the past decade, have had federally funded some 42 
anti-human trafficking task forces and 85,000 law enforcement officers 
have been trained; still, there are still far too little prosecutions 
and far too few liberations of those who have been trafficked.
  The best estimates available now are that there are at least 100,000 
American children, mostly runaways. The average age of initial 
enslavement is 13 years old. Let me say that again: 13-year-old girls 
are exploited in the commercial sex industry each year.
  These children, when found, are often unnecessarily charged for 
prostitution, fined or put in juvenile detention, when there are other 
options available. They need to be protected, not prosecuted.
  Again, I want to thank our leadership for making this such a high 
priority. This is modern-day slavery. I thank my good friend and 
colleague for her leadership. We have got to end modern-day slavery.
  Mrs. NOEM. I thank the gentleman for his continued leadership on this 
issue. For years, he has invested time and effort and heart and soul 
into protecting as many victims as possible, and for that, we will 
always be grateful.
  I want to yield to the good Representative from Minnesota (Mr. 
Paulsen). Representative Paulsen has been a longtime defender of the 
victims of human trafficking. In fact, in 2006, when he was a member of 
the Minnesota Legislature, he was the author of legislation that would 
form the first statewide human trafficking task force.
  That task force was the first step toward Minnesota's safe harbor 
law. The legislation that he will have here on the floor this week is 
modeled after that on a Federal level, and I certainly appreciate his 
time and investment in protecting as many children and victims as 
possible.
  I yield to Representative Paulsen.
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and I 
want to thank her for her leadership, along with Representative Wagner, 
in coordinating and drawing attention to what this horrific crime truly 
is, spending a little bit of time on the House floor.
  When you hear the words ``sex trafficking'' and ``human 
trafficking,'' a lot of people just think this is something that 
happens in faraway countries, that it doesn't happen in the United 
States. It is very sad to say that it is happening right here in our 
own backyards, knowing that these traffickers are exploiting young 
girls for their own financial gain, right in our own communities.
  We are talking about 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old young girls. It is 
pretty hard to imagine, but it is true. It is happening in our cities. 
It is happening in our suburbs. It is happening in rural towns. I will 
say I realize how critical it is now to educate our community about 
what I have learned from actually speaking and talking with some of 
these victims.
  I remember speaking with Dayanna. Dayanna is age 13. She tells the 
story about how, within days of meeting this so-called boyfriend, she 
finds herself in Philadelphia, in Chicago, being trafficked and has the 
wherewithal to escape with her life.
  Then I meet the mother of another young girl who was violently raped 
and murdered this last February. The only good news I can tell you, Mr. 
Speaker, is that the Twin Cities, which is home now to Minneapolis, 
being number 13 in the level of sex trafficking, human trafficking that 
occurs, is also home to many leaders now in the fight against human 
trafficking.
  Over the last 2 years, I have met with great leaders that are 
inspiring the community to make a difference and pass model legislation 
that is now being replicated across the country.
  I think of Vednita Carter at Breaking Free. I think of Grant Snyder 
who is a Minneapolis police sergeant who was the very first officer in 
Minneapolis that was dedicated to working with trafficking victims; and 
now, he leads his department in teaching local law enforcement, both in 
Minnesota and in other States around the country, about how to build 
trust and better relationships with at-risk youth.
  We have also got our county attorneys like John Choi, who has been 
leading the fight, getting top convictions now for a lot of these 
abusers.
  The nonprofit community has been topnotch as well, with Catholic 
Charities, Brittany's Place, the Harriet Tubman Center, and the Family 
Partnership all making a difference.
  It does give you hope, Mr. Speaker, that such a large and passionate 
group of people now are working together to put an end to this modern-
day slavery, so the message is spreading.
  I will tell you this: we need more safe harbor laws. We need them. 
Minnesota became the fifth State in the country to approve safe harbor 
legislation. That means we are essentially treating these children as 
victims, giving them the services they need and not treating them as 
criminals. That is really critical.
  After the safe harbor legislation went into effect in Minnesota, 
guess what? We started arresting more johns than ever before. 
Trafficking convictions more than doubled. It is time that we bring 
what is working in Minnesota to the national level as well.
  I know tomorrow we are going to be voting on this legislation to have 
this safe harbor legislation that I have authored pass with bipartisan 
support. A number of other legislation will pass with bipartisan 
support.
  The good news, as the gentlewoman knows, is this is about saving 
lives, and we are going to make a difference.
  Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his work on 
establishing safe harbor laws. Truly, what they do is that they make 
sure the victims are not prosecuted, that they are treated like the 
victims that they truly are.
  It is so important that we get his bill passed tomorrow, along with 
my bill and the other bills that will be coming to the floor. A lot of 
time and effort

[[Page 1187]]

has been put into these to make sure that they are right, that they 
give the tools to our law enforcement officers to make sure that this 
industry is ended as soon as possible.
  I now would like to turn to the gentleman from Minnesota, 
Representative Emmer. He is from Minnesota's Sixth Congressional 
District and is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' 
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and 
International Organizations; and the Subcommittee on the Western 
Hemisphere.
  As part of his responsibility through his committee work, Mr. Emmer 
works closely with the committee to oversee Federal agencies, 
international organizations, and NGOs to discuss and to improve 
governmental responses to human trafficking.
  With that, I yield to the Representative from Minnesota.
  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, Congresswoman 
Kristi Noem and Congresswoman Ann Wagner, for their leadership here 
tonight.
  Nearly a year ago, Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria kidnapped more 
than 200 teenage girls with the intent of selling them off into 
slavery. This crime against humanity sparked international outrage, but 
a distracted world soon turned their attention and their backs on these 
young women.
  Unfortunately, this was not an isolated tragedy in some faraway 
nation. We are in the midst of a global crisis. On every continent and 
in every nation, millions of human beings are sold and enslaved, forced 
into labor and prostitution against their will.
  In the United States alone, hundreds of thousands are trafficked by 
transnational drug cartels and criminal organizations. The Justice 
Department estimates there are more than 200,000 children across the 
U.S. at risk of trafficking.
  Human trafficking is a $30 billion per year enterprise, with 
thousands trafficked annually. This is not just an American problem, 
but there is work that we can do at home to combat this growing 
problem.
  Congress must do everything within its power and authority to ensure 
that resources and judicial tools are being used to improve 
prosecutions, protect victims, and prevent future trafficking. 
Thankfully, we are not starting with nothing.
  One way we can combat trafficking is through safe harbor laws that 
have been instituted across the country, including my home State of 
Minnesota. I would like to thank my colleague, Senator Amy Klobuchar, 
for her leadership on protecting victims and assisting prosecutors by 
forwarding safe harbor laws at the national level.
  Her leadership, with the support of countless others--including 
especially my colleagues John Kline and Eric Paulsen--comes from an 
ongoing effort from everyday Minnesotans looking to make an impact and 
rescue young men and women trapped in the sex trade.
  There is also an existing network of organizations that provide 
services to victims of trafficking that are both life altering and 
lifesaving.
  In my district, three such organizations stand out. Breaking Free and 
Heartland Girls' Ranch help women escape sexual exploitation through 
housing, mental health support, and education. The Link, in Carver 
County, provides support programs to youth and families to combat 
homelessness and works with at-risk children to help them reach their 
full potential.
  Organizations like these are vital in the fight against trafficking. 
They make a real difference, and their efforts should be celebrated.
  Congress will take important votes tomorrow to streamline agency 
processes and responses, improve the effectiveness of grant awards, and 
expand the scope of outreach and child protection initiatives.
  To our collective shame, the tragedy of human trafficking persists. 
The words spoken tonight and the votes cast in this Chamber tomorrow 
cannot merely be symbolic gestures. They must be followed by action and 
constant vigilance. Our children deserve nothing less.
  Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words and for 
his actions and the actions that we will be taking here on the House 
floor this week.
  I turn now to the gentlewoman from Virginia, Representative Comstock. 
She has been a leader in the fight against human trafficking in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia and now here on the House floor. I yield to 
the Representative from Virginia.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues for 
this opportunity to recognize this month as National Slavery and Human 
Trafficking Prevention Month, and I thank my colleagues Congresswomen 
Ann Wagner and Kristi Noem for organizing this effort.
  I really appreciate how we are working together to raise awareness 
about this terrible crime that is happening in my district in northern 
Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, throughout Virginia, and 
throughout--unfortunately--our country. This growing criminal 
enterprise we know knows no boundaries.
  Mr. Speaker, the Fairfax County Police Department in my district has 
established the northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force to crack 
down on this scourge. In the past 12 months alone, just to give you an 
idea of this crime that is in the local area, the task force has had 
156 leads, 109 victim recoveries, 267 victims identified, and 73 
suspects.
  Mr. Speaker, while we have done great work to combat this terrible 
crime in Virginia, we clearly have more work to do on every level: the 
local level, State level, and national level.
  Four years ago, Virginia, for example, was at the bottom of the 
Polaris Project anti-human trafficking State rankings. Now, we are at 
the top because we passed many of the kind of bills that we are going 
to be able to pass here tomorrow and additional bills that are going to 
be here tomorrow.
  I am very honored to be able to join all of my colleagues and with 
our faith-based organizations and our law enforcement officials and to 
be able to continue this work now on a national level and to be able to 
vote for these important bills that we will be addressing tomorrow.
  Mrs. NOEM. I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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