[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3486-3488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, we have been working on the issue of human 
trafficking on a bipartisan basis for almost a year, and it is usually 
bipartisan.
  I know when we included my amendment on the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Reauthorization Act, most Senators voted for it. Only 20 
current Republican senators voted against that victims act, and the 
rest voted for it. All the Democrats voted for it.
  But on this issue today, the Judiciary Committee reported out a 
comprehensive bill with strong bipartisan support. We did that last 
fall. This year we reported out a less comprehensive bill with fewer 
protections for those at risk of human trafficking, and despite that 
setback, I agreed to keep working across the aisle to make it stronger, 
including the crucial prevention piece that was in last year's 
committee-reported bill.
  We have been on this bill for 3 days. I think we can all admit the 
progress has been thwarted by the inclusion of a divisive provision 
that would limit the services available to victims of human 
trafficking.
  I wish to propose a way forward. I know all Senators want to work 
together to end human trafficking. And just as we saw on my bill, the 
Violence Against Women Act, 78 Senators voted for that act with its 
provision on trafficking. We want to support a bill that will pass the 
Senate.
  I filed a substitute amendment, Senate Amendment 300, to get us 
around our current impasse. It includes three things. First, the 
Klobuchar-Cornyn bill as reported earlier this month by the Judiciary 
Committee; second, the Cornyn-Klobuchar bill, also reported earlier 
this month by the Judiciary Committee, but without the divisive 
language that limits victims services; third, the Leahy-Collins-
Murkowski-Ayotte amendment that was filed yesterday to protect runaway 
and homeless youth from trafficking.
  This trafficking prevention bill was reported by the Judiciary 
Committee last year with the support of Senator Grassley, Senator 
Cornyn, and nearly all of the other Judiciary Committee members, but 
has been narrowed here at the request of Republicans this year.
  I hope the combination of these three bills--and I do it in good 
faith--can bring us together. More importantly, it is responsive to the 
requests of survivors and the many dedicated people who work with them 
to remove the unnecessary partisan provision that has resulted in this 
impasse. They need us to find a way forward. They need the Senate to 
stop playing politics and pass a meaningful bill.
  With that, I ask unanimous consent that letters written by a number 
of groups and others who support the removal of this divisive provision 
so that we can move forward on this trafficking legislation be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                               The National Network for Youth,

                                                   March 11, 2015.
     Hon. Patrick Leahy,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Leahy: The National Network for Youth is 
     grateful for your leadership on human trafficking which is a 
     dark mark on our modern society. Slavery has no place in 
     America and we stand proudly with you to prevent and end 
     human trafficking in America.
       The National Network for Youth, founded in 1974, champions 
     the needs of runaway, homeless, and other disconnected youth 
     through strengthening the capacity of community-based 
     services, facilitating resource sharing, and educating the 
     public and policy makers. NN4Y members work collaboratively 
     to prevent youth homelessness and the inherent risks of 
     homelessness, including exploitation, human trafficking, 
     criminal justice involvement, and death.
       Human trafficking is a bipartisan and nonpartisan issue. 
     Together, we stand united against modern day slavery, 
     including both sex and labor trafficking. Presently, we are 
     at an important moment in the Senate with both parties 
     unified to take a strong stand against human trafficking, 
     from prevention to law enforcement, and service provision to 
     survivors. We are so pleased that the Runaway and Homeless 
     and Youth Trafficking Prevention has become a part of this 
     important conversation and we thank you for your support of 
     that legislation last Congress.
       The National Network for Youth is writing this letter with 
     the hope that the U.S. Senate will remove the partisan piece 
     of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. This 
     legislation is desperately needed and we cannot

[[Page 3487]]

     let this moment pass us by because of the addition of 
     partisan and divisive provisions.
       Respectfully, thank you for your work. Please work across 
     the aisle to ensure that this critical trafficking 
     legislation becomes the law of the land.
           Best regards,

                                          Darla Bardine, J.D.,

                              Executive Director, National Network
     for Youth.
                                  ____

         Vermont Coalition of Runaway & Homeless Youth Programs,
                                   Montpelier, VT, March 11, 2015.
     Senator Patrick Leahy,
     Russell Senate Building, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Leahy, The Vermont Coalition of Runaway and 
     Homeless Youth Programs wishes to express our ongoing 
     appreciation for your efforts to move the Runaway and 
     Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act. As a 
     longstanding champion of Federal support for efforts to 
     assist vulnerable runaway, homeless and trafficked young 
     people, I know that you must be as frustrated as we are in 
     recent efforts to insert an element of partisanship into what 
     should be a broadly bi-partisan effort to protect victims of 
     human trafficking. The Runaway and Homeless Youth and 
     Trafficking Prevention Act and the broader legislation it's 
     amended to should be important opportunities for citizens of 
     the United States and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to 
     unite in moral outrage over the realities of victims of human 
     trafficking.
       Difference of opinion and the deliberative role of the 
     Senate is part of what makes our democracy strong, but 
     sometimes unity of purpose should prevail, particularly in 
     efforts involving protections for the most vulnerable among 
     us. There should be no doubt that legislation involving the 
     well-being of individuals who have been victimized by the 
     most base of human behavior should be free of partisan 
     wrangling. It's disappointing and deeply distressing that 
     this isn't always the case.
       I write this letter to encourage your efforts to remove 
     partisan language from the Justice for Victims of Trafficking 
     Act in an effort to ensure that the Act and the RHY amendment 
     that Senator Collins and you introduced move forward 
     unimpeded.
       Again, thank you for your efforts on this issue.
           Sincerely,
     Kreig Pinkham,
       Executive Director, Washington County Youth Service Bureau/
     Boys & Girls Club, VT Coalition of Runaway & Homeless Youth 
     Programs Board Member.
                                  ____



                                        Human Rights Campaign,

                                   Washington, DC, March 12, 2015.
       Dear Senators: On behalf of the Human Rights Campaign's 
     (HRC) more than 1.5 million members and supporters 
     nationwide, I write to support the Leahy substitute amendment 
     to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act which would 
     ensure critical protections for victims of trafficking and 
     add necessary protections for runaway and homeless youth that 
     does not include an expansion of the Hyde Amendment language. 
     Each of the components of this substitute amendment has 
     strong bipartisan support.
       This amendment will help many vulnerable populations 
     including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) 
     community. LGBT individuals are particularly impacted by 
     human trafficking and are at an increased risk for 
     victimization globally. In fact, 10 percent of all 
     trafficking victims identify as LGBT. They also make up a 
     disproportionate amount of the total homeless youth 
     population. Recent studies have found that while LGBT youth 
     comprise only 10 percent of the total youth population, up to 
     40 percent of youth living on the streets today identify as 
     LGBT.
       Increased incidence of homelessness and family rejection 
     make LGBT individuals--especially youth--particularly 
     vulnerable to trafficking. According to the Department of 
     Health and Human Services Administration for Children and 
     Families, one in four LGBT youth is rejected by their 
     families because of their sexual orientation or gender 
     identity. Due to this rejection, many LGBT youth find 
     themselves homeless and living on the streets. Once on the 
     street, these youth are targeted for exploitation and 
     trafficking.
       Because homelessness can often lead to trafficking, 
     inclusion of protections for runaway and homeless youth will 
     result in a more effective Justice for Victims of Trafficking 
     Act. Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs provide critical 
     funding for support systems that serve youth who become 
     homeless. The programs funded by the act--including emergency 
     shelters, street outreach, transitional living and assistance 
     for homeless youth in rural areas--can serve as critical, 
     final safety nets for youth who would otherwise become 
     victims of trafficking.
       According to the American Bar Association, for LGBT people 
     who are trafficked the societal stigma around their sexual 
     orientation or gender identity is an additional factor that 
     prevents them from accessing help or reporting abuse. This 
     amendment provides important protections against 
     discrimination for LGBT youth by prohibiting any program 
     funded by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act from 
     discriminating on the basis of actual or perceived race, 
     color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, 
     sexual orientation, or disability.
       We greatly appreciate your commitment to improving the 
     lives of young people across America, including those who are 
     LGBT. Thank you for your leadership on this critical issue.
           Sincerely,

                                                  David Stacy,

                                      Government Affairs Director,
     Human Rights Campaign.
                                  ____

     Planned Parenthood Action Fund
     For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 10, 2015
     Contact: Planned Parenthood Action Fund media office: 212-
         261-4433


  Planned Parenthood Condemns Effort to Insert Extreme Anti-Abortion 
                 Agenda into Bill on Human Trafficking

       Washington DC.-- Planned Parenthood Action Fund condemned 
     efforts by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to advance an extreme 
     abortion restriction as part of important bipartisan efforts 
     to establish greater protections for victims of human 
     trafficking. Following is a statement by Cecile Richards, 
     President, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
       ``It's outrageous that some politicians are using a bill to 
     protect victims of sex trafficking to push an extreme anti-
     abortion, anti-immigrant agenda. This is politics at its 
     worst. A bill that was supposed to help women is instead 
     being used to hurt women.
       ``The Senate should protect victims of human trafficking 
     but should not do so at the expense of women's access to safe 
     and legal abortion. The majority of human trafficking victims 
     are women and girls, and they need access to the full range 
     of reproductive health care services without barriers.''
                                  ____



                                               Legal Momentum,

                                   Washington, DC, March 12, 2015.
       New York, NY.--Today, Legal Momentum, the Women's Legal 
     Defense and Education Fund, urged that a provision harmful to 
     women's health be removed from a human trafficking bill being 
     considered by the Senate, the Justice for Victims of 
     Trafficking Act of 2015 (S. 178).
       ``The intent of this bill--to support survivors of 
     trafficking--will be subverted if the provision is left 
     intact. Human trafficking survivors--survivors of the worst 
     kind of exploitation, which our government has called `modern 
     slavery'--who were raped and became pregnant should have 
     access to the full spectrum of health services, including 
     abortion,'' said Legal Momentum's President and CEO, Carol 
     Robles-Roman.
       Legal Momentum fully supports the aims of the bill minus 
     the troubling provisions. The bill would enhance services for 
     runaway and homeless victims of youth trafficking, improve 
     the response to victims of child sex trafficking, and 
     establish an interagency task force to monitor and combat 
     trafficking. Harmful provisions that deny health care to 
     victims, restrict women's health options, are harmful to 
     immigrants, or fail to adequately protect the LGBT community, 
     should be removed so that the bill can help victims of one of 
     the most heinous crimes, human trafficking, which has been 
     condemned by the whole world. We urge all senators to vote 
     for the Leahy Comprehensive Substitute Amendment, which 
     adheres to the bi-partisan compromises made when the JVTA was 
     reported out of the Judiciary Committee.
                                  ____



                                          Give Way to Freedom,

                               Essex Junction, VT, March 11, 2015.
     Hon. Patrick Leahy,
     Russell Senate Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Leahy, Thank you for your ongoing leadership 
     in the fight to protect victims of human trafficking and 
     ensure that they receive full support and services to which 
     they are entitled under federal law. Give Way to Freedom is a 
     private operating Foundation based in Vermont that works with 
     victims of trafficking throughout New England and southeast 
     New York. Through this work we see first-hand the complex 
     needs of victims of trafficking.
       As Vermont and New England continue to build our response 
     to this heinous crime it is vital that victims remain the 
     core focus of all efforts. We applaud your dedication to this 
     principal, and support your efforts to ensure that victims of 
     trafficking receive the full range of support and services 
     they need to recover and rebuild their lives.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Edith Klimoski,
     Director.
                                  ____





                                 Center for American Progress,

                                   Washington, DC, March 12, 2015.
     Ranking Member Patrick Leahy,
     Senate Judiciary Committee, Russell Senate Building, U.S. 
         Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Ranking Member Leahy, I write today to thank you for 
     your leadership in helping victims of trafficking and 
     resolving

[[Page 3488]]

     the unacceptable situation with the Justice for Victims of 
     Trafficking Act (S. 178). The Center for American Progress 
     extends our deep support for your Comprehensive Substitute 
     Amendment that removes abortion restrictions for the funds to 
     help victims of trafficking and retains nondiscrimination 
     provisions in the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
       Thank you again for your leadership in moving these 
     important pieces of legislation forward without harmful 
     restrictions.
           Sincerely,

                                                  Donna Barry,

                                    Director of Women's Health and
                                                   Rights Program.

  Mr. LEAHY. I yield the floor, and I thank the Senator from 
Mississippi for his courtesy.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, the distinguished Senator from Vermont is 
quite welcome, and I am glad we were able to accommodate each other.

                          ____________________