[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ACT

  (Mrs. WAGNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to express my 
outrage that Senate Democrats have refused to allow consideration of 
desperately needed sex trafficking legislation.
  The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act would strengthen 
punishments for perpetrators and increase Federal funding for the 
victims of human trafficking. But instead of supporting this vitally 
important legislation, Senate Democrats are playing political games. 
They have refused to support the legislation despite its having a 
bipartisan group of cosponsors and unanimous approval from the Senate 
Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, trafficking is a real problem in every State in the 
United States of America. Right now, almost 300,000 American children 
are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Children are being sold 
into sexual slavery right now while some of our colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle have been holding up this critical legislation for 2 
weeks.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for Senate Democrats to drop their protests, 
support the thousands of vulnerable women and children this legislation 
would protect, and join Republicans in the fight against human 
trafficking.

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