[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, President Obama recently proclaimed 
this to be National Crime Victims' Rights Week, a stark reminder of the 
countless victims of modern slavery who continue to suffer horrifying 
exploitation at the hands of human traffickers, a stark reminder of the 
need to pass the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
  It is a bill that victims groups and advocates call ``the most 
comprehensive and thoughtful piece of anti-trafficking legislation 
currently pending.'' It provides unprecedented support to domestic 
victims of trafficking who are all too often invisible and underserved. 
This group further said: ``As leaders in the anti-trafficking, anti-
violence, child welfare, civil rights, runaway and homeless youth, and 
human rights movements, we urge Congress to pass this critical piece of 
legislation.''
  There have been good-faith negotiations to resolve the impasse that 
has prevented the Senate from moving forward on this bill. I am glad 
that we can now say there is a bipartisan proposal that would allow us 
to complete action on this important legislation so we can provide help 
to the victims who desperately need it.
  As soon as we finish the trafficking bill, as I have indicated for 
some time now, we will move to the President's nominee for Attorney 
General--hopefully, in the next day or so.
  I particularly want to thank the senior Senator from Texas for 
leading these negotiations and for his continued diligence on this 
important issue. There is really no stronger advocate for victims of 
human trafficking than Senator Cornyn.

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