[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9363]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, chained to a bed in a warehouse, 
branded like cattle, these are just some of the horrific stories that I 
have heard from young girls who suffered as victims of human 
trafficking in my home State of Texas.
  Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Sadly, according to the 
National Human Trafficking Resource Center, Texas has the second 
highest number of reported instances of human trafficking in the 
country. My hometown of Houston is the hub for domestic trafficking of 
minor children.
  While this dastardly underground industry has been hidden for years 
in plain sight, the good news is there are efforts to fight this 
scourge of human trafficking throughout the Nation. Earlier this week 
Senator Cornyn and I had the opportunity to visit the Letot Center in 
Dallas, Texas, where we saw firsthand what can happen when government, 
law enforcement, nonprofits, concerned citizens, and religious groups 
join together in a community to restore the lives of human trafficking 
victims.
  We were joined by advocates from the nonprofit New Friends New Life, 
an organization that provides job training, financial assistance, life 
skills coaching, and special programs to address the challenges of 
survivors and their families. With the addition of a brand-new all-
female facility, the Letot Center and groups like New Friends New Life 
not only provide a safe home for trafficking victims, but help arm them 
with the resources to rebuild their lives.
  One remarkable young lady that we met--I will call her Amanda because 
that is her name--became a victim of human trafficking after she was 
kidnapped in Dallas at the age of 15. For 9 years she lived in slavery, 
in terror, as she was repeatedly sold every day for sex.
  Through New Friends New Life's approach, one that addresses the 
physical, mental, and spiritual needs of victims, Amanda was rescued, 
and she and her daughter are now living proof that there is hope for 
trafficking survivors fighting abuse, addiction, and poverty. After 
talking to her and hearing her story and she making her story public, 
Mr. Speaker, she is a remarkable person--a survivor, a fighter against 
the scourge of slavery.
  As a former judge, as you are, Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe in not 
only punishing people who commit crimes, but also helping victims 
rebuild their lives. As a father of 4, grandfather of 11, I call upon 
all other fathers in the United States to refuse to sit back while 
America's children are being sold in the marketplace of sex. We have a 
responsibility, not just as Members of the House or the Senate, but as 
fathers, to fight this scourge that is taking place in our country.
  That is why, in the Senate, Senator Cornyn and, in the House, Carolyn 
Maloney and I authored the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act: to 
provide law enforcement with new tools to apprehend those who commit 
these crimes and to provide resources for restoration for the 
survivors.
  It is very encouraging that the House of Representatives and the 
United States Senate recently passed the Victims of Trafficking Act. It 
passed the Senate 99-0. It passed the House overwhelmingly, with only 
three voting against it. That very seldom happens in my experience in 
Congress, where one piece of legislation is so overwhelmingly supported 
by both sides of the aisle and in both the Senate and the House. This 
bipartisan bill has been signed into law by the President now.
  Under this legislation, a special fund will be created to help these 
victims like Amanda get the shelter and services they need and provide 
them a fresh start. The law also ensures those who have been sold into 
slavery are treated as victims and not treated as criminals. Moreover, 
the legislation will strengthen law enforcement to give them tools to 
take down all human traffickers and organized criminal networks 
supporting them. Finally, the law targets the buyers, those predators 
who purchase children in the marketplace. The days of boys being boys 
in this country are going to end, and the law and law enforcement and 
the long arm of the law will go after these buyers. Partnerships on the 
Federal, State, and local level will be instrumental in stopping these 
crimes and rescuing victims.
  So we must do everything possible to support survivors like Amanda--
to break the cycle of sexual exploitation--overcome the pain of their 
experiences and help them to start a new life. We can achieve this if 
organizations like New Friends New Life and facilities like the Letot 
Center have the tools and resources they need to serve every victim. 
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act will help do this.
  America must send the word that our children are not for sale, not in 
our town and not in our country.
  And that is just the way it is.

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