[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15452]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, it is time we go after the perpetrators of 
online sex trafficking. A recent investigation revealed what I have 
been saying for years, that websites like backpage.com knowingly 
facilitate human trafficking due to existing law which has been wrongly 
interpreted and allows these sites to get away without criminal 
liability.
  That is why I am cosponsoring legislation to specifically allow 
States to investigate and prosecute websites that facilitate sex 
trafficking. H.R. 1855 is bipartisan legislation that will empower law 
enforcement to combat online sex trafficking more effectively.
  This is an important step forward in the fight to end the suffering 
of 12-, 
13-, and 14-year-old girls and boys--children--who are the victims of 
sex trafficking.
  So, Mr. Speaker, law enforcement needs more tools to put an end to 
the heinous practice of exploitation and modern-day slavery, and 
clamping down on backpage.com's ability to advertise young girls for 
sex is crucial and critical to holding them accountable.

                          ____________________