[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 20192-20193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 NO HUMAN TRAFFICKING ON OUR ROADS ACT

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (S. 1532) to disqualify from operating a commercial motor 
vehicle for life an individual who uses a commercial motor vehicle in 
committing a felony involving human trafficking.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 1532

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``No Human Trafficking on Our 
     Roads Act''.

     SEC. 2. LIFETIME DISQUALIFICATION WITHOUT REINSTATEMENT.

       Section 31310(d) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in the heading, by striking ``Controlled Substance 
     Violations'' and inserting ``Lifetime Disqualification 
     Without Reinstatement'';
       (2) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting ``(1) 
     Controlled substance violations.--The Secretary''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) Human trafficking violations.--The Secretary shall 
     disqualify from operating a commercial motor vehicle for life 
     an individual who uses a commercial motor vehicle in 
     committing a felony involving an act or practice described in 
     paragraph (9) of section 103 of the Trafficking Victims 
     Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(9)).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Graves) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on S. 1532.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is a terrible crime with an estimated 
20 million victims worldwide. It is incumbent upon Congress to take the 
steps necessary to combat this crime whenever possible.
  Just this past summer there was a case in San Antonio in which 10 
people died while being illegally trafficked in a commercial motor 
vehicle. Drivers have been the first line of defense in helping 
identify and report these sorts of activities within the trucking 
community. We need these drivers to stay vigilant and we need to weed 
out the bad actors.
  In addition to the criminal penalties, drivers who knowingly take 
part in human trafficking should never again be able to drive 
commercially. Current law prohibits an individual from operating a 
commercial motor vehicle if they are convicted of one of nine different 
crimes, including alcohol abuse, negligent manslaughter, and drug 
trafficking.
  S. 1532 disqualifies individuals from operating a commercial vehicle 
for their lifetime if they ever use that commercial vehicle to commit a 
felony involving human trafficking.
  This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with unanimous consent, and I 
would like to commend Mr. Katko for his leadership on the House version 
of this bill, and I would urge my colleagues to support S. 1532.

[[Page 20193]]

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of S. 1532. This 
legislation institutes a lifetime ban from operating a commercial motor 
vehicle for any individual who has used such a vehicle to commit human 
trafficking.
  In the summer of 2017, 10 people died in San Antonio, Texas, in the 
process of being illegally trafficked in a truck at Walmart. That 
horrendous incident served as a stark reminder that the transportation 
sector can be exploited for heinous acts.
  Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has received 
reports of more than 22,000 sex trafficking cases inside our country. 
In addition, it has received over 5,000 reports of individuals who have 
been coerced into forced labor or indentured servitude.
  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that 
one of every six runaway children who was reported to them last year 
had become victims of sex trafficking.
  The FMCSA currently prohibits any individual from operating a CMV for 
life if he or she is convicted of committing specific crimes, including 
negligent manslaughter and drug trafficking. This bill ensures that the 
FMCSA also takes action against perpetrators who use their CMV to 
commit ``severe''--and that is the operative word--forms of sex 
trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
  The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported an 
identical bill, H.R. 3814, to the House by a voice vote in November. 
This legislation takes important steps to reduce human trafficking in 
the transportation sector.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko).
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in favor of S. 1532, the No Human 
Trafficking on Our Roads Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill 
strengthens our Nation's efforts to combat human trafficking.
  As a former organized crime prosecutor for two decades both on the 
Northern border and on the Southern border, I have seen firsthand the 
horrors of human trafficking. Too often, human traffickers take 
advantage of our Nation's transportation network to transport their 
victims from one location to the next.
  The U.S. Department of Transportation and the transportation industry 
play a critical role in preventing and stopping these heinous 
exploitations. I want to commend the trucking industry for their 
commitment in training drivers to identify instances of human 
trafficking through organizations like Truckers Against Trafficking.
  Truck drivers are often a critical asset in helping law enforcement 
identify victims who otherwise might go unseen. However, an isolated 
few individuals have taken advantage of their position to illegally 
traffic innocent people. We must stop this from occurring.
  Earlier this year, alongside my good friend, Congresswoman Esty, I 
introduced H.R. 3814, the identical House companion to this bill. While 
the vast majority of our Nation's truck drivers are hardworking, honest 
men and women, our bill is necessary to ensure that the select few who 
commit these crimes are brought to justice.
  I am grateful for the chairman's support in moving our bill through 
the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and bringing this 
important issue before the floor of the House. I would also like to 
thank outside organizations, like the National District Attorneys 
Association, for supporting this legislation.
  Again, I would like to thank Representative Esty and Senators Thune 
and Klobuchar for their bipartisan, bicameral leadership in this 
matter.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, this is another example of what 
bipartisanship can achieve in the House of Representatives, unlike, 
sadly, the tax bill that was just passed just before us in the House of 
Representatives here this afternoon.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 1532.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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