The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STOP EXPLOITATION THROUGH TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2014” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4509-H4515 on May 20, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STOP EXPLOITATION THROUGH TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2014
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3610) to stop exploitation through trafficking, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3610
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 ``Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. SAFE HARBOR INCENTIVES.
Part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 1701(c), by striking ``where feasible'' and all that follows, and inserting the following: ``where feasible, to an application--
``(1) for hiring and rehiring additional career law enforcement officers that involves a non-Federal contribution exceeding the 25 percent minimum under subsection (g); or
``(2) from an applicant in a State that has in effect a law that--
``(A) treats a minor who has engaged in, or has attempted to engage in, a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons;
``(B) discourages the charging or prosecution of an individual described in subparagraph (A) for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense, based on the conduct described in subparagraph (A); or
``(C) encourages the diversion of an individual described in subparagraph (A) to appropriate service providers, including child welfare services, victim treatment programs, child advocacy centers, rape crisis centers, or other social services.''; and
(2) in section 1709, by inserting at the end the following:
``(5) `commercial sex act' has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).
``(6) `minor' means an individual who has not attained the age of 18 years.
``(7) `severe form of trafficking in persons' has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).''.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON RESTITUTION PAID IN CONNECTION WITH CERTAIN
TRAFFICKING OFFENSES.
Section 105(d)(7)(Q) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103(d)(7)(Q)) is amended--
(1) by inserting after ``1590,'' the following: ``1591,'';
(2) by striking ``and 1594'' and inserting ``1594, 2251, 2251A, 2421, 2422, and 2423'';
(3) in clause (iv), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(4) in clause (v), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(5) by inserting after clause (v) the following:
``(vi) the number of individuals required by a court order to pay restitution in connection with a violation of each offense under title 18, United States Code, the amount of restitution required to be paid under each such order, and the amount of restitution actually paid pursuant to each such order; and
``(vii) the age, gender, race, country of origin, country of citizenship, and description of the role in the offense of individuals convicted under each offense; and''.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE.
Section 107(b)(2) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(2)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
``(B) National human trafficking hotline.--Beginning in fiscal year 2017 and each fiscal year thereafter, of amounts made available for grants under this paragraph, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall make grants for a national communication system to assist victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons in communicating with service providers. The Secretary shall give priority to grant applicants that have experience in providing telephone services to victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons.''.
SEC. 5. JOB CORPS ELIGIBILITY.
Section 144(3) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2884(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(F) A victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons
(as defined in section 103 of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102)). Notwithstanding paragraph (2), an individual described in this subparagraph shall not be required to demonstrate eligibility under such paragraph.''.
SEC. 6. CLARIFICATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE UNITED STATES
MARSHALS SERVICE.
Section 566(e)(1) of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (C), the following:
``(D) assist State, local, and other Federal law enforcement agencies, upon the request of such an agency, in locating and recovering missing children.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 3610, currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
There is no more vulnerable segment of this country's population than its children. For far too long, jurisdictions across the country have failed to adequately protect and support minor victims of commercial sex trafficking by treating them as the criminals. This must stop.
Unfortunately, according to FBI statistics, the commercial sex trade is the fastest-growing activity of organized criminal groups. The number of children facing sexual exploitation, rape, emotional trauma, and in many cases criminal prosecution grows every day.
Despite the fact that Congress has long recognized that minor participants in commercial sex acts are victims, the majority of States maintain statutes criminalizing minor prostitution, directly conflicting, in many instances, with other State laws regarding statutory rape and child abuse.
Acknowledging this conflict, the Texas Supreme Court held in 2010, that ``because a 13-year-old child cannot consent to sex as a matter of law, the child cannot be prosecuted as a prostitute.'' Further illustrating this inconsistency, one Dallas police officer observed that ``if a 45-year-old man had sex with a 14-year-old girl and no money changed hands, she was likely to get counseling and he was likely to get jail time for statutory rape. If the same man left $80 on the table after having sex with her, she would probably be locked up for prostitution and he would go home with a fine as a john.''
The bill before us today, H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2014, is designed to encourage the States to treat victims as victims.
Recognizing the need for protection and support for the growing number of child victims of commercial sex trafficking, an increasing number of States have taken steps to establish so-called ``safe harbor'' provisions that either decriminalize minor prostitution or divert minor victims to the services and support needed for recovery.
H.R. 3610 attempts to continue that trend by encouraging States, through preferential treatment in the grant-making process, to enact safe harbor legislation, ensuring that these victims are treated as victims, not criminals, and are directed to support services, not detention facilities. The bill also codifies a National Human Trafficking Hotline, ensures young victims are eligible for enrollment in the Job Corps, requires the Attorney General to report on sex offender convictions, and clarifies the authority of the U.S. Marshals Service to provide assistance in sex trafficking cases.
The Judiciary Committee's Crime Subcommittee recently held a hearing titled ``Innocence for Sale: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking'' in which we examined the effects of criminalizing minors under these circumstances. A victim of minor commercial sex trafficking, Ms. ``T'' Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, testified regarding her repeated traumatization at the hands of her trafficker and the criminal justice system:
Isolated, tired, and helpless at the age of 15, the concrete box that represented my cell in the largest of the juvenile facilities in Las Vegas, Nevada, seemed no less invasive than the horror of the streets. It wasn't all too different than the mental confinement I endured from my pimp.
The re-victimization of minors engaged in commercial sex trafficking by criminal justice systems must stop. Nelson Mandela once observed that:
There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children.
This legislation demonstrates that we choose to protect and support our children.
I would like to recognize the efforts of my colleagues, Mr. Paulsen and Ms. Moore, for the introduction of the original legislation, as well as the many Members who have signed on as bipartisan cosponsors. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge Chairman Kline from the Education and the Workforce Committee for his support regarding the Job Corps provision of this bill.
This bill is an important tool in the fight against the growing scourge of minor sex trafficking.
I urge my colleagues to join me in support, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of
Representatives,
Washington, DC, May 13, 2014.Hon. Bob Goodlatte,Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to confirm our mutual understanding with respect to H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2013. Thank you for consulting with the Committee on Education and the Workforce with regard to H.R. 3610 on those matters within the committees jurisdiction.
In the interest of expediting the House's consideration of H.R. 3610, the Committee on Education and the Workforce will forgo further consideration of this bill. However, I do so only with the understanding this procedural route will not be construed to prejudice my committee's jurisdictional interest and prerogatives on this bill or any other similar legislation and will not be considered as precedent for consideration of matters of jurisdictional interest to my committee in the future.
I respectfully request your support for the appointment of outside conferees from the Committee on Education and the Workforce should this bill or a similar bill be considered in a conference with the Senate. I also request you include our exchange of letters on this matter in the Committee Report on H.R. 3610 and in the Congressional Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor. Thank you for your attention to these matters.
Sincerely,
John Kline,Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, May 14, 2014.Hon. John Kline,Chairman, Committee on Education and the Workforce,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Kline: Thank you for your May 13 letter regarding H.R. 3610, the ``Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2013,'' which the Judiciary Committee ordered reported favorably to the House, as amended, on April 30, 2014.
I am most appreciative of your decision to forego consideration of H.R. 3610, as amended, so that it may move expeditiously to the House floor. I acknowledge that although you are waiving formal consideration of the bill, the Committee on Education and the Workforce is in no way waiving its jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in the bill. In addition, if a conference is necessary on this legislation, I will support any request that your committee be represented therein.
Finally, I am pleased to include this letter and your May 13 letter in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 3610.
Sincerely,
Bob Goodlatte,
Chairman.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2014 is another weapon in the bipartisan war against sex trafficking in this country.
{time} 1530
I commend my colleagues, Representative Paulsen and Representative Moore, for introducing the legislation, which contains important victim-based initiatives to combat sex trafficking.
One of the initiatives, the national safe harbor law, is essential to making sure that child victims of sex trafficking are not treated as prostitutes and criminalized, but, rather, are diverted into Child Protective Services. Only 12 States have passed safe harbor laws for minor victims of sex trafficking.
Now, Madam Speaker, as my colleague has pointed out, there is no such thing as a child prostitute. Children cannot consent to any sex act; therefore, any sexual act involving a child is child rape.
As my colleague, again, has pointed out, paying for the sex does not diminish the crime. Children who are bought and sold for these services are not prostitutes, but are victims. Those adults who sexually exploit them should not be called johns, but instead be called what they truly are: child rapists. We should punish those who prey on the vulnerable, and we cannot continue to criminalize the victims.
In an effort to help this recovery, H.R. 3610 empowers victims with a national hotline to request help, and it empowers them with restitution grants and with the eligibility for Job Corps programs.
The bill leads to an annual report by the Department of Justice on the amount of restitution ordered to victims in these cases. It will also include information about the number of convictions the Department has secured under all statutes that criminalize sex trafficking.
It will provide important information on the focus of investigative and prosecutorial efforts. It will ensure that victims of sex trafficking are treated as victims across all geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. So, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3610.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota, Congressman Paulsen, the chief sponsor of this legislation.
Mr. PAULSEN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership as chair of the committee.
Members, it is really easy and comfortable to think that human trafficking or sex trafficking only happens outside of the United States. The truth is that it is happening right here, in our own communities and right in our own backyards.
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to a girl named Dayanna. Dayanna tells me the story of how she is the oldest in a family of a single mother, with brothers and sisters, and her mother had no interest in caring or in giving her or her siblings love and attention.
So Dayanna is looking for love and attention, and she is seduced by a man who promises to treat her and to respect her the way she deserves. He even calls himself her boyfriend. At age 13, within days of running away, Dayanna finds herself in Philadelphia and in Chicago, being trafficked and separated from her family.
Sadly, this is happening to too many young girls in America, and I use the word ``girls'' for a reason. The majority of these victims are not old enough to have graduated from high school. They are not old enough to have voted in an election. They are not even old enough to have passed their drivers' tests because we are talking about 12- and 13- and 14-year-old girls.
Those most at risk of victimization are the vulnerable. They are lured under the false promise of better lives, and then they are forced into prostitution. These girls are victims, and they should be treated as victims, so that they come out of the shadows.
Right now, they fear coming out of the shadows because they view their traffickers as the only means of survival or they fear retribution. They don't feel they can trust law enforcement because most States say they should be incarcerated instead of being treated as victims.
One of the best ways to help these young girls is to remove the fear of prosecution and provide an avenue for them to escape and then to get the services they need, to get the counseling they need. That is what the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act does. It incentivizes States to adopt those safe harbor laws that have worked in other States.
This is not only the right thing to do to help these girls, but many in law enforcement will also tell you that treating them as victims makes them more likely to assist in investigations, resulting in longer sentences for the traffickers and the bad guys.
Now, while there are many issues that divide us here in Washington, this is an area in which there is agreement and in which there is bipartisan and bicameral work being done.
I really want to thank my colleague, Gwen Moore from Wisconsin, for her work on this legislation. I want to thank Louise Slaughter for her work on other legislation.
In the Senate, I want to thank Senator Klobuchar for helping move this legislation forward. I also want to commend all of the Members who are working on these five bills that we will be voting on later today.
Most importantly, I want to thank law enforcement and victims' advocates, who have worked with us to share their thoughts and to share their expertise.
This isn't a problem that is going to be solved by one group that is working alone. It is going to take all of us working together, learning from each other, coordinating efforts, and then coming together as a community.
This legislation, by the way, is endorsed by the National Fraternal Order of Police, by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, and by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Madam Speaker, I would like to enter into the Record several letters of endorsement for this legislation.
National Fraternal Order of Police,
Washington, DC, 20 May 2014.Hon. Erik Paulsen,House of Representatives,Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Paulsen: I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for H.R. 3610, the ``Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act.''
The bill, which was favorably reported by the Committee on the Judiciary, would establish a national strategy for combating human trafficking and encourage integration of efforts among local, State, tribal and Federal agencies. The legislation includes the appointment of at least one U.S. Attorney in each district dedicated to this issue, development of new strategies and district-specific plans as well as other efforts to train and educate all levels of law enforcement on human trafficking issues. This coordination and cooperation is essential to fighting this problem.
The bill also establishes a grant program to create a national hotline for victims of trafficking. The hotline will enable law enforcement officers to direct the victims of these crimes to a knowledgeable and compassionate service provider, as well as a way for victims to get help before coming into contact with law enforcement.
On behalf of the more than 330,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I want to thank you for your leadership on this issue. We are proud to support this legislation. If I can be of any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in my Washington office.
Sincerely,
Chuck Canterbury,National President.
____
National Alliance To
End Sexual Violence,
Washington, DC, November 25, 2013.Hon. Gwen Moore,Rayburn House Office Building,Washington, DC.Hon. Erik Paulsen,Cannon House Office Building,Washington, DC.
Dear Congresswoman Moore and Congressman Paulsen: The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) is the voice in Washington for the 56 state and territorial coalitions and 1300 rape crisis centers working to end sexual violence and support survivors. NAESV and the state and local programs we work with are committed to advocating for all survivors of sexual violence especially underserved populations and this absolutely includes victims of domestic minor sex trafficking. NAESV commends your efforts as national leaders to craft an augmented federal response to the horrifying reality of the commercial sexual violence committed against our nation's most vulnerable children.
NAESV supports the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act (SETT). While there is no single policy that will end the scourge of domestic minor sex trafficking, the Safe Harbor approach shows great promise in a number of states--pushing conversation and action forward to address the over-criminalization of these child victims of sexual violence and the need for specific services and supports for them. We additionally concur that a national strategy is needed to coordinate efforts to investigate and prevent human trafficking.
Please let us know how we may support your efforts moving forward.
Sincerely,
Monika Johnson Hostler,President.
____
National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children,
Alexandria, VA, April 29, 2014.Hon. Erik Paulsen,House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Paulsen: On behalf of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the children we serve, I commend you for your efforts on the substitute amendment to H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2014. This amendment addresses several critical aspects of the problem of child sex trafficking in the U.S.
As the congressionally-designated resource center on child sexual exploitation, NCMEC has learned a great deal about child sex trafficking since our creation in 1984. We know that sex trafficking is not only a problem in other countries, it takes place in nearly every community in the U.S. Our children are being victimized by those who treat them as commodities, and they deserve to be treated as victims not as perpetrators. State laws that provide `Safe Harbor' from prosecution offer these children a path to a life free from sexual exploitation.
A key component in the fight against trafficking is a federally-funded, trafficking victim-centered hotline which victims and others can call to report incidents and receive information about services available to them. Not only is this an important resource for trafficking victims, it also serves to raise awareness of the problem of child sex trafficking among the public.
This nation has made significant progress on the issue of domestic child sex trafficking in recent years. This amendment will enhance the current efforts and help child victims become survivors.
Thank you for your commitment to our nation's children.
Sincerely,
John D. Ryan,
President and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. PAULSEN. Members, this is an opportunity to save lives and to give hope to thousands of sex trafficking victims in America. There is more work to be done, and in working together, we can put an end to the sex trafficking.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), one of the chief sponsors of the legislation.
Ms. MOORE. I thank the gentleman from Virginia.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act.
Before I say anything, I want to thank Congressman Erik Paulsen of Minnesota, who has been a tremendous, superb partner throughout the process of putting this legislation together. I also want to thank the authors of all of the other four bills that are going to be considered today.
This bill really incentivizes States to put safe harbor laws into place, and that is the crux of this bill, but I can tell you that solving the problem of the sexual exploitation of children is going to require a lasting commitment and a bipartisan effort.
It is going to be very, very, very difficult, colleagues, because, as the FBI has told us, this is not just something that happens in Nigeria, but it is something that happens right here in the United States.
It is a $9.5 billion annual business activity. There are 100,000 kids a year who are currently trafficked, and another 200,000 are at risk. A pimp can earn as much as $250,000 a year in this booming business, so it is going to take all of us to stop this.
The victims are mostly girls, and on average, they are trafficked at age 13. I am embarrassed and I regret to report that my own hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has become known as the sex trafficking hub for both children and adults.
As a matter of fact, the FBI reports that Milwaukee is the second highest in the Nation for recovered youth; yet trafficking is now common in communities all across the country, not just in urban, but in suburban, in rural, and from coast to coast.
Predators victimize vulnerable young people, such as those whom my colleague from California, Congresswoman Bass, will talk about in the foster care system. They prey upon those who are in poverty, but they seek out higher income kids, too, going after those who may have some problems at home.
They are predators against those who are LGBTQ. The victimization happens on our streets as well as online. The traffickers are everywhere, as are the consequences--social displacement, health issues, physical pain and disfigurement, infertility, PTSD, suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Thirteen-year-old children need support and not incarceration. The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act would alter our laws and our thinking about this, which is that minors are to be treated like victims, rather than as perpetrators of crime. They need direction and support for entering programs like the Job Corps, rather than to be prosecuted.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlelady an additional 1 minute.
Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, this legislation also officially establishes a national human trafficking hotline to help connect victims with the services that they need and to allow others to pass along crime tips to law enforcement.
I am so proud that this legislation has been amended to add trafficking victims to those eligible to receive Job Corps services, giving them access to job skills training that can lead them toward a better life, the Job Corps--a port in a very tumultuous storm. I am so pleased to cosponsor this legislation, and I would ask that all of my colleagues support its passage.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor), the majority leader, and to thank him for his leadership on this series of bills that deals with this serious issue.
Mr. CANTOR. I thank the chairman, the gentleman from Virginia.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan antihuman trafficking bills being considered by the House today.
We recently were reminded of the horrors of human trafficking as news reports broke from Nigeria that hundreds of school girls had been kidnapped with the threat that they would be sold into slavery or marriage.
These innocent young girls were simply trying to pursue an education and build a better life. While this problem may seem thousands of miles away, this horror is inflicted on millions of families every year, including here in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security estimates that more than 20 million men, women, and children are victims of human trafficking around the world and that more slaves exist today than at any other time in history.
Many of these victims represent the most vulnerable people on Earth, including individuals with mental disabilities and children stolen from their homes--taken from their loving moms and dads--with very little chance of ever seeing their families again.
Domestically, our own Department of Justice estimates that as many as 100,000 to 300,000 American children are in danger of being trafficked for commercial sex every year.
Whether runaways or those kidnapped in our communities, our children are at risk of falling victim to determined criminal groups, violent gangs, and fear-mongering terror organizations. These children are then forced into sex or labor slavery, contributing to the second most profitable form of transnational crime.
An America that leads understands that we must do everything in our power to protect the vulnerable populations these groups prey upon. Fortunately, the House has an opportunity today to stand together and pass these five bipartisan bills under consideration, along with others, hopefully, later this year.
These bills aim to protect and help domestic and international victims, to capture their exploiters and to provide additional tools to prosecutors. We will do all of this in pursuit of our ultimate goal of ending human trafficking both domestically and abroad.
I want to thank not only Chairman Goodlatte, but Representatives Poe, Paulsen, Wagner, Reichert, and Smith, as well as other colleagues on both sides of the aisle, for their commitments and efforts to push forward in this noble cause. In addition to Chairman Goodlatte, I would like to thank Chairmen Royce and Camp for all of their work on the issue.
Madam Speaker, let's pass this important legislation with bipartisan strength, and let's show our constituents and the rest of the world that America chooses to lead this fight. I urge my colleagues to support today's bills.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from California (Ms. Bass).
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. Safe harbor legislation is the first step in ensuring that children who are forced into the sex trade are treated as victims and not as criminals.
First, as the lead authors of this bill, I would like to recognize my colleagues, Representatives Paulsen and Moore, for their commitment to preventing the exploitation of children.
In 2012, in my town of Los Angeles, 170 girls were arrested and detained by probation and were later identified as trafficking victims. The average age of trafficked victims was 12 years old. At such a young age, these girls have survived immense trauma that no child should ever experience. In most cities, a large number of the girls are connected to the foster care system.
We are supposed to be protecting these children. These are children we have removed from their homes, but far too often, instead of protecting these girls and finding them the right social services in order to get off the streets, our society continues to arrest them.
They should never be charged with a crime, since many are minors and cannot legally consent to sex. As has been said, the word
``prostitute'' should never be used. They are not criminals; they are victims.
Unfortunately, many of their troubles continue as they enter a juvenile justice system that often treats them as offenders and does not provide them with the resources they need in order to rebuild their lives.
Even after serving their time and turning their lives around, young adults routinely leave custody or probation with criminal records, preventing them from starting careers.
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Simply put, the system sets them up for failure. To make matters worse, I have been told by leading judges in most States that a child must be arrested in order to attain many social services. Even in Los Angeles, where we have a model court and a probation department doing tremendous work to empower young survivors, we must arrest children before they receive intervention services. One can only imagine the emotional and psychological trauma that occurs when victims are continually told they are responsible for their own abuse. This must change.
The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act addresses one of the most pressing issues facing child victims of trafficking. I look forward to working with States to ensure that the safe harbor legislation throughout the county is meaningful and that appropriate services are provided, even if the child is not ``system-involved.'' I also look forward to identifying policies to ensure that the young people who have already been arrested have the opportunity to not only seal but completely expunge their records.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner).
Mrs. WAGNER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding me time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. Congressman Erik Paulsen authored this important legislation in order to encourage States to adopt laws that treat trafficked minors as victims, not as criminals.
Madam Speaker, there is no such thing as a child prostitute. Minor participants should be considered victims of these heinous crimes and abuse, rather than criminals themselves. They are frequently coerced into prostituting themselves through a variety of methods, including physical and psychological manipulation.
Madam Speaker, these children have gone through a nightmare that we cannot even imagine. Their suffering should be at an end once they are under the protection of law enforcement. However, in many cases, these victims are treated as criminals or delinquents, which results in further traumatization.
Madam Speaker, the law should protect child victims of prostitution and punish the abusers. The law should define these sexually exploited children as victims of abuse and help them find the protection and support they need to begin to heal.
Madam Speaker, I support H.R. 3610 because it encourages States to enact safe harbor legislation aimed at ensuring that these children are treated as victims, not criminals, and are directed to support services, not detention facilities.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentleman very much.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act, and thank Mr. Paulsen and the cosponsors for this legislation. I thank the Judiciary Committee for this historic day--and days to come. Because even as we speak on the floor of the House right now, there are children that are being trafficked. There are young girls who are being abused. There is human slavery.
I just want to give this example that I think is so much the story of what we are speaking of.
If a 45-year-old man had sex with a 14-year-old girl, and no money changes hands, she would likely get counseling and he would likely get jail time for statutory rape. But if the same man left $80 on the table after having sex with her, she would probably be locked up for prostitution and he would probably go home. He is something called a word that I don't even want to use because he is involved in human trafficking, sex trafficking, abuse, and violation of a child that cannot give consent.
In a hearing that we held in Houston, what we determined was when those young girls are violated at that age, they are destined, in many instances, for a life of prostitution and to be trafficked and held by individuals who call themselves pimps, but are literally slaveholders.
So this is a very important initiative by providing the opportunity for the growing safe harbors and to be able to track community-oriented police services grants for those States that pass safe harbor statutes for victims of minor sex trafficking.
It is so very important to stamp out the scourge of minor sex trafficking and to also improve on the issue of restitution orders in order to give these girls back their lives. We listened to Kathryn Griffin, who now offers a refuge with a program called We've Been There Done That in Houston, Texas, inside the Harris County Jail, to get these women to turn their lives around, but wouldn't it be more important if we established that these girls now are victims?
They are being exploited. And we must stop it now. We must make sure that we find the safe harbor and also be able to have the restitution orders.
I also join in thanking my colleague for the opportunity with Job Corps, so they may turn their lives around. I think this is another step in the right direction to stamp out human trafficking, holding individuals as slaves and killing off their life and their future.
Let us rescue these girls, as we want to rescue the girls in Nigeria that are being held by the terrorist thugs, Boko Haram.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson).
Mr. OLSON. I thank the chairman. I also thank my friend from Minnesota for bringing this important bill to the House floor.
Madam Speaker, I live in Fort Bend County, Texas. Interstate 10 runs through the northern part of Fort Bend County. According to the Department of Justice, I-10 in Houston is ``the most intense trafficking jurisdiction in America.''
In March, a sex slave ring was broken up in Houston. Fifteen women from Latin America were in a tiny house with 94 men, wearing only their underwear when they were arrested. The women's first trip to America became a trip to hell.
And it is not just women from foreign countries. Young American girls are being tricked into lives as sex slaves--girls like Holly Smith, whose picture is to my left.
Holly's home life was not good. She worried about starting high school. She was depressed. And she met a man at the local mall named Greg. Greg knew just what Holly needed. He convinced her to run away. So she laced up her size 5 sneakers and jumped in the car with a pimp of children. She was just 14. Within hours, she was being raped by a man who said that she looked like his granddaughter.
Holly escaped her captors by telling a police officer that she was a hooker so they would take her away from Greg. That admission brought her more pain. She was handcuffed and treated like a criminal instead of the victim she was.
I want to thank Holly for telling her story. Sadly, she and I both know that her story is being repeated all over America. And that is why passing this bill is so important.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), one of the leaders on this issue.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of Representative Paulsen's important bill, H.R. 3610, which should have passed long ago, that encourages States to provide safe harbor laws that treat trafficked minors as victims, which they are--
and provides services, support, counseling, and job training, rather than leading them into incarceration. It is the pimps and traffickers who should be put behind bars.
This important bill can help rescue more children from this shameful and shadowy underworld and lead them out of harm's way.
When I first started working in this area with the distinguished former member, Deborah Price, we were holding a hearing and listening to the stories of young women of how they were entrapped, stolen, beaten, tricked, and drugged into sex slavery. Deborah leaned over to me and said, Carolyn, as a former judge, I used to convict young girls as prostitutes. I never stopped to ask them, as we are today, how did this happen to you? How did you get into this trouble that is destroying your life and your health?
And that is what this bill is going to do. It will provide a safe harbor so that young people will be treated as young people. A trafficker is a criminal, a john is a child abuser, a pimp is someone who should be behind bars.
This starts to shift the focus away from the young, exploited people and harming them further with incarceration, protecting them and shifting more towards who is causing the problem: the demand side.
This is a tremendously important bill. We should put more traffickers where they belong--behind bars.
This change is long overdue. I look forward to working towards passing this in the House and the Senate.
I thank the leadership of both Houses, Leaders Pelosi and Cantor, all the authors, and everyone who has worked on these important bills.
I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. GOODLATTE. It is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks).
Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act, and I want to thank the chairman and all of my colleagues who have worked so hard on a bipartisan basis to get the bills to this point.
Madam Speaker, there is a silent epidemic affecting all of our communities across the country that goes unnoticed and unpunished. Sex trafficking is one of the most misunderstood yet prevalent crimes occurring every day in every State in America.
According to the Trafficking in Persons Report produced by the State Department, 27 million men, women, and children are victims of some form of human trafficking. Sadly, it disproportionately affects young women between the age of 12 and 14, who fall victim to organized crime networks and are trafficked nationally.
Unfortunately, in my home State of Indiana, we are not immune to this problem. Just recently, a man was arrested after being stopped for a routine traffic violation in Hancock County. He was found to be transporting 12- and 13-year-olds to another community to work off a debt that their family owed.
In Indianapolis, earlier this year, a man was arrested for trafficking four victims, including three minors, into prostitution. One of them was a 12-year-old with mental disabilities.
I know of this nationwide problem firsthand because I was a U.S. attorney from 2001 to 2007. In 2006, we started a task force called IPATH, the Indiana Protection of Abused and Trafficked Humans task force. It is still led by Assistant United States Attorney Gayle Helart and Indiana Deputy Attorney General Abby Kuzma. It builds upon the premise that we have to combat human trafficking by integrating Federal, State, local, and nonprofit resources to make sure we do more on the enforcement side and help with services for the victims.
So I am very proud to be a sponsor of this bill, which does combat and bring together these holistic strategies.
In my time as U.S. attorney, what I learned is the hardest part of combating human trafficking is identifying the victims and getting them to come forward. Victims feel hopeless. And they are scared. It is the nature of the trafficker to prey upon their fears and threaten them and threaten their families' safety.
So I am pleased that we are coming together. These statutory changes are important. It does provide those safe harbor laws which makes sure these minors are victims rather than criminals.
I am particularly pleased with the human trafficking hotline. We have got to educate citizens in our communities to know what they are seeing so that they can report these crimes.
It is unacceptable that a country like ours actually almost harbors traffickers who are selling these people into modern-day slavery.
Our law enforcement and nonprofit organizations are working hard. They have come a long way to raise awareness. But Congress needs to act decisively today and provide these necessary tools. This bill, and others, which I am so pleased have bipartisan support, will do just that.
It is time that we hold these morally-depraved traffickers accountable.
{time} 1600
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding), a member of the committee.
Mr. HOLDING. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. I would like to thank Chairman Goodlatte and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen) for their hard work and contributions to this important legislation.
As we have noted today, sex trafficking of minors is a terrible and, unfortunately, growing crime. According to the FBI, sex trafficking is the fastest-growing business organized crime and the third largest criminal enterprise in the world, with as many as 300,000 children at risk of being sexual exploited in the United States alone.
While I strongly support all efforts to stop this crime, especially those being considered today, it is also important for Congress to focus on the victims of minor sex trafficking. H.R. 3610 goes exactly to that.
Under this legislation, States are incentivized to put in place laws to clearly recognize that minors engaged in prostitution are not criminals, but, rather, victims who need to be protected from further trauma.
My own State of North Carolina is one of a handful of States that has passed similar legislation explicitly recognizing that the children involved in prostitution are victims involved is modern-day form of slavery. H.R. 3610 is an important step toward ensuring this becomes true nationwide.
The average age for a girl to enter the commercial sex trade is just 12 to 14 years old, and for boys, it is even younger, just 11 to 13 years old.
Contrary to what some might think, human trafficking isn't just happening in foreign countries; it is happening right here on U.S. soil every day and every hour. That is why Congress needs to do everything that it can to protect our children and address this issue.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the majority leader for their leadership on this important issue.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, now it is my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem).
Mrs. NOEM. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman and our leadership and colleagues for helping to move these bills forward. Sex trafficking is an issue that I have always known has existed, but it wasn't until I learned more about it and realized how often it is happening right here in the United States and in our neighborhoods.
As a mom of two daughters and a 12-year-old son, I am so pleased that we are voting on these bills today. We are standing up to this illegal industry, and we are showing that Congress will not ignore this horrific problem.
This legislation is going to better support survivors. It gives law enforcement officers more tools to go after the criminals who are exploiting our children. These bills can make a difference for victims who are trying to get back on their feet.
We need to do all that we can to put an end to human trafficking. The bills we have here today are just the beginning. We need to talk to parents, teachers, hotel employees, anyone who will listen, so that they are aware of what is going on, and we can all work together to stop it.
I urge my colleagues to pass these bills, and I call on the Senate to do the same.
We should not quit. We must continue to fight together to ensure that this evil does not triumph.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I have only one speaker remaining, myself, if the gentleman is prepared to close.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3610.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.
I join the gentleman from Virginia in urging my colleagues to support this important legislation.
I want to congratulate Congressman Paulsen and Congresswoman Moore for their great work on this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Black). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3610, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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