n today. and now to live coverage of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. today's opening prayer will be offered by our guest reverend adam briddell associate pastor of the asbury united methodist church right here in washington d.c. the guest chaplain:let us pray.

holy god,you are a stronghold for the oppressed. a fortress in times of trouble. the heavens are the work of your fingers. you established the moon and the stars. who are we, that you care for us? who are we, that you promise us grace, and mercy. may your greatness humble us. may your light transform us. may your love inspire us. inspire us to great acts of mercy, kindness, and justice. inspire us to love you, and love our neighbor. inspire us to labor for the sake of your kingdom, to sacrifice for the least and the lost. today, may we be found faithful to you. this we pray in your merciful name. amen.

the president pro tempore: thank you reverend. we appreciate that. please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: deep in a shadow there's a specter that haunts our country. in dark corners it claims thousands of victims every year quietly, stealthfully, maliciously. it's hard for many americans to believe that human trafficking could happen where they live, but it does. right here in the united states, all 50 of our states. and many of these victims are children. in kentucky alone the commonwealth has been able to identify more than 100 victims since it began keeping relevant records in 2013. and while this kind of abuse often begins around the age of 13 or 14, there have been reports of victims in kentucky as young as two months old. it's just about the most marley

offensive thing you could imagine. these victims need a voice. they need justice and the new congress is determined to give them both. that is what the bill we're considering this week the justice for victims of trafficking act aims to do. i want to thank senator cornyn for his hard work on this legislation. he's been a tiecials advocate -- a tireless advocate for it. this has been a bipartisan exercise. i want to thank the 13 democratic cosponsors of the bill. it's a bill that received a hearing in the judiciary committee earlier this year, it was reported without a single negative vote. it's been thoroughly crafted which explains its bipartisan support in the senate. it also explains the long list of endorsements such as share in hope international rights for girls, the fraternal order of police and the national center for missing and exploited

children among its many supporters. here's what one broad coalition backing this bill had to say about it. the justice for victims of trafficking act provides unprecedented support to domestic victims of trafficking who are too often invibles -- invisible and underserved they wrote. this legislation is vital. so i hope now that it has been brought to the floor that this bill continues to enjoy its strong record of constructive bipartisan support. it's similar to a measure that's already passed the house of representatives. the version before us also contains some additional provisions as well. for instance, senator portman has offered ideas to improve the way we find missing kids and to strengthen law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute those who commit sex trafficking crimes. it's good to see such a strong and bipartisan piece of legislation. because victims of human trafficking should be treated like victims not criminals.

because they should have the services and resources they need to rebuild their lives. and because law enforcement should have the tools it needs to protect them and to combat these crimes. this bill aims to ensure these things actually happen, and i look forward to the senate's good work to pass it. now, mr. president on one more matter, later today a former senate colleague will be honored at the national cathedral and laid to rest in arlington. senatorsenator brooke was a trail blazeer, a model of honesty and courage in office. through his example edward w. brooke reminded americans anything was possible in their country. in the years since senator brooke left office we've seen the truth of that the statement. while i'm sure the brooke family will mourn the man i hope those who love senator brooke can remember they have a lot of to be proud of too as does the

senate as does our country. we thank this pathbreaking pioneer for his many years of service to his country and we honor him today. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: all over the country today, in newspapers and on electronic media there's a story -- i'll pick one out the front page of "the washington post" today headlined "c.b.o.: health law will cost less than expected." president obama's health care law will cost taxpayers substantially less than previously estimated congressional budget office officials said monday in an upbeat note for a bill that faced criticism since its passage five years ago. opposition has come from republican colleagues in the senate and the house. they voted 67 tiles -- times to

repeal it in the house. of course each time it's failed. going on with this article "the nonpartisan congressional budget office attributed the savings to upgrading on medical care in coming years that will not be as great as previously forecast. as a result, the agency said insurers are not expected to charge americans as much for coverage and the government will save on subsidies for low- and moderate-income people." what's more the c.b.o. concluded that companies are not canceling health insurance policies as often as anticipated earlier this year. fewer americans consequently are planning to sign up for insurance under the affordable care act generating more taxpayer savings. in total the health care law will cost taxpayers 11% less over the next decade than estimated in january. the cost of providing subsidies to people to buy insurance on the state and federal marketplaces, the centerpiece of the law, will be 20% lower than

projected. the article goes on and on about the good things that are happening with health care in america. on another subject mr. president, the official mission statement for the united states attorney general reads -- quote -- "to enforce the law and defend the interest of the united states according to the law, to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic to provide federal leadership in preventing crime and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all americans." that's a tremendous responsibility lots of responsibility. the u.s. attorney general is more than a lawyer or administrator. an attorney general is a defender a crime fighter an advocate for american rights. it's not an easy job. president obama's nominee loretta lynch is up to the task. throughout my time in the united states senate, i've seen many qualified nominees, republican and democrats people like janet

reno, madeleine albright, colin powell, hillary clinton. loretta lynch is a graduate of harvard law school, is as qualified as any candidate i've seen in my 33 years here in the congress. ms. lynch serves as u.s. attorney for the eastern district of new york. she's been confirmed unanimously to that office by the senate twice most recently in 2010. during her time in the u.s. attorney's office loretta lynch has proven herself to be a tough crime fighter she has prosecuted drug dealers and greedy wall street bankers. she is guardian of the constitution. she takes the protections in the bill of rights seriously. almost two decades ago she came to the justice of a haitian immigrant physically assaulted by police officers acting outside the law. lynch is part of the constitutional criminal trillion

trillion -- tribunal for rwanda, for the genocide carried out in rwanda. whatever the case, whatever the crime loretta lynch has fought the guilty. she has been exemplary. she is an ideal candidate to be america's top law enforcement officer. that is why she was nominated 121 days ago by president obama. i look forward to the senate finishing its work on confirmation as soon as possible. the american people need loretta lynch in their corner. mr. president, what is the business of the day? the presiding officer: under the previous order the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order the senate will be in a period of morning business until 11:00 a.m. with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each and with the time equally divided the majority controlling the first half and the democrats controlling the final half. mr. reid: i would ask consent that the, there be a quorum call initiated and the time be equally divided.

okay so, mr. president, i would modify that under the urging of my staff saying that the time would come, under the quorum call under the republicans initially because they're entitled to the first half-hour. so i would ask consent there be a quorum call initiated. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

you

quorum call:

thiewp thune mr. president i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business for up to ten minutes and that the

senator from pennsylvania, senator too maniy be toosenator toomey, be allowed to follow me for as much time as he may consume. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: every year millions of human beings are forced into slave labor or sold for sex. this includes large numbers of children. while these crimes are especially prevalent in countries where prosecution is essentially nonexistent the truth is that human trafficking occurs in every country including right here in the united states. women and children are trafficked within the borders of the united states itself. a large number of the victims are children who are bought and sold to feed the twisted desires of sexual predators. that's a key phrase here, mr. president -- "bought and sold." because to the criminals who prey on these children, that's what it's about: buying and selling. it's a business.

that's right. the sexual exploitation and brutalization of children, some of them not yet teenagers is a business to the traffickers who ensnare them. many of them get rich off the horror that these children endure. traffickers identify vulnerable targets, often children already living in difficult circumstancescircumstances or come from broken homes. they then engage in calculated campaigns to win the trust of these vulnerable children and lure them into their orbit. after the child has been trapped, he or she brought into a lifestyle whose histories are difficult to adequately describe. these children are forced into a life of processty substitution, their innocence repeatedly violated. hundreds or thousands of times in a year. they're controlled by a combination of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse at the hands of their traffickers. many of them become hooked on drugs as well, thanks to their captors who see drug dependence

as a useful means of control. some children never escape from this life. they end up dead before they've even left their childhood behind behind. sometimes too violent a beating at the hand of a pimp. those who do escape can take years or decades to recover. post-traumatic stress disorder, depression lasting physical injuries are some of the challenges victims can face as they attempt to rebuild their lives. some never recover. all this, mr. president is nothing more than a business to the traffickers who enrich themselves off the violation of the innocent. i'm reminded of a verse in the gospels "for what does it profit man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul"? if there is any crime against which the human person vellets

it is the sexual brutization brutalization of children. even hardened criminals despise of those who go after children these ways. this week we're considering the justice for victims of trafficking act a bill put together by my colleague the senior senator from texas. i've cosponsored this legislation because i think it provides a number of important tools to strengthen our efforts to eradicate trafficking in this country an to help its victims. this legislation would give law enforcement additional resources for targeting traffickers including increased access to wiretaps for state and local task forces conducting human trafficking and child pornography investigations; authorization for programs targeting child exploitation and offering law enforcement training for rurpg veterans who want to focus on combating human trafficking. a large portion of the bill is

focused on providing assistance to victims as they seek to regain their lives. among the bill's many victim-related provisions are one, a deficit-neutral domestic trafficking victims fund to increase the federal amount available increased penalties for those convicted of traffic-related crimes. secondly a new blog grant program to strengthen law enforcement efforts. third, a provision written by my colleague from south dakota, representative christie nome that would help expand the extremely limited housing available to recovering underaged trafficking victims. and, fowrnl, information requirements to ensure that the trafficking victims are told of any plea bargains or deferred prosecution agreements in their case. fifth, a provision to give victims of child pornography access to the same services available to trafficking victims

by classifying child pornography production as a type of human trafficking. sixth, a human trafficking advisory council made up of trafficking survivors to make recommendations to the federal government. mr. president, this legislation has been endorsed by some of the leading organizations in the fight against human trafficking including the national center for missing and exploited children shared hope international, rights4girls, and the national association to protect children. it's also supported by a bipartisan majority here in the senate and i'm looking forward to passing it in the very near future. mr. president, the sooner that we get these tools into the hands of law enforcement the better. we succeed in anything as a society, it should be in protecting the innocent. and i hope that this legislation will help advance the fight against trafficking in this country and help promote the healing of human trafficking

tion'smany victims. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. toomey: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. toomey: mr. president i rise to speak on senate bill 474, the protecting students from sexual and violent predators act. mr. president, this is a bipartisan bill. it is a bill that i introduced with senator joe manchin last congress and we've recently reintroduced this bill. we also intend to offer this bill as an amendment to the justice for victims of trafficking act that the senator from south dakota was just discussing. this is a bill that provides some crucial protections to our children. i am proud to be a cosponsor of this underlying bill. i am confident it's going to pass. and i certainly hope it'll pass with our amendment. the amendment -- this bipartisan amendment that i'll be introducing, the protecting students act amends the underlying bill to protect even more chin. that's what-- more children. that's what it does, provides

specific protections against convicted child molesters from infill trailing our schools. let me just say up front mr. president, i fully recognize that the vast majority of school employees would never consider sexually abusing or violently abusing the children in their care. we all understand that. but we also understand that there are pedophiles in this country, and they seek out vulnerable children. that's what they do. and they know that the kids are concentrated in schools with no parents around, and that's what we've got to protect these kids against. so i've been fighting for this for over a year now together with senator manchin and others, and i'm not going to stop fighting until we get this done. i've got three very personal reasons that this fight is one that i've taken on, and i'm going to continue wsm the personal reasons are my own kids. they're 14, 13, and almost 5 years old. and i need to know, just as

every parent needs to know, when you put your child on a school bus, that that child is going somewhere where they're going to be safe, they're going to be protected, and they are not going to be the victims they're not going to fall prey to some of the very people who are supposed to be looking after them. unfortunately for too many kids, that's just not true today. there's a story of one particular child that inspired this legislation. it's a child named jeremy bell. and the story begins in delaware county pennsylvania. one of the schoolteachers molested several boys and raped one. prosecutors decided they just didn't have enough evidence to bring a case against this monster. the school knew what was going on so they decided to dismiss the teacher for sexually abusing his students but then appallingly, the school decided to make sure that he went off and became someone else's problem, they wrote a letter of