the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 414. the nays are four. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative,

the rules are suspended, the conference report is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. the house will be in order. i would ask members to take your conversations off the floor.

for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? >> thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to remove myself from h.r. 3717. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. clay: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. woodall: by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 585 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 108, house resolution 585, resolved, that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 4660, making appropriations for the

departments of commerce and justice, science, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2015, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule 21 are waived. during consideration of the bill for amendment, the chair of the committee of the whole may accord priority and recognition on the basis of whether the member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the congressional record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule 18. amendments so printed shall be considered as read. when the committee rises and reports the bill back to the house with a recommendation that the bill do pass, the

previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. section 2, at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 4435. to authorize appropriations for the fiscal year 2015 for military activities of the department of defense and for military construcks. to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on armed services. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule.

in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on armed services now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-44 shall be considered as adopted in the house and in the committee of the whole. the bill as amended shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill as amended are waived. no further amendment to the bill as amended shall be in order except those printed in report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against

such further amendments are waived. after disposition of the further amendments printed in the report of the committee on rules, the committee of the whole shall rise without motion. no further consideration of the bill shall be in order except pursuant to a subsequent order f the house. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. would ask members to take their conversations off the floor. the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one hour. mr. woodall: thank you, madam speaker. for the purpose of debate only, i'd like to yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. woodall: madam speaker, during consideration of this resolution all time is yielded for the purpose of debate only. i'd like to ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. mr. woodall: madam speaker, the reason it's hard to get order down here on the floor of the house is kind of a celebratory atmosphere down here. we just saw the water resources development act pass. pass on a big bipartisan vote. it's been about a year, about two years, it's been years since we have been able to come together and pass this very important bill that deals with waterways and water supply all across this district. we do things together on a regular basis, but the big things are hard. we've gotten to do the big things today. i'll brag to my friend from a moment, ts for madam speaker. i was at cruz middle school in my district last friday. and cruz middle school, their eighth grade class, they were talking about how it is that they could be effective, how they could make a difference. and the students came upon mr. mcgovern's bill, i think it's h.r. 1692, dealing with sudan.

and genocide. what we can do to come together to make a difference in other parts of the world. i represent georgia, madam speaker. it's a rock solid hard core republican constituency. folks can surmise where mr. mcgovern out of the great state of massachusetts, what kind of constituency he represents there. but his ideas about how we could come together to make a difference for people resonated all the way down the eastern seaboard into that class at cruz middle school such that nathan, madeline, georgia, lauren, all put pen to paper and invited me to come and talk about it to see how it was we could come together. they didn't -- we didn't have an entire co-sponsorship discussion there in the classroom on that day. we were trying to talk about making a difference. that's what i get to come down to do today, madam speaker, with this rule that the lerk just read. this is a difference making rule. it covers two bills today. one is the

commerce-justice-science-and related atecies bill. h.r. 4660. the rule provides for an open rule. so that every single member no matter what their political strife, no matter what their ideas, no matter where their constituency is located, any member of this body can come to the house floor and offer their ideas to make this bill better. it's a wonderful part of our process. it's a part of the process that gets used all too frequently. and i'm very fortunate to be able to come and bring a rule today that does that. almost more fascinating, madam speaker, is that this rule makes in order the debate for the national defense authorization act of 2015. it's h.r. 4435. that bill, i'm going to consult my notes it's almost unbelievable. that bill came out of committee 61-0. 61-0. here we are, the bill that is

going to authorize our entire national defense infrastructure in what constituents back home believe is a hyper partisan u.s. house of representatives made that way by incredibly divergent views held by american voters, and when it comes to national security we came together at the committee level and passed out a bill 61-0. and this bill is made in order for debate by the rule that's before us today. i hope i'll be able to get my colleagues' support for this. again, n open rule for the commerce, justice, science bill, and a rule for debate on a bill that came out of committee 61-0. now, what's fascinating about this institution, mr. speaker, it never ceases to amaze me. you hear about the arrogance of power in d.c. somehow you get elected to congress and get inside the beltway and suddenly you think you're the smartest guy in the room and only your ideas are the good ideas.

this bill that came out of committee 61-0 isn't done for the legislative process there. this rule we are debating today makes in order seven more amendments to that bill so we can all have a voice here on the floor of the house. my great expectation the rules committee will continue to meet this afternoon making even more amendments in order, hundreds of amendments filed to this bill in the rules committee is working through trying to get to reach one of those amendments to determine what we can make in order. it's just -- i call it a festival of democracy, madam speaker. it is a festival of democracy we are having right here on the house floor where you not only have open rules, wherever members' voice is able to be heard, where every constituent at home is able to give that advice and counsel to their member and bring those ideas to the floor. but it's on issues as difficult as national security. issues that do bring us together but that have components that pull us apart. we are able to work through

that. over 300 amendments have been filed for this national defense authorization act and the committee's working through them even as we speak. i know that every member of this body has a contribution that their constituency has asked them to make. a voice that their constituency has asked them to come and bring. madam speaker, there are times where all of those voices, whether it be because of the clock, whether it be because of timing, whatever the reason may be, where folks don't feel like those voices have been able to be heard. this day is not that day. this is a day where we have an opportunity to make sure that each and every idea is heard and heard fully, and i'm proud that the rules committee has produced this product today. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentleman

from georgia, mr. woodall, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks, and i yield such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, is is not a normal rule, but it is a fair one. it's unusual because it combines two bills into one rule, and makes in order several amendments for one of the bills. what might be unusual for my republican friends is i will support it. the rule makes in order the fiscal year 2015 commerce, justice, science appropriations bill under an open rule. . although i wish the spending levels were higher, i think it's good we bring this bill under an open rule. this rule also makes in order general debate on the annual defense authorization bill, along with seven amendments. that's a little unusual. normally the rules committee reports -- reports two rules. one for general debate and one for consideration of amendments. now, i don't have any problem

with these amendments being made in order, but i will voice my strong concerns tomorrow if the rules committee fails to make in order many of the amendments submitted for consideration. i would like to thank my distinguished colleague, the chairman, mr. mckeon, and the ranking member, mr. smith of services committee for their leadership and their hard work in crafting this bill each year and for coming to bipartisan agreement on so many of the serious matters contained in this bill. this is a massive undertaking that touches on so many aspects of our defense and national security priorities and the health and well-being of our military personnel and their families. but there are serious and substandive matters in this bill that we must debate over the next few days because they merit the attention of every single member of this house. first and foremost, h.r. 4435 fails to make many of the

difficult choices required by our current budgetary constraints and fiscal reality. this sahaaf a trillion-dollar bill, that's -- this is half a trillion-dollar bill, that's trillion with a t. is for 95.8 billion the department of defense base budget, another $17.6 billion for defense-related activities, mainly nuclear within the department of energy, and another whooping there are 70.9 -- another whooping $79.4 billion for the so-called overseas contingency operations or o.c.o. but according to the congressional budget office, h.r. 4435 decreases direct spending by just $1 million in f.y. 2015. in a $500 billion bill, we can only find savings of $1 million?

there's probably $1 million in the couch cushions at the pentagon. madam speaker, this congress just cut $8 billion in the farm bill for the snap program. that's an $8 billion cut to help hungry families put food on their table, but we couldn't find more than $1 million next year from the pentagon budget? give me a break. and if sequestration remains the law of the land, these funding levels simply will not stand and another round of arbitrary reductions will harm our troops, our military civilian work force, their families and our military readiness. that's also unacceptable. so i oppose and i have always opposed sequestration for both defense and nondefense programs, but putting forward a bill that fails to make any hard decisions on reducing spending authority is not a solution. in fact, it compounds the problem. this brings -- this brings me to afghanistan, madam speaker, where we continue to squander lives and waste money.

since 2001, over 2,300 u.s. troops have been killed in afghanistan. nearly 20,000 have been wounded. we lost 127 brave soldiers just alone.ar estimates are that around 30,000 afghan civilians have been killed since 2001, and the v.a. estimates that approximately 22 veterans will die by suicide every day. since 2001, we have spent over $700 billion on this war. in this current fiscal year 2014 we are spending $7.1 billion every month in afghanistan. the president is committed to bringing most of our troops home by the end of the year and i trust him to keep his word to america's families, but he's also said he wants to keep some level of forces remaining there, 5,000, maybe 10,000. he wants to keep them in

afghanistan for an extended period of time. whether you support keeping u.s. troops in afghanistan after 2014 or whether you oppose it, as i do, i would hope that we can all agree that congress should have a say in whether or not the longest war in american history continues. at a minimum, we owe the thousands of u.s. service men and women who will be called upon to serve for years to come in afghanistan a vote, and we owe it to their families and we owe it to the american people. congressman walter jones and adam smith and i have an amendment pending before the rules committee that will call for such a vote, and i hope the rules committee makes it in order so that one of the most important matters facing the american people can be debated and voted on. last year, 305 members of this house voted in support of an amendment that we three offered calling for just such a vote on any post-2014 deployment of u.s. troops in afghanistan.

if that vote is to have any meaning whatsoever, those same members and this house must support the mcgovern-jones-smith amendment once again this year. and this brings me to the verseas contingsy -- contingency operations account for fiscal year 2015. now, the last time i looked, the war in afghanistan -- the war in iraq was over. the war in afghanistan is winding down with nearly all our troops heading home by the end of the year, and only a much smaller residual force for training operations and some special operations might remained deployed in afghanistan, depending what the president asks for. but the o.c.o. funds don't ever seem to go down. $5 million s just less than the current fiscal year. it certainly doesn't reflect the change circumstances on the ground in afghanistan. where is all the money going?

february 28 pentagon report concludes that the united states government and its money, quote, created an environment that fostered corruption, end quote, in afghanistan. maybe there are some lessons we need to learn here. many assert that the o.c.o. account is nothing more than a slush fund for the pentagon. if we want to save some money, one of the first places we should look is getting rid of the o.c.o., putting everything back into the pentagon base budget and then taking a long and clear-eyed look at where spending needs to be reduced. madam speaker, there are many other problems with h.r. 4435. it continues to place restrictions on the transfer of inmates at guantanamo. it undermines our nuclear security cooperation with russia. it attempts to derail the multiparty negotiations with iran, and it coddles the nuclear weapons budget. foolish choices, wasteful spending and wars without end. i urge my colleagues to vote to

change course, to end the war -- to end the war in afghanistan, to cut the nuclear arsenal, face reality and make the tough choices and overall defense spending and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts reserves his time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. woodall: madam speaker, at this time it's my great pleasure to yield five minutes to a member of both the rules committee and the armed services committee, the gentleman from florida, mr. nugent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for five minutes. mr. nugent: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank my friend, mr. woodall. you know -- my apology. i want to thank my friend, mr. woodall. we came in to this congress together a couple years back and have had a great opportunity to serve with him on the rules committee and being placed on armed services last year was a great opportunity for me to be in the process of crafting how our military establishment moves forward. madam speaker, in addition to

providing an open rule for commerce, >>, science and related agencies appropriations act, house resolution 585 provides for one hour general debate on this year's national defense authorization act. it also makes in order many -- first of many amendmentes that will come forward in this next debate over the next couple of days. because the rules committee traditionally does two rules, one for the underlying legislation and the second for going ndments, which i'm to bring forward tomorrow. as we've heard, we've had hundreds, over 300 amendments come forward on the ndaa this year. my understanding is that's a record. 200.ally it's around this year it's over 300. so we're going to have the opportunity to hear arguments on both sides why an amendment should pass or why an amendment should fail. and that's a good thing. that's what this body is designed to do, to have a

dialogue and discussion back and forth about the merits of a particular issue. now, i have three sons that currently serve this nation. some in the national guard. a couple in active duty army. and so when we craft an ndaa, it is extremely important to me to make sure our men and women have all the resources they need if they are called to go into harm's way. it's not their call to go, it's the president's call, the commander in chief's call as to whether or not our service men and women go off to fight. you know, mr. woodall mentioned earlier about all the partisanship in this place, the ndaa, when it passed through committee, had over 100 amendments within committee that passed were attached to the ndaa. amendments from both sides of the aisle, democrat and republican alike, because there was great discussion within the committee about those amendments. some didn't pass but the vast

majority, over 100, did pass and you see in the body of the national defense authorization act today. the national defense authorization act has passed 52 times. 52 consecutive times, and we're hoping this is the 53rd onsecutive time it passes. i don't think i've heard that number before in other committees. while there is disagreements on work in the ould ndaa, disagreements about priorities and how things should be moved around and where money should be spent, at the end of the day we came together as democrats and republicans and put forward a piece of legislation that we can be proud of that was actually named after the chairman of the house armed services committee, chairman

buck mckeon. madam, i had the opportunity to help craft the ndaa. i believe that it is a good step in the right direction. we heard a lot of things about sequestration in the coming years. a year. and we need to be cognizant of what that will do to our military, our readiness and our ability to meet demands this country could call upon our military to meet. this legislation takes care of 1%, that 1% of americans that stepped forward and raised their hand and said, if you need me i'm there. if you need me to fight your fight, i'm there. that's why this legislation is so important. it protects the members of our military, the 1% of america --

americans that stand up and say i'm there to protect you, and that's why this legislation is so important. the benefit is we have a strong, well-run military, that we have a military that's trained and equipped for the battles to come, and i will tell you we have not done a very good job of figuring out what our next battle will be. as a matter of fact, we've had members of the military flag officers, high-ranking folks that have been involved in the military for 30-plus years and said we've never gotten it right once. not one time have we gotten it right in regard to what our future conflicts are going to look like. so i would suggest to you that we need to make sure that we're on top of it now. and i -- mr. woodall: madam speaker, mr. nugent is the expert on this

and so i yield him three additional minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. nugent: i don't know if i'm the expert but i have the heart, i have the heart to make sure that america is right. it's the constitutional responsibility that this body makes sure that we have a strong defense for our homeland . it is a huge responsibility and the not one that's taken lightly. as you see in the vote that was taken in house armed services committee 61-0, it's one that's shared by all members. we've seen the threats, and unfortunately not everybody knows what the threats are. but if you look at and read the news, whether it's russia today , resurging its influence within europe, whether whether it's china. , ether it's iran, north korea there are so many players out

there that have ill intentions to this, our people, to this ation. we have africa, the continent that has seen a huge increase in violence that's associated with al qaeda. we have threats around this world, those that would say this world is safer than it was before, i would suggest to you it's not. so anything that i can do to lend credence to our military fighting force, to make sure that we have the strongest, equipped, d,ers -- best trained force. what gave solace when our son was deployed to afghanistan, gave us solace when our two sons were deployed to iraq that we knew they were the best fighting force out there, that

gave them the greatest opportunity to come home safe to us. last night in the rules committee we had a young man, double amputee, who is a proud, proud member of the 82nd irborne fourth combat brigade, specialist leroy was in our midst last night as we talked about the ndaa in the rules committee. if there was a more powerful statement than that is that young man sitting right in front of me looking at us to make sure that we provide for them. for that 1% i talked about earlier. that's what makes this all worthwhile, in my estimation. that we do the right thing. with that, madam speaker, i reserve -- yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from

texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized for two minutes. thank the lee: i gentleman from massachusetts for his leadership and as well the manager, distinguished gentleman from georgia. both distinguished members of the rules committee. this is always a tough bill because many of us are aware of the extensive amendment process that occurred during the markup. let me speak to one or two points that i think are very important. our men and women in the united states military deserve our keenest support. this is, in fact, military appreciation month, and we want them to know that we truly appreciate them. we also know that they are fact-finders and they are sometimes the frontline support on behalf of the united states without weapons to be helpful to countries that are in need. i'm introducing an amendment

co-sponsored by congresswoman wilson, congresswoman barbara e to ask for a report on the boko bokeo had a ram -- haram with respect to the girls that have been kidnapped and as well report to the extent of the crimes against humanity, against -- with respect to boko haram. the ambassadors mentioned this is a regional issue. we also introduced an amendment to make sure that the contractors that are utilized for intelligence gathering have oversight to avoid some of the catastrophes that we saw in the recent years of contractors not appropriately, for some, handling important information that they had. and doing this through contractors. as we support our military, every day we see soldiers

coming home from places far away and the need for posttraumatic stress disorder. and my amendment as i have done asked for an increase in $5 million to be able to help those individuals and it's not throwing any money after good, it is recognizing that these symptoms and psychological problems may cause difficulty in providing he he patient communication and they may pear later in time -- in providing patient communication, and they may appear later in time -- and that mostly at the time that these individuals will come home. so i think it is important that we have the opportunity for diagnosing at a later period of time. these numbers are going to grow. there are over 200,000 veterans of military service who live and work in houston. more than 13,000 are veterans of operation enduring freedom. we must stand with the repair of the veterans administration health system.

i know that it tracks this bill, but it is not this bill per se. we want to support our troops. and then i want to make sure that we heighten, again, the iran negotiations and that we have no gap in the time that iran is to report on what they are doing to not have war nuclear weapons as opposed to civilian youth. let us also get re-engaged in the -- the discussions on the palestinian peace, discussions with the -- discussions going forward with israel and palestine and despite there are very difficult things we have to overcome. i believe it is important that we stand ready and are ready. that our negotiations are going forward to secure this nation. finally, madam speaker, i just indicate that we hope to keep at ellington field, keep our helicopter units in texas. we hope that the legislation provides that opportunity without closing out the national guard, without a further review. i think that is extremely

important. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. woodall: madam speaker, i would advise you and my friend from massachusetts i do not have any further speakers remaining. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield myself the remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, as i indicated at the beginning of this debate, we have no objection to this rule. we are glad that the 2015 commerce, justice, science appropriations bill is coming to the floor under an open rule. we have no problem with moving ahead on general debate or the amendments made in order on the department of defense authorization bill. rule.support this it is my hope, as i said earlier, that when the next rule in he defense bill comes to the floor that it will allow for there to be debate on a number of the important issues

that members of this house feel deserve that debate. i have nothing but the highest regard for all those who serve on the house armed services committee, but i have to say that this bill is too big. it is too big. and we have not done a very good job, i don't believe, in this congress of getting rid of the bloat and the waste and the duplication within the pentagon budget. for some reason that we have members that think that the way you show that you're tough in terms of the defense of our country is by supporting bills that add more and more and more money to the pentagon's budget. the bottom line is the strong defense doesn't mean wasteful defense. it doesn't mean weapons systems that are obsolete or that are not practical or needed anymore. it doesn't mean a bloated bureaucracy. and again as i said earlier

this bill fails to make any of the tough choices. i want to make sure our troops get all the equipment and all the support that they need. i want to make sure that we are prepared for anything that might come at us in the future. but wasteful defense spending doesn't help us. at all. and so there are some significant problems with the underlying bill. n addition to being too big, this bill also fails to cut our nuclear arsenal. we are spending billions and billions and billions of dollars maintaining an arsenal way bigger than anybody believes we need to. but we don't deal with that issue. this bill continues to place restrictions on the transfer of inmates from guantanamo. which is problematic. again this bill fails to face reality and make any of the tough choices in terms of overall defense spending.

again i will appeal to my colleagues in the rules committee to please make sure that we have the opportunity to debate the issue of afghanistan on this floor. we are at war. and we very rarely discuss it in this chamber. to those who say, well, it's up to the president to decide whether we stay or go, i will remind my colleagues that we have a role in that, too. our indifference and our silence over the last several years means we are complicit in this war continuing. the longest war in the history of our country. as i said i will offer an amendment along with mr. jones of north carolina and mr. smith, the ranking member of the armed services committee, to make it clear that if the president wants to continue the employment of u.s. forces beyond 2015 -- 2014, which was his stated policy last year,

then we ought to vote on it. we ought to vote on it. if you believe we should stay longer, you can vote yes. if you believe that enough is enough, then you can vote no. but after all this time, after all this time we have an obligation in this congress to speak out and speak out and make sure that our constituents know what we are doing. we cannot allow this war to go on forever on autopilot. we have a responsibility here. and i have heard the arguments from my friends who want to stay. they have compelling arguments. make them on the house floor and after the next congress decide whether or not we should continue the war there. i close with this. when people say to me that there's no place to cut in the pentagon's budget, i would urge them to talk to some of the men and women who serve in our armed forces, or some of the men and women who serve in the pentagon who over the years i have met with who talk freely of places where we can talk.

without sacrificing any of our national security. places we could cut, quite frankly, that will enhance our security. because they believe that wasteful defense spending is -- has no place in our budget. especially during these tough fiscal times. i also believe we talk about national defense, it also means the quality of life in our country. whether or not people have a job, whether or not people have adequate health care. whether or not people have access to good education. whether or not we end hunger and poverty in our country. all those things matter as well. so again, i urge my colleagues to support the rule because, quite frankly, there is no reason to oppose it. and i would urge my friends on the rules committee to please be generous in offering -- and allowing members to offer many amendments on this bill. this is an important bill. not just for people on the armed services committee but for all members.

with that, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. woodall: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. woodall: it would be easy to close the debate just by reminding my colleagues that the gentleman from massachusetts plans to support this rule. that is reason enough when we can find agreement in the rules committee on moving forward, but i hate to stop it there just because it's worth celebrating. it is absolutely worth celebrating. the gentleman from massachusetts is absolutely certain we are spending too much on the department of defense. i'm absolutely certain we are spending too little. the gentleman from massachusetts is absolutely certain waste has no place in the department of defense. i, too, am absolutely certain waste has no place in the department of defense. just because this bill came out of the armed services committee 1-0, does not mean he we don't have differences in this chamber, we do. but this rule provides us an opportunity to debate those differences. and then provides an

opportunity for the members of this body to have their will done. whether you are talking about the national defense authorization act, whether you are talking about the commerce, justice, science appropriations bill, these bills did not come down from on high dictated by speaker, dictated by a minority leader. these bills were both crafted by the membership of this body, and this rule allows them to be perfected by the membership of this body should it pass this afternoon. i urge all of my colleagues to support this rule. i yield back the balance of my time. i move the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. wowed, the previous question is ordered. the question is on the adoption of the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the resolution is agreed to. and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered, or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3530, the justice for

victims of trafficking act of 2013, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3530, a bill to provide justice for the victims f trafficking. to amend title 18, united states code, to provide a penalty for knowingly selling advertising that offers certain commercial sex acts the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3530, the justice for victims of trafficking act of 2013, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3530, a bill to provide justice for the victims of trafficking. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and mr. scott, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 3530, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: we are here on the floor today to talk about minor sex trafficking, or to put it more accurately, the rape of children by adults for profit. more importantly, though, we are here today for the victims, the survivors of this terrible crime. ese include ms. ortiz walker

pedigrew who testified before the crimes subcommittee after being failed by the foster care system, and ms. elizabeth corey, who recently graduated from virginia commonwealth university despite being prostituted by her family, starting as young as 8 years old. and the dozens of other victims of this heinous crime who have been identified in just virginia alone in recent years as well as the many other victims and survivors that exist in all of our states. the sale of children for sex sounds like something that could only happen in faraway places, but sadly it is happening right here in the united states every single day. according to the f.b.i., sex trafficking is the fastest growing business of organized crime, and the third largest criminal enterprise in the world. criminal organizations,

including some of the most violent criminal street gangs like ms-13, have realized that selling children is oftentimes more profitable than selling drugs. this is because drugs can only be sold once, but minor children can be and are prostituted multiple times a day. and sadly, the demand for commercial sex with children appears to be growing. traditionally called johns, those who purchase sex with minors are the ones driving this illicit market. there is no single profile of a buyer of commercial sex with a minor. some may engage in sex with minors unknowingly, but many other seek out children or decide to turn a blind eye to it. one young victim, tammy, tried to escape her pimp by telling every man who purchased her that she was only 15 and needed to be taken to the police. but none of them did.

it is time to send a clear message that this must stop. the bill under consideration today, the justice for victims of trafficking act, is an important first step to make sure that the traffickers and purchasers who stole tammy's childhood are brought to justice. this legislation provides additional resources to law enforcement and service providers through a victims center grant program, helps to facilitate investigations by providing that minors sex trafficking and other similar crimes are predicate offenses for state wiretap applications, addresses the demand side of this crime by clarifying it is a federal crime to solicit or patronize child prostitutes or those forced into prostitution. re-authorizes the funding stream for child advocacy centers which are often the first line of service providers for the victims of this and other crimes and strengthens the existing federal criminal

laws against trafficking through a number of clarifying amendments. h.r. 3530 was introduced by judiciary committee member and former judge ted poe, who is a passionate voice for these young victims and others in need. i strongly commend him for his leadership on this issue. i also commend mr. franks for his amendment to this bill that helps to strengthen the rights of victims in the criminal justice process, including the victims of sex trafficking. the bill was reported by the judiciary committee by a voice vote and enjoys over 100 bipartisan co-sponsors. i urge my colleagues to stand with me today to say our children are not for sale and to support this important bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: madam chairman, coming together at the end of sexual assault awareness month

to address sexual assault in the most harrowing concept, the rape of a child. h.r. 3530, the justice for victims of trafficking act, is an important step in combating this crisis of child -- of child sex trafficking in our country and helping survivors begin their lives anew. victims of child sex trafficking suffers the most trauma imaginable. as a result, they need services to assist their recovery. but funding for comprehensive care for the survivors is lacking. for example, only 20 beds exist for more than 2,200 children trafficked annually in new york city. this bill is the step in the right direction, providing $5 million in grants for the comprehensive services for victims of trafficking need and creating an administrative barrier that keeps it to

foreign victims. federal courts have interpreted the existing statute to cover acts of patronizing and soliciting, therefore, the addition of these terms in this bill is a mere clarification. individuals who patronize and solicit already have been held criminally liable in the language in the existing law. specifically under criminalizing those who obtain the services in the original section 1591. victims for justice for victims of trafficking act will help the law enforcement to train and investigate and prosecute more cases which will send the message that a rape of a child can be punished by local, state and federal officials. child rapists will find refuge in no jurisdiction. this bill will aid in the coordination of investigations among federal, state and local law enforcement and enhance reporting data for missing children. human trafficking is the second

fastest growing criminal industry in the world, generating over $32 billion annually, and h.r. 3530 is the most comprehensive piece of legislation that deals with this issue in years. i want to commend our colleague, the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for introducing the legislation, and want to commend him and our full committee for working together across the aisle to reach compromise on the spending and foreign impacts of this legislation to streamline this passage. accordingly, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3530. i yield back -- i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, it's now my pleasure to yield five minutes to the chief sponsor of this legislation and a member of the judiciary committee, the gentleman from texas, mr. poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. poe: i thank the chairman of the judiciary committee for yielding time and also for his

support and work on this legislation and the ranking member as well and also i want to thank my friend across the aisle, carolyn maloney from new york for being the chief regs on the is democrat side. madam speaker, cheryl briggs is one of many american children that got caught in the slave trade. when she was 12 years old -- of age, she ran away from home because she was being assaulted by her father. not long after that, she was picked up as a hitchhiker by a trucker and then soon after that she was put in the slave trade where she was forced to have sex with men several times a day. she also had to be at a strip club during the daytime. sold at night, also was forced

to do that work in the daytime. she was able to escape that trafficker because of really a patron at one of the clubs figured out she was a mere child and called the police. sex trafficking of-minutor children happens all over the world -- of minor children happens all over the world. i went to a shelter in peru. i met several girls. one of them was named lily. age of 10 years of age. madam speaker, she was 10, and she was sold by her mother for a cell phone to a sex trafficker. lily gave me a bracelet when i was there and she asked me to remember her and the other girls who were at this rescue shelter. madam speaker, as the chairman pointed out, ranking member, in the united states there's not much help for minor sex trafficked victims. there are approximately 300 beds or less in the whole country for victims of sex trafficking that are children.

compare that to the animal shelter, we have over 3,000 animal shelters. america needs to do better, and this bill will help america do better. and so we can proclaim not only to the traffickers and those that demand this for money but the victims of crime, the children just aren't for sale. they're not for sale here in america and they're not for sale anywhere because they're children, the greatest resource any nation has is our children, no matter if they're runaways, stowaways, they're not for sale. so this enforces the law against the trafficker, the slave trader that buys and sells these children, make sure they go to the penitentiary, the law is pretty clear. on the other hand, it treats these victims of crime victims of crime. they are not criminals. they are not child prostitutes. there's no such thing as a child prostitute. children cannot consent to sex. they are raped victims.

and the society and the law is going to start treating them that way and rescuing them and giving resources to children assessment centers, to the police to recognize these children that have been captured and stolen -- their youth stolen and they are in the slave trade. but most importantly, this bill goes after the demand, those people in this country who buy these children for sex. the day of boys being boys are over in this country, because those people in the middle -- and they are not johns. they are child rapists. they are going to be held accountable for their actions against these girls. and the law is clear. the law will prosecute those individuals. if they can go to the same penitentiary as the traffickers for stealing the soul, the youth of america's greatest resource, our children. and i'm glad to see this bill has so much bipartisan support, that it came out of judiciary committee unanimously.

it's one of several bills that are coming to the house floor today to proclaim to the country and to victims of crime and to criminals that the days of the slave trade are going to end in the united states. and that's just the way it is. i yield back my time to the chair. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you. madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from new york, lead co-sponsor on the legislation who has introduced many bills on this issue and really has been a fighter for those who have been trafficked, the gentlelady from new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for three minutes. mrs. maloney: i want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for his extraordinary work on this issue and so many others, and i really rise in very strong support of congressman poe's work and his bill. human trafficking comes in many different forms, and all of them are awful.

the most recent twist comes from the tragedy in nigeria. young girls kidnapped and terrorized, sold like objects into a lifetime of forcible rape. they say they are selling them into marriage. nothing could be farther from the truth. they're being sold into human bondage and into rape. and there is no crime on earth more appalling, no offense as terrible, no act of deprivate as harmful to the community -- deprivity as harmful to the community and certainly the individuals affected. i want to express my gratitude to congressman ted poe for his outstanding work on this issue. he has been an incredible partner. his groundbreaking work on sex trafficking is informed by his experience as a judge and as a

prosecutor where he witnessed firsthand the tragic toll of human trafficking, coming face-to-face with both the victims and the perpetrators of this terrible crime and knowing from his experience what it is we need to do to help law nforcement get convictions. heist been unwavering in his efforts to pass the victim for victim -- justice for victims of trafficking act. i applaud him for that trafficking is one of the most profitable crimes, preceded only by selling illegal drugs and selling of illegal weapons. but unlike drug os or weapons, which can only be sold once, the human body can be sold again and again and again until they die. the bill before us is crucial to helping the survivors of human

trafficking, like sandra, who put their lives back together again. she's supposed to be in the chamber with us today. she was with us in meetings earlier today. and i want to thank her for her courage in coming forward. the justice for victims of trafficking act will help ensure that other survivors do not find themselves in similar circumstances like sandra. she was educated, a former manager in a bank she came to the united states to become a manager at a hotel, she was immediately swiped, her passport taken and thrown into a dungeon of trafficking where she lived until she escaped. and when she escaped there was no resources to help her. this bill will change this. with grants to states and localities to help them and to put the focus on the demand side to cut down on the demand for trafficking and the selling of our children. no child should be for sale in america and this bill will help give law enforcement the tools

to win convictions. my time is up, i thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and i urge a unanimous support for this important bill. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. >> madam speaker, it's my pleasure to yield one minute to the gentleman from pennsylvania, marino. mr. marino: i was the drern for the u.s. district of pennsylvania for several years. my staff and i prosecuted a prosecution ring. there were several defendants, all were defended, all con firmed on appeal. the victims were children from their teens to low teens. they were kidnapped, tortured and raped multiple times. wiretaps revealed that the defendants, the pimps were on the telephone complaining that their hands hurt so much from

beating the girls into doing what the girls did not want to do. the sentences of the defendants were lengthy, in fact, twhoich ringleaders who went by the name of william sleazy t william, the name is appropriate, received 45 years in prison. this legislation must be passed and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from virginia. >> thank you, madam speaker, i yield four minutes to the gentlelady from texas a former judge and hard worker on this issue. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for our minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank my friend and colleague on the judiciary committee and for managing this bill and acknowledge ranking member conyers and chairman goodlatte for the expeditious way in which we have moved forward on crucial billsism also thank both my friends, my colleague, former

judge ted poe from texas and as well, my colleague, carolyn maloney from new york, for their asuit -- astute collaborative work which is so very important for what we are trying to do here today. let me lay the groundwork for all that's been done and that is that we want to stamp out human slavery that has been an epidemic and plague and cancer on this country and certainly around the world. i'm glad my friend mentioned the tragedy in nigeria, being in meetings on this issue today, it is obviously an epidemic and one that emphasizes a very special point and that is young girls under age cannot consent to marriage, they cannot consent to be kidnapped or to be associated with someone that is going to do them harm on the basis that they're married. they're enslaved. they're being trafficked. they're being threatened unto

their lives. and therefore it is crucial for us to acknowledge what it is. boko haram is clearly a dastardly exarmle of -- example of the tragic thugs that participate in human trafficking. they may be -- they may be that group in nigeria but we know dollar those here. on the day we had a homeland security field hearing, there was a massive finding of vims who had been trafficked, certainly it was a question of whether they'd been trafficked or were smuggled, but sometimes law enforcement says it meshes together. it says that one study estimates that over 290,000 american youth are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking. the national center for missing and exploited children reports that one of every seven children reported missing are victims of sex trafficking. i'm glad the committees will be working together and under this legislation initiated by mr. poe who does bring his experience as

a man who has seen thesevilles come and cry out for help, that there are certain elements of the bill that are very important that is the ability of sums in the crime victims fund for the testimony we heard in the homeland security field hearing in houston indicated that victims go unnoted sometimes in terms of getting help. glad to be able to have grants awarded to the establishment of specialized training programs for officers, first responders and health care firls to identify victims and the acts of child human trafficking. i thank mr. poe for working with me for additional training regarding visas. i'm also grateful we have a place of refuge for these individuals so that they are not the criminal, they are the victims. we are going to -- we are going a long way to embrace these victims to stand up and get those dastardly persons who would sex traffic, child traffic

and hold them in slavery. this is an important step going forward. i look forward to this body discussing our efforts going forward and more such bills coming to embrace those who need our help and to save lives. it's now lock overdue and i'm very grateful that the judiciary committee has take then step forward. congratulations to the sponsthoffers bill, and i'm delighted to be a co-sponsor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from missouri, ms. wagner, who's been a real lead for the combating sex trafficking and has legislation of her own which we'll consider late they are afternoon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. wagner: thank you, mr. chairman, and madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 3530, the justice for victims of trafficking act. h.r. 3530 is a comprehensive, multipronged approach to address the problem of human trafficking in the united states.

the sponsor -- sponsor of this legislation, congressman ted poe a friend, colleague and kindred spirit to me on the issue of human trafficking. as a former judge, congressman poe has drawn from his experian on the bench to craft a bill that would provide support and aid to victims of trafficking as well as training for law enforcement and other first responders. madam speaker, h.r. 3530 is one of the most comprehensive and inclusive human trafficking bill date.posed to h.r. 3530 provides grants to help state and local governments offer services to victims, in order to give the survivors of human trafficking the counseling they need after suffering through and surviving this brutal crime. perhaps most importantly, h.r. 3530 clarifies that buyers should be prosecuted along with pimps. mr. speaker, for -- madam speaker, for too long those who

patronize child prostitutes have been overlooked. h.r. 3530 encourages law enforcement to target and punish persons who purchase ill list sexual activities from trafficking victims not as petty criminals but as serious offenders. the serious offenders they are. for these reasons and others, madam speaker, i support h.r. 3530, the justice for victims of trafficking act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. . condition yers: i yield -- >> i yield to the gentlelady from california two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. >> i rise in strong support of the justice for victims of trafficking act. i'm a proud co-sponsor of this bill because i know it will play a vital role in our fight against child trafficking. first i'd like to commend judge poe for offering the bill and for his ongoing commitment to end child trafficking and

fighting for victim rights. i'd also like to commend chairman goodlatte, the ranking member and representative maloney for their long work on this issue and in the case of representative maloney has worked on this issue for many, many years. ms. bass: unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of american children are trafficked each year. our kids are robbed of their innocence and coerced into a life of on the streets where they are repeatedly abused. the justice for victims trafficking act will provide much needed grants to help provide necessary services to prevent exploitation and rebuild the lives of trafficking survivors. specifically the grants will be used to establish a variety of new programs such as education, housing, job training, and placement for survivors. victim services programs such as a 24 hour emergency social response systems and counseling. specialized training programs for law enforcement officers, first responders, health care officials, and child welfare officials.

innovative and specialized courts with wraparound services like the star court in los angeles county which specifically focuses on girls and boys who are trafficked will also be eligible for the grant funding. by reinvigorating the crime victims fund, this bill also helps survivors recover from their trauma and develop normal productive lives. furthermore, the bill tackles demand by holding the buyers accountable for their actions. no longer will the perpetrators get away without a serious punishment to fit their crime. i personally refuse to call them johns, a term which provides cover. instead they are child abusers who are committing rape. this bill will help to ensure their charges reflect the horrific nature of child trafficking. lastly, this bill will help protect our foster kids. it requires states to notify the national center for missing and exploited children about -- >> i yield the gentlelady 30

seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. bass: it requires states to notify the national center for missing and exploited children about kids missing from foster care. this is important because foster children disappear into the shadows and no one tries to find them. once these kids fall off the radar, they often become trafficking victims so making sure we're looking out for these kids is critical to protecting them from trafficking. we have to be vigilant and we have to give these kids the care and attention they deserve. madam speaker, i'm a proud co-sponsor of the justice for victims of trafficking act and i urge my colleagues to support it and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. hultgren. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. many hultgren: i want to thank chairman goodlatte, i want to thank judge poe for your important work and so many others coming together here. i rise in support of the justice for victims of trafficking act,

h. reform 33 -- 3530 and commend my colleague, representative ted poe, for introducing this legislation. i'm a proud co-sponsor of the justice for victims of trafficking act because it represents an all-encompassing approach to combating the scourge of human trafficking. it amends the federal criminal code impose penalties for crimes involving trafficking and preemptively provides for deterrents by reallocating existing grants for victim support and it affords additional enforcement and prosecution mechanisms for thoferts fighting against traffickers. nearly 150 years ago, congress ratted any 13th amendment, setting in stone these timeless words, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the united states or any place subject to their jurisdiction. today, human trafficking is modern day slavery. it is a global crisis that victimizes an estimated over 20 million children and women

worldwide. yet global doesn't just mean overseas. human trafficking remains prevalent here in the united states in our cities and communities. our country is the second highest destination for women trafficked worldwide, an estimated 100,000 children are trafficked here every year. in my home state of illinois, the national human trafficking center estimates that 25,000 women and girls are exploited by sex trafficking every single year. this number continues to grow. as a member of the congressional human trafficking task force, we are working to coordinate the efforts of the congressional leadership and international anti-trafficking groups to punish perpetrators, rescue, and bring hope to victims and assist nations in their fight against the global epidemic of trafficing in human beings. human trafficking targets the most vulnerable in society, the justice for victims of trafficking act prere-flects a comprehensive effort to strengthen opposition against

culprits and offer hope to victims. i support this bill and urge its passage and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. nolan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. nolan: madam speaker, i rise in support of the justice for victims of trafficking act and also as a proud original co-sponsor of the legislation. i want to join the chorus of people here in their praise for judge poe and for congresswoman maloney. for the tremendous work they have done over a number of years bringing this important legislation forward and for congressman goodlatte and for congressman scott likewise for bringing this forward. it is so troubling to know there are 300,000-some children

that are being sold in the sex trafficking in this country and there are only some 300 beds for them, when attempts are made to rescue, as judge poe just pointed out. these children aren't in some foreign country. they're right here in our own back yards. these are our own children. we can do so much better, and our national law enforcement officials are fighting this terrible scourge, there are many organizations like men against trafficking in duluth, minnesota, in my own congressional district who are out there providing safe harbor services for girls and boys that are rescued from this terrible scourge. but this legislation represents the fact the congress recognizes that we can be of insistence in fighting this terrible scourge, and we do so

with this act. again, which i am a proud co-sponsor, but i'm so proud what judge poe and carolyn maloney have done on this. what the bill does is says these children are the victims, they are not the criminals as they have so often been treated in our society. they are the victims of child abuse. they're the victims of rape and violence and unmentionable crimes and terrible, terrible things, and they're entitled to the protection, the medical services, the counseling, all that we can provide. mr. chairman, may i ask for 10 ore seconds? mr. scott: i yield to the gentleman another minute. mr. nolan: this has a trafficked victims funds put on the backs of the real criminals on this, the johns, the rapists, the murderers. mr. speaker, my colleagues, i strongly urge passage of this

bill. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, it's now my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman rom indiana, congresswoman with a lors key. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. mrs. walorski: i speak on the importance of combating human trafficking and i'm grateful that the congress is bringing five anti-trafficking to the floor today. human trafficking, which includes labor and sex trafficking, is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. trafficking may seem like an international problem, but there are 300,000 children at risk for trafficking here in the u.s. the state of indiana performed an anti-trafficking task force that involves both public and private groups. this task force, called ipath, have investigated more than 200 cases in indiana and continues to rescue children and adults servitude and commercial sex trafficking. great work is being done in the hoosier state, but

anti-trafficking advocates agree that much more is needed. that's why i'm proud to co-sponsor the justice for victims of trafficking act and proud to support the bills being voted on today. this bill will provide law enforcement with necessary tools to address the problem of trafficking by helping tackle the demand issue itself and improve services for survivors. it also protects foster children by requiring that the national center for missing and exploited children be notified when children are missing from foster homes or childcare institutions. madam speaker, protecting people trapped in trafficking situations is not a partisan or political issue. it's not an issue that only happens overseas. it happens on american soil and it happens every day all across this country. we must work together to fight this issue, to be the voice for those who are literally trapped and to bring an end to this terrible crime. i urge my colleagues to support the anti-trafficking bills on the floor today, and i yield

back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back and i'd advise the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, that he has 6 1/4 minutes remaining. the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, has six minutes remaining. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserve. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, it's now my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. pittinger. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for two minutes. , . pittinger: thank you gentlelady for yielding me time. i want to rise in support for the justice for victims of rafficking act an many maria was we are -- trapped when she answered an ad for an aspiring actress. rosa was snapped from a local gas station while waiting for a ride. an tonia dreamed of having a bakery before falling to human

trafficking. these women rbt statistics. they are individuals whom i know from charlotte, ordinary women. someone's daughter, someone's granddaughter. yet, at a very young age they were forced into modern day slavery. according to the department of homeland security, trafficking is a $32 billion a year industry, and the average age introduced in the commercial sex trade is 12 years old. madam speaker, this is one of the most heinous of crimes. as members of congress, we must protect the most vulnerable in owe site from this horrific exploitation. increased awareness and education is a critical first stepping in breaking the cycle of exploitation here in the united states and around the world. today, we have the opportunity to take legislative action, voting on five bills which will help people like antonia, maria and rosa. today we can vote to enhance victim assistance programs, give law enforcement better tools to catch the scum who we

call traffickers and facilitators and fix some of the loopholes exploited by traffickers. thank you to mr. goodlatte, judge poe, to mrs. maloney, to susan brooks, to many others who were involved in this very important effort. thank you to the majority leader for his involvement, to all the members of the trafficking task force, and thank you to each member who will support this very important cause. thank you to antonia childs of charlotte who has dedicated her life in helping other women escape from modern day slavery. maria and rosa wouldn't be free today without you. i urge my colleagues today to support anti-trafficking legislation before us today. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, i continue to yield. the speaker pro tempore: continue to reserve? mr. scott: continue to reserve, yes, ma'am. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, we have no further speakers, except for myself.

we're prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: and urge members to support h.r. 3530 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, this is a great bipartisan bill dealing with a serious tragedy in this country, and i urge my colleagues to join together and support this very, very strongly and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3530, as amended. those in favor say aye. and those opposed say no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: on that i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. goodlatte: the gentleman asks for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3610, the stop exploitation through trafficking act of 2014, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: and the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 330, h.r. 3610, a bill to stop exploitation through trafficking. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, will each control 20 minutes, and the chair now recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 3610, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. goode god madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume -- mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: there is no vulnerable segment of this 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 f.b.i. 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 statute 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 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 support on sex offender convictions and clarifies the authority of the u.s. marshall service to provide -- u.s. marshal service to provide service in the cases. the hearing entitled "innocence for sale-domestic minors sex trafficking" if which we

examined the effects of sex trafficking under these circumstances. ms. ortiz walker pedigrew testified over her repeated tralmtyization over her trafficker and the criminal justice system. quote, 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 that i endured from my pimp, end quote. the revictimization of minors engaged in commercial sex trafficking by a criminal justice system 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 co-sponsors. additionally, i would like to acknowledge chairman kline from the education and the work force 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 supporting, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: madam speaker, the stop exploitation through trafficking act of 2014 is another weapon in the bipartisan war against sex trafficking in this country. i commend my colleagues, representative paulsen, 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 in making sure that child victims of sex trafficking are not treated as prostitutes and criminalized but rather 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's 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 victims. those adults who sexually exploit them should be not called johns but instead what they truly are, child rapists. we should punish those who prey on the vulnerable and we cannot continue to criminalize the victims. h.r. 3610 empowers victims with a national hotline to request help and empowers them with restitution grants and

eligibility for job corps programs. the bill also leads to an annual report by the department of justice. 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 and the focus on investigative and prosecutorial efforts. it will ensure that victims of sex trafficking are treated as victims across all geographical and jurisdictional boundaries and so, madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 3610. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: it's my pleasure to yield four minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, the chief sponsor of this legislation, congressman paulsen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. paulsen: 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 trafficing or sex trafficking only happens outside the united states. the truth is, it's happening right here in our own communities and right in our own back yards. recently i had the opportunity to talk to a girl name dead anna. she tells me the story, she's the oldest in a family of a single mother with brothers and sisters and her mother had no interest in caring, giving her love and attention or her siblings. deanna is looking for love and attention, she's seduced by a man who promises to respect her and treat her the way she deserves he called himself her boyfriend. at age 13, within days of running away, she finds herself in philadelphia, chicago, being trafficked and separated from her family. sadly this is happening to too many young girls in america. used to the word girls for a reason. the majority of the victims aren't old enough to have

graduated from high school. they're not even old enough to have passed their drivers test. we're talking about 12, 13rks and 14-year-old girls. those most at risk of victimization are the vulnerable. they're lured under the false promise of better lives and forced into prostitution. these girls are victims and they should be treated as victims so that they come out of the shadows because right now they fear coming out of the shadows because they view their trafficker 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 incourse rated rather than treated as a 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 get the services they need, get the counseling they immediate. that's what the stop exploitation through trafficking act does, it incentivizes states that adopt safe harbor law that was worked in other states. this is not only the right thing to do to help these girl bus in -- but many in law enforcement

will tell you treating them as victims makes them more likely to act as witnesses, resulting in longer sentences for the bad guys. there's agreement here, this is a bipartisan and bicameral agreement. i want to thank ms. gwen moore for her work on this legislation, i want to thank louise slaughter for her work on other legislation. i want to commend all the members that are working on these five bills that we'll be voting on later today. most importantly, i want to thank law enforcement and victims' advocates who worked with us to share their thoughts, share their expertise. this isn't a problem that's going to be intoifed one group working alone. it's 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, the national alliance to end sexual violence and the national center for exploited children. madam speaker, i'd like to enter for the record several letters of enforcement -- endorsement

for this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. paulsen: this is an opportunity to save lives and give hope to thes of sex trafficking victims in america. there's more work to be done and working together we can put an end to sex trafficking. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from wisconsin, one of the chief sponsthoferse legislation, ms. moore. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wisconsin is recognized for three mins. ms. moore: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from virginia. i rise today in support of h.r. 3610, the stop exploitation through trafficking act. before i say anything, i just want to thank congressman erik paulsen of minnesota who has been a tremendous, superb partner throughout the process of putting this legislation together. i want to thank the authors of all the other four bills that are going to be considered

today. this bill really incentivizes states to put safe harbor laws into place. that's the crux of this bill. but i can tell you that solving the problem of sexual exploitation of children is going to require a lasting commitment and bipartisan effort. it is going to be very, very, very difficult, colleagues, because this, as the f.b.i. has told us, is not just something but it'sens in nigeria happening right here in the united states. it's a 9.5 -- it's a $9.5 billion annual business activity that 100,000 kids a year are current -- are currently trafficked. another 1200,000 are at risk that a pimp can earn as much as dollars aof a million

year in this booming business. it's going to take all of us to stop this. the victims are mostly girls and on average, they're trafficked at age 13. i'm embarrassed and i regret to report that my own hometown of milwaukee, wisconsin, has become known as a sex trafficking hub for both children and adults. as a matter of fact, the f.b.i. reports that milwaukee has the second highest in the nation for recovered youth. but trafficking is now common in communities all across the country. not just urban but suburban, rural, from coast to coast. predators victimize vulnerable young people such as those that my colleague from california, congresswoman bass, will talk about in the foster care system. they prey upon those 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. happens on ouron treats as well as online. the traffickers are everywhere. and the consequences. social displacement. health issues. physical pain and disfigurement. infertility. ptsd, suicidal thoughts and attempts. 13-year-old children need support and not incourse ration. the stop exploitation through trafficking act would alter our laws and our thinking about this. that minors are treated like victims rather than perpetrators of crime. they need direction and support for programs like the job corps rather than prostitution. mr. scott: i yield the gentlelady an adecisional min. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. moore: this legislation also officialliest tablies a national human trafficking hotline to

help connect victims with the services that they need and allow others to pass along crime tips to law enforcement. this, 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 will yield back my time because others may want to speak but i'm so pleased to co-sponsor this legislation and i -- i would ask that all my colleagues support its passage. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: it's my pleasure to yield one minute to the majority lead eric mr. cantor, and thank him for his leadership on this series of bills dealing with this serious issue.

the speaker pro tempore: the distinguished majority leader is recognized. mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from virginia. i rise today in strong support of the bipartisan anti-human 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 schoolgirls had been kidnapped with the threat that they will 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, children, stolen from their homes, taken from their loving moms and dads, with very little chance of ever seing their families again. domestically, our own department of justice estimates that as many as 100 to 300,000 american children are enn 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 capture their exploiters and provide additional tools to prosecutors. we'll 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 along with other colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their commitment and efforts to push forward in this noble cause. i'd also like to thank, in addition to chairman goodlatte, chairman royce and camp for their work on the issue. so madam speaker, let's pass this important legislation with bipartisan strength and show our constituents and the rest of the world that america chooses to

lead this fight. i urge my colleagues to support today's bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from california, ms. bass. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. miss bass: 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 i'd like to recognize my colleagues, representative paulsen and moore, for their commitment to preventing the exploitation of children as the lead authors of this bill. in 2012, in my town, los angeles, 170 girls were arrested and detained by probation and 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 percentage of the girls are connected with to -- connected to the foster care system. these children, we are supposed to be pro-- these are children we are supposed to be protecting, these are children we have removed from their homes. far too often, instead of protecting these girls and finding them the right social services to get off the streets, our society continues to arrest them. they should never be charged with a crime since many are my no, sir and cannot legally consent to sex. and 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 nd turning their lives around, young adults routinely leave custody or probation with a criminal record, preventing them from starting careers. simply put, the system sets them

up for failure. to make matters worse, i've been told by leading judges in most states, a child must be arrested in order to obtain many social services. even in los angeles, where we have a model court and probation department, doing tremendous work to empower young survivors, we must arrest children before they receive intervention services. one can only imagine the emotional 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. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: it's now my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from missouri, ms. wagner. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from missouri for two minutes. ms. wagner: thank you, madam speaker, thank you mr. chairman, for the time. i rise in support of h.r. 3610, the stop exploitation through rafficking act. congressman paulsen authored this to encourage states to adopt laws to treat minors as victims, not criminals. madam speaker, there is no such thing as a child prostitute. minor participants and commercial sex act 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 traumadiization. he law should protect -- traumatization. the lawed should define these exploited children as victims of sexual 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 adopt safe harbor legislation, to make sure these children are treated as victims, not criminals and for them to go to support services, not detention facilities. thank you, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized for three minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the

gentleman very much. and let me rise in support of the stop exploiltation through trafficking act and thank mr. paulsen and co-sponsor for this legislation and really 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 being trafficked, young girls being abused, there is human slavery. i just want to give this example that i think is so much the story of what we're speaking of. 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 get jail time for statutory rape. if he left $80 on the table after having sex with her, she would likely be locked up for prostitution and he would be called home. called something a word i don't want to use because he's involved in human trafficking, sex trafficking. abuse and violation of a child that cannot give consent.

a hearing we held in houston, what we determined is those young girls are violated at that age, then they are destined in many instances for a life of prostitution and to be humanly trafficked, if i might say, and to be 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 service grants, for those states that pass safe harbor statutes for victims of minor sex trafficking. that is so very important to stamp out the scourge of minor sacks trafficking and to also -- sex trafficking and to improve on restitution orders, to give these girls back their lives because as we listen to kathryn griffin who now offers a refuge with a program called been there, done that, in

houston, texas, inside the harris county jail house to get these women and to turn their lives around. wouldn't it be more important if we established that these girls now are victims, they're being exploited and we must stop it now? we need to make sure we find the safe harbor and to be able to have the restitution orders. i also join my colleague in thanking him for the opportunity for job corps, turning 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 light and their future. let us rescue these girls as we want to rescue the girls in nigeria who are being held by the terrorist thugs, boko haram. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: squafment -- the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from exas mrks olson.

-- the gentleman from texas, mr. olson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. olson: i thank the chair and thank my friend from minnesota for bringing this important bill to the house floor. i live in fort bend county, texas. interstate 10 runs through the northern part of fort bend county. according to the department of justice, yoimbings -- i-10 in houston is the most trafficked jurisdiction in america, end quotes. in march, a sex trade ring was broken up in houston. 15 women from latin america were in a tiny house with 9 men wearing only their underwear and they were arrested. the women's trip to america, first one became the trip to

hell. and 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. he met a man at the local mall named greg. greg knew just what holly needed. , convinced her to run away to the car to a pimp of children. she was just 14. within hours she was being raped by a man ho said that she

looked like his granddaughter. holly escaped her captors by telling a police officer that she was a hooker so he would take 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's why passing this bill is so important. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from new york, one of the leaders on this issue, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york for two minutes. mrs. maloney: i rise in strong

support of representative paulsen's important bill, h.r. 3610, which should have passed long ago. it encourages states to provide safe harbor laws that treat trafficked minors as victims, which they are, and provides services and support, counseling and job training rather than leading them into incarceration. it's 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 on this area with the distinguished former member, deborah pryce, we were holding a hearing and listening to the stories of young women, how they were entrapped, stolen, aten, drugged into sex

slavery. and 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 afficker is a criminal john is a child abuser, a pimp is a -- is someone who should be behind bars. and 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's causing the problem, the demand side. this is a tremendously important bill, and we should put more traffickers where they

belong, behind bars. this change is long overdue and i look forward to passing this in the house and the senate and i urge a yes vote by -- and i thank the leadership by both houses. leader pelosi and cantor and all the authors and everyone who's worked on all these important bills. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker, it's my pleasure to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from indiana, mrs. brooks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from indiana for three minutes. mrs. brooks: thank you, 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 in a bipartisan basis to get the bills to this point. madam speaker, there's a silent epidemic affecting all of our communities across the country that often 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 and 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 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 a 12 and 13-year-old 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 this nationwide problem firsthand because when i was u.s. attorney from 2001 to 2007, we started in 2006 a task

force called ipath, the indiana protection of abused and trafficked humans, task force. it's still led by assistant u.s. attorney gail and debbie. it builds pom 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. and so i'm very proud to be a sponsor of this bill which does combat and bring together these holistic strategies. if my time as u.s. attorney i learned that 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, threaten them and threaten their fear of their family's safety. and so i'm pleased 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, and i am particularly pleased with the human trafficking hotline where victims and witnesses -- and we got to educate citizens in our communities to know what they are seeing, that they can report these crimes. it's unacceptable that a country like ours actually almost harbors traffickers who are selling these people into modern day slavery. our law enforcement are working hard. our nonprofit organizations are working hard. they've 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. and so it is time we hold these morally deprived traffickers accountable. i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: madam speaker, continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte. mr. goodlatte: madam speaker,

at this time it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holding, a member of the committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina s recognized for two minutes. mr. holding: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of h.r. 3610, the stop exploitation through trafficking act. i'd like to thank mr. goodlatte and the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulsen, for their hard work on this legislation. as we have noted today, sex trafficking of minors is a terrible and unfortunately growing crime. according to the f.b.i., sex trafficing is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world with as many as 300,000 children at risk of being sexually exploited in the united states alone. while i strongly support all efforts to stop this crime, especially those being considered today, it is also parent for congress -- important for congress to foe couns the victims of minor sex trafficking. 3