that i reserve the balance of my te. the speakeo teor the gem reserves. the chair recognizes the genenm california. mr. royces mr. speaker. i yield six minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, chairman of the foreign affairs human rights subcommittee and author oth bill. the speaker pro tempor the gentleman from new jersey is recognid forix minutes. mr. smith: thank you very much, chairman royce. i thank you again for your leadership, for marking this bill up in the last congress. we went through it regular order, you and eliot engel were outstanding and i do appreciate that and staff. i also want to thank bob goodlatte who has been a very strong proponent of this legislation. mrs. carolyn maloney, mr. poe of texas, ms. mccollum and mr. yoho. mr. speaker, there is no higher duty or responsibility of government than to protect children from violence and predatory behavior. we have a duty to protect the

weakest and the most vulnerable. the international megan's law to prevent demand for child sex trafficking, or h.r. 515, will protect children from sex tourism by notifying countries when convicted pedophiles plan to travel. to protect american children, the bill encourages the president to use bilateral agreements and assistance to establish reciprocal notification so we'll know when convicted child sex offenders are coming here. mr. speaker, i actually got the idea of international megan's law in a conversation with a trafficking in persons delegation from thailand ri a meeting in my office in 2007. i asked the thai officials what would they do if we were to notify them of travel by a convicted pedophile. each of the dozen officials said they would bar entry into their nation of such a predator. today will mark the third time

in eight years that this bill has passed the house and i do hope it will pass, with strong support from both sides of the aisle. the second in its present, more streamlined form. the only change in this version is a statement underscoring the work of the department of homeland security and cones support for its continuance of angel watch as well as the investigations of cybercrimes center. this provision is not intended to supersede notification requirements elsewhere in the build. i'm encouraged that the senate has signaled its support and willingness to improve commonsense procedures to prevent trafficking of children by high-risk predators and i look forward to working with our colleagues in the other body.

child sex predators depend on secrecy in 1994, a young girl from my district was lured into the home of a convicted pedophile who live ared cross the street from her. megan kanka, 7, was raped and murdered. no one, including megan's parents, knew that their neighbor had been convicted of child sexual assault. the outrage over this tragedy led to the enactment of megan's laws, public sex offender registries, in every state of the country. it is imperative we take the lessons we have learned on how to protect our children from known sexual predator, child sex predators within our borders and expand those protections globally. mr. speaker, a deeply disturbing 2010 report by the g.a.o. entitled current situation results in thousands of passports issued to registered sex offenders, found that at least 4500 u.s. passports were

issued to registered sex offenders in fiscal year 2008 alone. meanwhile, the law enforcement and media reports continue to document americans on the u.s. sex registry who were caught -- who are caught sexually abusing children in east asia central america and elsewhere in the world. it is the same horror movie replayed over and over. homeland security's angel watch program has been doing an outstanding job in alerting countries about potential danger from american sex offenders. h.r. 515 would codify and streamline this program, providing sex offender travels, get to the destination country in time for those countries to assess the potential dangers and respond appropriately wheth it's to allow entry, deny entry or visa, monitor travel, or

limit travel. once notified nations are embowered to take protective action. international megan's law also directs the president to include guidance in diplomacy, training and assistance abroad in how they can create their own public-private sex offender registry in the united states. and how we can use these registries to alert the united states when a child sex offender is intending to travel here to abuse our children. the goal is reciprocity, reciprocal notice to protect children at home and abroad from known sex offenders. i perchly have spoken to foreign officials and nongovernment representatives who have asked me when the united states congress will do something about american sex offenders traveling to their countries to rape their children. i hear this especially within the developing world. h.r. 515 international megan'

las to prevent demand for child sex trafficking is a serious response to that question. i would also point out that is a special representative for trafficking at the organization for security cooperation articlementry assembly last year we got passed a resolution calling for this kind of noticing country to country, so the secrecy is taken out of this sex tourism designed to exploit children. i yield back to our distinguished chairman the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise? mr. cicilline: one last comment about the bill before us, i seek recognition and as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlem is recogniz mr. cicilline: one last comment a rule of construction is added to the bill and this does not supersede the bill's general notification requirements which requires the department of homeland security to try to alert a convicted child sex

offenders whose travel is reported to their destination which is one way of deterring them. child sex tourism is an outrageous crime and we he the responsibility to do everything we can to make it difficult for offenders to prey on tir victims. i strongly support this bill and encourage my colleagues to do so as well. with no further individuals seeking recognition, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: e gentleman from cali i recognized. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: e gentleman is recognor such time as he may consume. mr. royce: thank you very much, mr. speaker. you've heard today about the horrific child sex tourism industry. this is only going to get worse if we do not take action. furthermore, there are child victims here at home too. an increasingly mobile society has made it easier for child predators to commit and evade justice for their heinous crimes. the bill before us today

represents a concerted effort to combat this appalling injustice. better communications among u.s. officials and our foreign counterparts all around this globe means more of these criminals can and will be stopped from exploiting children overseas. again, i commend chairman smith for his work on this bipartisan legislation and i encourage members to support passage of h.r. 515, the international megan's law, to prevent demand for child sex trafficking. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: e gentleman yields back. allime having expired, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 515? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i have one more measure here that we've brought before the desk, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 352. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 357 a bill to amend the trafficking victims' protection act of 2000 to expand the training for federal government personnel related to trafficing in persons and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from rhode island, mr. cicilline each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from californi mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm going to yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: i rise today as a committed participant in this body's decade and a half long fight against human trafficking since the passage of the trafficking victims' protect -- protection act of 2000. though we've made some progress and though i think we've raised global awareness on this issue there are still, today, somewhere around 20 million people, around the world who remain subject to the horrors of this modern day slavery either through trafficking through exploitation for work or child sex trafficking. most of these victims are women. many, as you know mr. speaker, are children. given the high stakes, u.s. officials working overseas must be table recognize the signs, the telltale signs, of this terrible crime. if they do not know which groups

are most vulnerable, or what activities should raise their suspicions, then successful action is very unliky though current law requires the state department personnel to be trained to identify trafficng victims, it does not prescribe how they should be trained. and this bill does. the human trafficking prevention act would specify minimum training requirements for the department of state and these would include a training course for department personnel who deal with trafficking issues in addition to trafficking briefings for all of our ambassadors and all our deputy chiefs of mission before they depart to their posts. and it also ensures that u.s. officials stationed overseas get annual updates on trafficking-related developnt related to the country's -- countries where they are working. we have done a lot to move

legislation, to force other countries to adopt legislation. but our ambassadors overseas and their deputies overseas need this education. while the state department currently appears to be needing -- meeting many of the standards, we all know practices chan cage -- can change and by specifying reasonable minimum requirements for such training, this bill strengthens existing law at no additional cost to our taxpayers. i want to recognize the gentleman from new york, mr. maloney who authored this measure, which passed as h.r. 4449 in the last congress and i want to thank him for reintroducing the bill bere us today. and while we are discussing improvements to the anti-trafficking practices of our foreign affairs agencies, i also want to invite my colleagues to co-sponsor h.r. 400, the bipartisan trafficking prevention and foreign affairs

contracting act that my ranking member of the committee eliot engel, and i recently introduced which we hope to move forward promptly. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from rhode island is recognized. mr. cicilline: i rise in strong support of h.r. 357, the human trafficking prevention act and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlem is exare -- the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. cicilline: i want to recognize my colleague from new york congressman maloney, for his work on this bill. human trafficing is modern day slavery. its victims are robbed of freedom and dignity. and it violates the founding principles of the united states life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and the fundament

law of humanity, respect. there are at least 152 countries of origin and 124 countries of destination affected by human trafficking totaling over 510 trafficking flows around the world. human trafficking victims often pay to be illegally transported into various countries only find themselves at the mercy of their captors and denied their freedom. they're forced into vaous forms of servitude to repay their debt. the u.n. also reports that one in three known victims of human trafficing is a child. in some areas of the world such as africa and the middle east, children institute 62% of their human trafficking incidents. girls account for 72% of trafficking worldwide and men make up 17% for forced labor. it affects people of all ages,

genders and ethnicities. i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of the human trafficking prevention act, designed to ensure that our government recognize incidents of human trafficking when they see it. it will expand central training requirements for state department personneln identifying and preventing human trafficking including specific training for all ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission before such individuals depart or their -- for their posts. it also requires that annual reminders be sent to personnel about the key problems and stress methods of identifying them at their post. this will better prepare our nation's public servants to quickly identify incidents of human trafficking and take swift action as they serve abroad. we passed the same bill last year and urge my colleagues to do so again. i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlan fcaforn is regned mr. roy: mr. speaker, i'll reserve the right to close. the speaker pro tempore: all right. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from new york the author of this important bill, mr. maloney. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlemafr n yk,r. meyisecnid r five minutes. mr. maloney: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of my bill, h.r. 357, the human trafficking prevention act. i'd like to thank my colleagues, mr. royce and mr. cicilline, and my co-sponsors, and i'd like to acknowledge majority leader mccarthy for his leadership on taking up this legislation at the beginning of this new congress. no matter what part of the country you're from, human trafficking is an issue that we have to address now because lives are at stake. the state department estimates that millions millions of children women and men are trafficked each year and forced into modern day slavery as part of an evil and fast-growing industry. we know that the crime of human trafficking is dramatical underreported and most of it

happens inadviceably. therefore a critical pt of the work we're doing toy is to bring human trafficking out in the open so we can raise awareness and prevent it from happening to more of the world's most vulnerable populations. we must also remember that this happens right here in our communities all across our own country. behind all of these numbers and statistics there are real faces and real stories of women, men and too often children. women like mannedy palmer of western new york -- mannedy palmer of western new york -- mandy palmer of western new york who met ryan online. ryan turned out to be a human trafficking, a pimp who forced mandy into prostitution and threatened her family. new york continues to be one of the top hubs of human traffickinging, where sex traffickinging child labor and endentdenturez servitude happen all too frequently. we've seen it new newburgh,

places like small villages like pound ridge. story after story tells us this horrifying practice happens right here, right in our own neighborhoods in our own backyards. just 10 days ago authorities took action against a major sex traffickinging ring in albany, new york. nine women who who had trap -- traveled here from a foreign country were forced into prostitution at four different massage particlers. in another community about an hour away from new york city, a man tricked teenage girls to travel to the united states on tourist visas from countries like brazil, hungary and france. he instructed these women to lie to both immigration and state department officials in order to gain access to our country. it is precisely this type of situation that my leglaon seeks to stop. we must ensure that our men and women on the front lines of our borders have the resources and training they need in order to identify and stop human traffickinging at its source. before these women, children and men enter the united states out of their own culture, away

from their own language, many times, and become isolated and become victims. as part of our goal to end human traffickinging we can make sure -- human trafficking, we can make sure that our people have the training they need to spot this and stop trafficking across international borders. in the past, the state department estimated that between 14,000 and 17,000 foreign nationals were trafpked into the united states every single year -- trafficked into the united states every single year. although the federal government has a zero tolerance policy on human trafficking our foreign service officers who often have face to face contact with these victims when they're obtaining u.s. visas currently undergo minimal traininging to detype of, identify and recognize the indicators of this human traffickinging so they can stop it at the source. so my legislation would expand new minimum training procedures for foreign service officers and other government personnel. in order to identify and stop this human trafficking before people cross these boundaries and end up in our own communities. before it becomes too late. when they're here. and victimized.

and we know criminals will do just about anything to adapt to our new methods and avoid getting caught so this bipartisan legislation also requires annual updates. to keep on top of key problem, threats and the new methods and to identify new warning signs of trafficking. i want to thank my colleagues across the aisle because by working together we have a new opportunity to come together to combat this monstrous practice of traffickinging in children, women and men. victims of human trafficking cannot wait another day and so today we have an opportunity to do something together to combat this growing problem. mr. speaker i urge my colleagues to support my legislation, h.r. 357 the human trafficking prevention act. i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the spkeprteor the gentmayidsacth bces me. does the gentleman f cifnicn to reserve mr. royce: yes. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i have no further witnesses so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempor the gentleman from rhode islandas yielded ckhe balance of time. the gen california

is regned. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro temporeth gentlen is rnidor ch time as he may consume. mr. royce: mr. speaker, the fight to end human traffickinging -- human trafficking has been a priority in my tenure as chairman of the foreign affairs committee here in the house. i'm pleased that the house leadership and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have chosen to make it our focus during this early week of the session. our actions today are not a conclusion on this issue. they are an opening sal voby the -- salvo by the 114th congress to continue our fight against modern slavery. this bill seeks to ensure that u.s. personnel overseas are properly equipped to combat the scourge of human trafficking and deserves our unanimous support. there are other steps which we need to take frankly as an institution in order to continue to put leverage at the

disposal of our diplomats and new measures into law to protect the victims of trafficking and as we go forward we will do that. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance h te. allimhangow expired, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 357. those in favor say aye. those pod,o. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having respo t aiiv ths e suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on th table. for what purpose does the

gentlemanromiig sk rogt >> mr. speaker i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 468. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report e title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 468, a bill to amend the run away and homeless youth act, to increase knowledge concerning and improved services for runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. walberg, and the gentlemafr virginia, mr. scott, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. walberg: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 468. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordere mr. walberg: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the enhancing services for runaway and homeless victims of youth trafficking act and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempoth gentleisecogd for

such time as he may consume. mr. walberg: thank you mr. speaker. human traffickinging is not just a concern -- human trafficking is not just a concern in foreign countries. it's happening right here in the united states and many times in our own backyards. in michigan the national center for missinging and exploited children has referred more than -- missing and exploited children has referred more than 13000 cybertip line reports of suspected child abuse, child sexual exploitation to law enforcement. last congress i hosted a series of human traffickinging forums -- human trafficking forums in my district which brought together county prosecutors, sheriffs, the state police and members of the southern michig task force on human traffickinging -- human trafficking to discuss how our community is dealing with these anious crimes and hear feedback on what additional actions congress can take to help local law enforcement combat traffickinging.

one of the -- combat trafficking. one of the things i heard was the need for improved resources for victims' advocacy and support. especially for youth victims and at-risk youth. federal and state officials, law enforcement, the courts, all of us have a moral obligation to eradicate trafficking and support its victims. it will take close coordination between all stakeholders to achieve the dual goals of ending the human trafficking epidemic and assisting the victims. that's why i'm an original co-sponsor of h.r. 468, the enhancing services for runaway and homeless victims of youth trafficking act. this legislation will help better serve our most vulnerable youth who are victims of extreme trafficking. this legislation amends the runaway and homeless youth act to use existing grant resources to train staff on the affects

of human trafficking in runaway and homeless youth victims and for developing statewide strategies to reach such youth. it also allows the secretary to utilize existing street outreach programs to provide street-based services for runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking. mr. speaker, i would like to thank my colleague, congressman joe heck, for his leadership on this bill, as well as the education and work force committee chairman, mr. kline, and the ranking member, mr. scott, for their work on moving this legislation forward. our nation's runaway and homeless youth deserve acss to services that will help them escape a life of crime abuse and neglect. passing this simple fix will help ensure that those suffering from the trauma of these deplorable crimes will have access to the care and

support they need. i urge my colleagues to vote for h.r. 468 i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserv t ban of his tim for what purpose does the gentlemanrom virg, . scott, seek recognition? mr. scott: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempe: genem irecognized for such time as he may consume. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speake i rise poh. 468, the enhancing services for runaway and homeless victim -- homeless victims of youth trafficking act of 2015. i'm honored to join my colleagues, the gentleman from nevada, . heck, the gentleman from michigan, mr. walberg, and the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman fr minnesota, mr. kline, and apprecte their leadershi this important issue. our bill makes important changes in the runaway and homeless youth act so victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking can get more of the help that they need. we know that trafficking and youth homelessness are often affecting the same populations.

young people that have run away or are homeless are particularly vubblenerble to sexual exploitation and trafficking and programs targeted toward runaway and homeless youth should be smutly equipped to support victims of trafficking when there isuc an overlap. research consistently confirms the correlation between running away and becoming exploited through prostitution. for example, according to a 2006 f.b.i. uniformed crime report, girls who run away fm their homes, group homes, folvetter homes or treatment centers -- foster homes or treatment centers are highly trargetted at being exploited. street outreach programs were created to provide services to run away and homeless and street youth who have been sucted to or are at risk of being sucted to sexual abuse. every year 25,000 of these young people find shelter as a result of these programs. the legislation being considered today ensures that

street outreach programs can rely on funding already available through the run away and -- runaway and homeless youth act. this alowls the department of health and human services to provide street-based services such as individual assessments counseling or other slelters for runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking. additionally the bill authorizes states organizations and other entities to use runaway and homeless youth act research grants for staff training to work with these young victims. such additional training will allow service providers to successfully dreals the behavioral and emotional affects -- address the behavial and emotional affects of the abuse an assaulthvicts endure. this also helps training programs so staff can recogne and respond to the unique needs of trafficking victims. this is a small but important chang o necessary to improve services available. updating the runaway and homeless youth act with this

legislation is an important first step. there's also -- it's also important for congress to consir re-authorizing t entire act which expired -- expired last year. in the 113th congress, a bipartisan altogether are re-authorization bill was supported for homeless youth including extending time for safe and appropriate shelter, establishing performance standards for assistance programs and strengthening data collection and ensuring that adequate resources for all runaway and homeless youths are available. . our nation's most vulnerable youth need us to come together and work together on their behalf but meanwhile i encourage my colleagues to support the legislation and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserve

the gentleman from michigan is recognized. >> i yield three minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. kline. the speaker pro temre the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. kline: i thank the gentleman for yielding the time and for his consistent, continuous leadership on this issue. mr. speaker, as a father and grandfather, i find it difficult to imagine anything more terrifying than a loved one falling victim to youth sex trafficking. yet yeach year -- yet each year hundreds of children and families are forced to live with the pain and suffering that stems from this deplob crime. let me be clear, this crime is taking place right here in our own country. it's impacting our communities, our families, and our children. we face a national crisis and it demands a national response. fortunately, there are heroic efforts under way too fight this heinous crime, care for the victims and support their fam hes. the dedicated staff for the

missing -- center for missing and exploited children are on the front lines every day, identifying victims assisting law enforcement in the recovery of missing children and recovering -- returning children to their loved ones. they also enhance support for victims and their family. parents with children in school are probably in touch with lifetouch photography. through their smife safe initiative, they're making it ease yever to alert police of a missing child to accelera search and rescue re finding new ways to help and so should we. that is why we are here today. we've learned too often victims fall through the cracks of states' child welfare systems. those who may be runaway or homeless youth don't have access to the full range of services they need and believe it or not due to a flaw in the law, there are times when children are treated as criminals -- as

criminals, mr. speaker -- rather than victims of a violent crime. congress has an opportunity to address these challenges and strengthen our support f victims of youth sex trafficking. i want to thank my republan and democratic colleagues for working with us on this important effort, including mr. wallburg, as i mentioned earlier, the ranking member of the education and work force committee, mr. kot, representative heck, canche bass and representative beatty. i am pleased that we are taking action early in this congress to address youth sex trafficking. it reflects our commitment to fighting this crime. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlemayids back. the gtlanrom virginia is recognized. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time and therefore i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlem from virginia yield back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized to close. >> thank you mr. speaker. i thank the ranking member for his statements in support of

this legislation. i thank mr. heck for sponsoring it mr. clivepb as leader on this committee. mr. walberg: this is a privilege of service in this body when we can come together in a bipartisan fashion to do what's right for our country. but in this case, to do what's right for our defenseless young people, many of whom have been caught into a web that offers nothing, nothing but pain and misfortune for the future. to take a stand on this issue, to stand for opportunity to push back against the dark clouds of crime that prey on young people is something that we can stand together. i think we've said significant words in support of this legislation. now it's time to get to work. and the best way to do that, mr. speaker, as you and i both know is to pass this. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 468 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from michigan yields back. all time having expired on h.r. 468, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 468? those in favor say aye. those oos, . in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objectionhe motion to reconsir laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. walberg: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspthrus and pass the bill h. 469. the speaker pro tempore: e clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 469. a bill to amend the child abuse prevention and treatment act to enable state child protective services systems to improve identification and assessment of child victims of sex trafficking and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: 3u sunt to the rule, the gem from michigan, mr. walberg, and the gentleman from virginia, mr.

scott, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. walberg: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 469. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the strengthening the child welfare response to trafficking act and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: th gentlen is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. walberg: mr. speaker, domestic child trafficing is a serious problem sadly in the united states. around 300,000 american youth are at risk of sexual commercial exploitation and trafficking each year. that's why the house of representatives is considering a number of bills this week that seek to ensure that human trafficking victims are treated

as victims and have access to the services they desperately need. as a member of congress, i worked on legislation to help address this problem in the past and will continue that important work this year. i've also held local round tables in michigan with victims advocacy and law enforcement groups to do everything i c t work with my communities to address this hideous crime. the national center for missing and exploited children estimates that 6 % of likely sex trafficking victims were involved in the child welfare system at one time. instead of properly identifying and assisting trafficked and exploited children, these children are often sent to the juvenile justice system where they are labeled and treated as criminals. these innocent victims are victimized by the very system that was designed to protect them.

that's why mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 469. the strengthening the child welfare response to trafficking act of 2015 will help protect child victims by improving practices within state child welfare systems to identify assess, and document sex traffic victims. the house passed this legislation by a voice vote last summer and i thank my colleague, congresswoman karen bass, for her work on this important legislation again this congss. h.r. 469 amends the child abuse prevention and treatment act to direct states to implement and maintain procedures to identify and iasess reports involving children who are victims of sex trafficking. the bill also requires that states train child protective service workers on how to identify these children and the services necessary to meet their

needs. and would improve reporting on the number of children identified as sex trafficking victims. mr. speaker, bill requires the secretary of health and human services to report on the type and prevalence of youth trafficking victims in the welfare system. provide a summary of state practices for serving youth trafficking victims and report on any barriers in federal law that prevent identification and assessment of youth victims of trafficking. it is imperative that we continue to pass legislation that helps victims of both labor and sex trafficking. to ensure that victims receive the services they need to escape a life of abuse. again i would like to thank congresswoman karen bass and chairman kline of the education and work force committee for their work on this important bill. i urge my colleagues to vote in

favor of h.r. 469 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank youing mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro temhe ntmaisecnid. mr. scott: i rise in support of the strengthening child welfare response to trafficking act of 2015 sponsored by the gentlelady from california, ms. bass this bill will support victims of child sex traffic big helping them find services they need, by training child protective -- protection service workers to identify cases of child sex trafficking, and by improving data collection on the number of child sex trafficking victi. this legislation would also require the department of health and human services to submit a report to congress that describes the type and prevalence of severe forms of trafficing to which identified victims are subjected. this bill also summarizes state practices to serve trafficking victims and those at risk of

trafficking and describes federal statutory and regulatory barriers that may prevent child trafficking victims from getting the services they need including an evaluation of the state's capacity to address such victims' needs. the bill would also allow the state welfare agencies to include child labor trafficking in their provisions of staff training. under the bill if a state includes child labor trafficing in those responsibilities, the states must also collect data on the numb of those victim. the bill is a product of good, bipartisan work and diligent negotiations by the gentlelady from california, ms. bass, and her staff, and democratic and republican staffs in the education and work forest commite. i urge my colleagues to support the important legislation which has the backing of child welfare advocates and will improve services and responses to child trafficking victims. i reserve the balance of time. the speaker pro tempe: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan is

recognized. mr. walberg: i yield three minutes to the distinguished gentlem from texas one who understands this process from his time in the court of law as a judge. i'm privileged to recognize now judge poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. poe is recognized for five minute -- for three minutes. mr. poe: i thank the chairman. i thank the gentleman for yielding time. this bill, strengthening the child welfare response to trafficking act, h.r. 469, is an excellent piece of legislation as mention -- legislation. as mentioned it is a bipartisan piece of legislation. i want to thank karen bass from california and chairman kline from minnesota for bringing this to the floor. this is one of many many pieces of legislation dealing with trafficking that has come and will come to the house floor the

rest of today and tomorrow. bipartisan pieces of legislatio in my short tenure of 10 years here in congress, i've never seen a subject that had so many people interested on both sides of the aisle and so many pieces of legislation coming to the house floor, all with the purpose of drying -- trying to rein in the scourge of human trafficking in the united states. the public seems to be a little more concerned about other matters than the issue of trafficking, at least the media does they spend a lot of time talking about how much air is in footballs, when we probab should be dealing with how much criminal activity is taking place in america, where america's children are being kidnapped and put into slavery. one example of this is the bill that ms. bass has brought to us that is the one regarding child

welfare agencies and states. i understand mr. speaker that 60% of american children involved in human trafficking somewhere in their background they were in foster care. not saying foster care caused that i'm just saying that somewhere, they make the route through foster care. we're not doing what we should do in dealing with our children to protect them from this scourge of trafficking. this legislation gos a long way to help people in states state government, to take care and make sure that children do not get taken up in this human trafficking that is taking place in the united states. i come from houston. unfortunately, houston is one of the hubs in the united states for human trafficking. because of our location in the

united states near an international border, we have not only domestic trafficking victims go through our city but international trafficking victims and their children. they're -- and they're children. they're young people. i want to congratulate ms. bass and the house, and the leadership of the house for bringing this legislation, and legislation like it, up to the floor to make sure that america understands and criminals understand america's children are not for sale. and that's just the y it is. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempor t gentlen om virginia is recognized. mr.: mr. speaker, i yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of the bill and a strong supporter and advocate for foster children, the gentlelady from california ms. bass. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlom ciris nid r chimas she may consume. ms. bass: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise today in

support of the bipartisan strengthening the child welfare response to trafficking act which i introduced with a group of bipartisan members of congress. the same version of this bill was unanimously passed in the 113th congress. this legislation demonstrates how critical it is tt members of congress work together to move policy that protects children from being sexually exploited. the work that both sides of the aisle have done on sex trafficking demonstrates a strong commitment to preventing our most vulnerable population from becoming victims. first i'd like to thank chairman kline, representative walberg ranking member scott for their leadership on continuing to support this legislation that works towards ensuring that no child in the united states becomes a victim of sex trafficking. i'm grateful for their knowledge and assistance that helped bring this importa bill tthflr today. i'd also like to thank judge poe for his ongoing leadership on this issue. my colleague and friend, representative marino, has been a leader in fighting for

children in the foster care system. mr. marino, along with the congressional caucus on foster youth co-chairs, jim mcdermott, trent franks, jim langevin and diane black, all served as original co-sponsors of h.r. 469 and have demonstrated leadership by both making significant change in the child welfare system and bringing attention to the horrendous intersection between sex trafficking and our child welfare system. between 2008 and 201040% of sex trafficking cases involving exploitation of children. tragically many of these children are forgotten without the appropriate services to ensure their safety. this highlights the failure of our system to prevent them from becoming victims. more than 200,000 youth in our country are at risk for trafficking per year. in my hometown los angeles, the probation department reports that 61% of identifyified trafficking victims are foster youth. it's noteworthy that this

statistic comes from the probation department and not the child welfare department. this legislation hopes to correct that. we want to make sure that child welfare agencies, in addition to juvenile justice, begin to document this problem. in los angeles we're fortunate to have the star court which is a specialized collaboratetific courthouse designed to serve youth who have -- collaborative courthouse designed to serve youth who have been trafficked. 80% of the girls entering their courtroom have been involved in the child welfare system. as co-chair of the congressional caucus on foster youth, i've had the opportunity to travel throughout the country as part of our nationwide listening tour. unfortunately i've heard far too many stories about youth in foster care falling through the tracks -- cracks in the system. sometimes they are thghto be runaways and sadly they report that no one looks for them and in fact they had not run away, they had been abducteded or tricked or drugged by a pimp when the system assumed they were bad girls who had just run away. most of us were so moved by one woman we often repeat her

story. she told us that she felt the foster care system prepared her for exploitation because her pimp was the first person who told her that he loved her and while in foster care, she was moved so often and told so often that she was just a paycheck that she formed no healthy attachments and had nowhere to turn. we have to close the cracks in our system that leave a child feeling a pimp is t only one she can turn to or she would rather be with a pimp than be bounced around from foster home to foster home. the system that is supposedo be designed to help vulnerable children should not turn around and victim ites the children or allow hem -- victimize the children or allow them to fall into the hands of exploiters. many told us during the time they were being trafficked, they had numerous encounters with the child welfare system but no one asked what was happening to them. especially girls in group homes. pimp are pimps know this -- pimps know this population is especially vulnerable. this will allow child welfare agencies across the nation to develop state protection plans to outline provisions and

procedures to identify and assess all reports of children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking. h.r. 469 begins to prepare the child welfare system for this population. the first step is to document the extent of the problem. another step is to ensure that each state has plan to train social workers to identify and address the needs of this population. arresting these childr should not be the way we provide services. arresting them treats them as criminals and one has to question if jail is ever an appropriate place to provide the type of services these children need. h.r. 469 also requires that within one year the departme of health and human services report to congress on the prevalence and type of trafficking they've encountered. the report will assess state practices used to identify and serve trafficking victims and federal laws and policies that might in fact prevent states from supporting these victims. including the absence of trafficking in the federal and the federal definition of

child abuse and neglect. i'm encouraged by the momentum that has been created to reform our child welfare system and ensuring that vulnerable children are provided with the resources they need. i strongly urge my colleagues to support h.r. 469, the strengthening the child welfare response to trafficking act, and continue to work together in congress to combat domestic minor sex trafficking. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of te. the gentleman from michig is recognized. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from missouri congresswoman wagner has been an aggressive and outspoken advocate for children since arriving here in congress, an opponent of trafficking and has much to say but also much evidence of action on this issue as well. the speaker pro tempore: th genely om miss is recognized. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this issue. i also want to thank judge poe

who has fought this fight for so very many years. it is marvelous to have been in the 113th congress, five pieces of legislation on human trafficking moved through this chamber and now, tomorrow we will pass 12 pieces of human trafficking to end the scourge of sex slavery in this country and beyond. and i couldn't be more proud of this chamber and the bipartisan effort to get this done. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 469, the strengthening child welfare response to trafficking act of 2015, sponsored by representative karen bass. congresswoman bass has been a long time leader in congress on the issue of human trafficking. her legislation will strengthen the child welfare response to trafficking by ensuring that each state develop the plan that would identify children at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. according to the department of justice upwards of 300,000

american children are at risk of becoming the victims of crime. one of the greatest challenges we face in combating this problem is a lack of accurate and reliable statistics. frequently those most at risk are falling victim to human trafficking, they're not identified early enough to intervene. by ensuring that child welfare agencies have systems in place to properly identify to assess and to document child victims of trafficking, h.r. 469 will move us towards a comprehensive total solution. mr. speaker, i'm also pleased to be sponsoring a special order at the end of our debate here on the issue of human trafficking. i'll invite all my colleagues to join me on the floor as we talk about this important issue and the 12 pieces of human trafficking legislation that

will come forward tomorrow. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewanromiou yldba bae of her time. the gentleman from virgin is recognized. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of mme. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlemafr mhin cze mr. walberg: i thank the speaker. i now yield such time as the gentleman from georgia may consume, mr. carter has rolled up his sleeves, arriving here just this term and already taking aggressive action on issues that make a difference. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlemafr georgia, mr. carte is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. mccarthy: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the gentleman from michigan for yieldi he. and r s efforts in this most noble fight. i rise today mr. speaker, in support of house resolution 469 the strengthening child welfare response to trafficking act of 2015. which directs the secretary of

health and human services to develop and publish guidelines to assist state child welfare agencies in efforts to serve youth who are victims or perhaps most importantly who are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. in addition this bill amends the foster care and adoption assistance act to require state plans to foster care and adoption assistance, to identify children who are victims of human trafficking. mr. speaker, as the father three sons and as the grandfather of precious precious twin granddaughters nothing terrifies me more than the thought of a loved one falling victim to human sex trafficking. however, families all across our country suffer this horrific situation every day. i believe all of my colleagues would agree that protecting every child in this country is our number one priority. yet children in state welfare

systems slip through the cracks and go unnoticed every day. in the georgia general assembly where i've had the honor and privilege of serving for the past 10 years, i've worked alongside my friend to enact one of the nation's toughest crackdowns on human trafficking by strengthening protections for the victims of these crimes and creasing penalties for those who commit em-- and increasing penalties for those who commit them. last year we went a step further by requiring businesses to post information on a 24-hour toll-free hotline for victims of human trafficking where they could call for help. i hope the guidelines that are -- that have been established under this law will encourage other states to follow georgia's lead. our utmost priority shoulbe providing to these children who have suffered at the hands of the evil, access to care and support. i urge my colleagues to support

this bill and i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: th gentlen om georgia yiel back t balance of his time. the gentleman from virginias recognized. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time. i'd like to cha the chief sponsor and other supporters of the legislation and urge my colleagues to support the legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlemafr vgia el cs me the gentma michigan is recognized. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself the remainder of my time. i think much has been said today that causes us to understand that what we're dealing with with this bill is the fact that there are entities that are supposed to be protecting children, that are supposed to be providing resources from law enforcement from welfare and human service entities, that are missing the mark. a lot of that comes from inadequate record keeping statistics and knowled where these children are having

the greatest impact in negative ways on their lives. we would do very well today to follow the advice and direction from speakers that have already spoken on this issue pass this legislation and provide further hope for children caught in the traffic -- the trap of human trafficking and enslavement that comes from this crime. so i urge my colleagueso vote yes on h.r. 469 and i yield back the balance of my ti. the spkeprteor the gentlemanies ckhe e h te. all time having now expired on this bill, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 469. those in favor say a tho oos, . in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having respondedn eia eesre suspended, the bill is passed -- ms. bass: could i ask for the yeas and nays? the speaker pro tem: without objection, the mot to reconsider is laidthe

table. the yeas and nays are requested. spafere all those in favor ok this tey e asnday re d ma sndg unted. a sufficient number havin arisen theeaanna a ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 furer proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlemafr mhin ek recognition? mr. walberg: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative -- let me move back a page, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 246, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: th clerk wi rort titlof till. the clerk: h.r. 246, a bill to improve the response to victims of child sex trafficking. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman move to susn the rules and pass the bill as introduced?

the speaker pro temporem speaker i move to s t rules and pass as introduced. the speaker pro temp pursuant to the rule, the gentlen om michigan, mr. walbe and the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. walberg: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 246. the speaker pro tempore: withouobctn,o ded. mr. walberg: i rise in support of h.r. 246 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walbe: today, the house of representatives continues its commitment to bolstering enforcement efforts against human traffickers in the united states and ensuring we properly identify and serve victims. i want to thank congresswoman beatty for her leadership on this issue and for introducing

h.r. 246 which will improve the ability of law enforcement officials, and others, to respond to and assist these victims. the house voted 409-0 to pass this legislation last summer and as previous house efforts have done, the bills being considered today attempt to change for the better how we view victims. for too long, these victims have been seen as willing participants and treated as actors in the criminal scheme. however we now know that often times individuals are trapped as victims by human trafficking organizations and sadly, many of these victims are children. congresswoman beatty's legislation will ensure that we view victims of sex trafficking not as participants, but as victims and ensure that child

sex trafficking crimes are reported. under current law, the national center for missing and exploited children operates the cyber tip line to provide online users and electronic service providers a means of reporting internet-related child exploited prostitution. h.r. 246 would replace the term child prostitution with child sex trafficking. in the cyber tip line reporting categories to reinforce that children that are sexually exploited are victims, whose situation should be taken seriously when reported. it would ensure the public recognizes that child prostitution is included in how it uses the term child sex trafficking, and thus, should still be reported to the

tipline. again i want to thank congresswoman beatty along with the education and work force committee and house leadership, for recognizing the need to steadfastly address this dreadful practice. with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 246 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the banc of hisim the gemm ias recognized. mr. scott: i yield myself su time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sct: i rise in support of h.r. 246 a bill to improve the response to child sex trafficking a bipartisan bill sponsored by congresswoman beatty and adds the term child sex trafficking to the list of items which may be added to the cyber tipline. the center operates a tipline to

allow online users and electronic service providers to report child exploitation including child prostitution. the term trafficking more accurately describes the circumstances under wch children are sexually exploited and reinforces the notion they are victims and not criminals. it will not only help the center to continue its outstanding work of finding and helping victims and help experts to better understand the nature and extent of the problem. i'm grateful to the gentlelady from ohio for introducing this important legislation and appreciate her partnership with the majority, including the chairman of the full committee on education and the work force, chairman kline, the gentleman from michigan, mr. walberg and other sponsors and i urge my

colleagues to support the legislation and reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the banc of hisim the gemm ans recognized. mr. walberg: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlem continues to reserve. mr. scott: i yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentlelady from ohio, ms. beatty. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. beatty: i rise today in support of h.r. 246 a bipartisan bill i introduced, which will help victims of child sex trafficking by korea criminalizing their behavior. first i would like to thank chairman kline from minnesota and ranking member scott from virginia of the education and work force committee for bringing this important bill to the floor for consideration. i want to thank representative walberg who is managing the bill for his kind words and

leadership. his managing the bill today for the republicans and to congresswoman karen bass and congresswoman ann wagner for their leadership and suppor i would like to thank senator portman, who i partnered with on this issue last congress and who introduced the companion legislation in the senate. i look forward to working with him again during the 114th congress to advance this legislation. mr. speaker, last congress, the house passed this exact bill unanimously by a vote of 409-0. today, i hope that my colleagues in the house will again approve this legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support so we can better assist victims of child sex trafficking and ensure that they are viewed and treated as victims and not criminals. earlier this month, i had the opportunity to participate in

ohio's sixth annual human trafficking day, which was held in my district at the ohio state house. standing-room only and chaired by state representative theresa fetter from toledo who has spent a lifetime on this issue. there, we heard story after story of victims, survivors and advocates just like we heard on the house floor earlier today. almost every time i am home in my district, i hear from people who are concerned about the victims of child sex trafficking. constituents implore me to have congress to do more to protect those among us who are the most vulnerable, those who are being forced into what many deem modern day slavery. this is for a good reason.

human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes inhe world. according to the u.s. state department, human trafficking is the world's second largest criminal enterprise after illegal drug trade. criminals involved in trafficking prey on those who are at risk, the children who fall through the cracks in our society. in the united states, there are some 300,000 children at risk each year of commercial sexual exploitation. mr. speaker, many of these children are runaways homeless and in and out of foster care. these children deserve getter. the average age of a traffic victim in the united states is 12 years of age. mr. speaker, this is shameful. at 12 years old, children should be playing sports participating in their school's science fair

and learning new languages or just being children. they should not be for sale night after night. in my home state of ohio, each year, there is an estimated almost 1,100 ohio children who become victims of human trafficking and over 3,000 more at risk. ohio is the fifth leading state for human trafficking because of its procks myths to a waterway that leads to an international border and a system of interstate highways that allows an individual to exit the state within two hours. the i-75 corridor runs through toledo dayton and cincinnati. it is infamous to subbing children to the horrors with victims being repeatedly abused.

we know that no single system can successfully combat trafficking. identifying victims requires a multi coordinated approach all across all levels of government. we need to encourage all people that when they see something, say something. and how can concerned citizens report activities of suspected child exploitation. currently the national center for missing and exploited children operates a cyber tipline which receives leads and tips. this cyber tipline is operated in partnership with the f.b.i., immigration's customs enforcement, the postal service, the united states secret service and united states department of justice as well as other states'

local and enforcement agencies. this ensures to monitor children get first priority. more than 2.8 million reports of suspected child sexual egg exploitation have been made between 1998 and october of 2014. under current law, child sex trafficking is not identified as one of the types of sexual exploitation that should be reported to the cyber tip line. even though the center encountered child victims and currently uses this term on its web site in order to encourage the public's reporting of these types of crimes. instead, the statute uses the term child prostitution. yes, child prostitution, mr. speaker.

which we know does not fully and accurately capture these types of crimes against children. my bill would add the phrase, child sex trafficking including child prostitution to the section b---p. this was added to update the law to reflect the current state of federal laws and reinforce that children who are sexually exploited are victims and not vick -- and not criminals. they are often misidentified as willing participants. there is a misunderstanding of trafficking. take for instance a story i recently heard about holly, who is a survivor of human trafficking. when holly was 14 years old she

ran away from home with a man she had met at a shopping mall. holly and this man exchanged phone numbers and he continued to pursue holly over the course of many months convincing her to run away with him. he got to know her. he analyzed her troubles and asked her about her dreams. he did this, so when holly was on her summer break from the eighth grade, the pressures of her 14-year-old world boiled to the surface with all this confusion and pressure, holly was feeling this predatory -- what she was feeling this predatory was able to convince her to flee to what she thought was a possibility to freedom. in reality, she ran right into the clutches of a sexual trafficking ring. within hours of running away,

what turned out to be a threatening pimp, she was coerced into prostitution. fortunately for holly eventually an officer on the street thought that she seemed underaged, so he approached her and arrested her. she was recognized to be a victim and began the long journey towards healing. today, i'm proud to say that holly is an advocate for stronger anti-trafficking laws and greater protection for survivors of all forms of human trafficking. this bill, h.r. 246 is intended to protect young children like holly to rescue and restore them, by adding the term child sex trafficking including child prostitution to the missing children assistance act, we will be able to continue to fight the perception of sex trafficking

is a voluntary vick timless crime and this will exclude them from prostitution. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and mr. speaker i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlelady from ohio yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. walberg: we have no further witnesses and/or testimony to be given, so i would reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlem fm chan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: how much time is available? the speaker pro tempore: 1 1/2 minutes. mr. scott: thank you. i yisu te s may consume to a lady who has worked on all of the bills we've considered today, the gentlelady from california, ms. bass. for such time as she may consume. the speaker pro temp t genely omalora rd for such time as she may consume. ms. bass: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 246, a bill to improve the

response to victims of child trafficking. first i would like to commend my colleague, representative joyce beatty, for her commitment to trsking the -- transforming the language that we use to address child victims of sex trafficking and for taking the lead on this important legislation. after all a child cannot consent to sex, so a child cannot be considered a prostitute. and her exploiter should never be called a john, he should be called what he is, a child molester. while trafficking advocates and organizations have worked tirelessly over the yearso ensure that the framework and language we use to describe child victims of trafficking recognizes that they are in fact victims, we still have a long way to go. these children have gone through enough trauma, they do not need to continue to hear language that places the blame on them for a crime that an adult committed. phone hotlines and cybertip lines operated by organizations throughout the country are critical to ensuring that

individuals have a means to report these incidents of human trafficking and child exploitation. under this legislation, reports of domestic minor sex trafficking to the cyber tip line of the national center for missing and exploited children would be classified as child sex trafficking and no longer as child prostitution. this change would reinforce the fact that the children are victims and not criminals. representative beatty's bill is another critical building block to transforming the framework and dialogue around child victims of sex trafficking. i look forward to continuing to change the conversation and urge my colleagues in house to support this important legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaketeore: the gely om cora d back. the gentleman from michigan -- does the gentleman from michigan continue to reserve? mr. walberg: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: e gentlemafr virginia is recognized. mr.: we have no ft requests for time. i want to thank all the sponsors of the legislation for bringing this forward, this and the other two bill it's we've

considered. i urge -- bills we've considered. i urge my colleagues spoer to the legislation and i -- to support the legislation and i yield back the balance of time. the speao e: th ntyidsacth balces the gema mn is reni ose debate on th bill. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker i yielse rer of my time. the speaker pro tempore: th gentlen recognized. mr. walbg:he passage of this legislation shows the house's commitment to providing the necessary tools and policies to help reduce child sex trafficking and better serve these victims. and on the recommendations and admonition of my colleagues today, again i would say, these victims in the united at. mr. speaker this is good work that we're doing here. i submit it's probably the type of work that our constituents are calling us to work across the aisle to accomplish. during human trafficking und tables, i have held in my district, law enforcement officials have consistently raised the need to make community members aware of the

real and present threat of human trafficking. we must work to not only educate children but also families and the general public about the safety risks. the statistics on sex trafficking and exploitation among young people are startling. approximately one out of six runaway youth are likely victims of sex trafficking and roughly one out of three youth are lured into prostitution victimization, sex traffick within 4 hours of runni away from home -- 48 hours after -- within 48 hours of running away from home. this is happening all or the country. therefore i urge all members to lead efforts in their districts to continue the conversation about human trafficking, to learn what more we can do in our communities and to curtail this heinous crime. h.r. 468 is another step to

educating our communities about human trafficking victims and it continues our work to ensure that we are doing what we can to help reduce this horrible crime. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 468 and i yield back the balance of my m mr. speaker. the speaker pro temphe gem fromiig d babaofis time. all time having now expired on this bill, the question is will the house suspend th rules and pass h.r. 468. those in favor say aye. those oppedno. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting havin respond t airti, esre suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? >> i'd like to request the yeas and nays, please. the speaker pro tempore: th yeas andays are a requested. all those in favor ofg thisotbyheeaanna

sendemn anng untite a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rul 20, fuher proceedings oth question will be postponed. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous cse to address the house foone minute, revise and extend my remas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlela iregned for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank yo very mu mr. spea i support speaker boehner's invitation to prime minister netanyahu to address this body to discuss the iranian threat and the growing instability in the middle east due to the rise of global jihadist networks. a nuclear-capable iran will spark an arms race in the region and directly threaten america's interests as iran

continues to make progress on its intercontinental ballistic missile program. but as grave as this threat is to america, it pales in comparison to the threat that it poses to our democratic ally, the jewish state of israel. no other nation is more familiar with the iranian threat and the pitfalls of our ongoing nuclear negotiations than israel. and that is why it is imperative that we hear firsthand from prime minister netanyahu on israel's assessment of iran's nuclear program and other terror threats that are emanatir the middle east. thank you speaker boehner for that invitation. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance oferi foatseoes the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and te my remks. the speaker pro tempore: withoutbjti, th ntisecogzed for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker.

gandhi once famously said, strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will. germane curse has been making plays in washington state for more than 10 years, first as a lancer at lakes high, then as a husky at the university of washington, and since 2012 as of course a seattle seahawks -- seahawk. you may very well have seen his game-winning catch in the n.f.c. championship game in the end zone. but that game wasn't a cake walk for him by any means. they were interceptions and there were drops. it was on the sidelines, however that one of his injured teammates said to him to forget about it. and to remember that there are still plays to be made here. ever want to give up? ever think it's too hard? ever think the odds are stacked against you? mr. heck: remember the will of mr. curse and the seattle

seahawks. tell yourself, there are still plays to be made. congratulations number 15. lakewood and the entire 10th congressional district are very, very proud of you. and frankly we can't wait to see you flying and to make the new england patriots shake. go hawks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balan oheti. for what purpose does the gentlen omenylnia k recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i request unanimous conse to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remar. the speaker pro tempore: without objonthe mr pnsv red for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise today to address an area of great concern, the obama administration has just announced their intention to designate more than 12 million acres of the arctic wildlife refuge in alaska as wilderness. this move would place a de facto moratorium on oil and gas production on the largest onshore, unexplored and

potentially productive areas in the united states. while this area only represents about 8% of the total size of anwr the energy information administration suggests a great potential for the recovery of oil and gas based upon nearby plays in canada. mr. speaker, the president often time-outs america move toward greater -- touts america's move toward greater energy independence. much of this production has occurred on private lands. and by private hands. placing new prohibitions on federal lands is simply double speak. thomas edison once said, and i quote seeming to do is not doing. mr. speaker, while we may not be focused on energy prices at the moment, playing for the future is as prudent as it is wise. i encourage the administration to think about our future, the american people deserve as much. mr. speaker i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance ohiti. thchr ve -- lays before the house the following personal requests.

the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. heck of nevada for today and the balance of the week. the speaker pro tempo: without objection, the requt is granted. the speaker has before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir. this is notify you formally, pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the house of representatives, that i have been served with a subpoena for documents issued by the united states district court for the eastern district of louisiana in connection with a criminal case currently pending before that court. after consultation with the office of general counsel, i will determine whether comiae with this suoe is consistent with the privileges and rights of the house. signed, sincerely karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: un the sar'anu l anry, 15 the

gentlewoman from missouri mrs. wagner, is roitsed for 60 minutes as -- is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mrs. wagner: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: withoutbjti. mrnenkou mr. speaker. i rise today in support of passages of human trafficking legislation to be considered by the house of representatives this week. 12 different pieces of legislation. i also rise today in support of all the good work done by my colleagues here in congress on the issue of human trafficking. mr. speaker, a former united states ambassador i was exposed firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international level. i witnessed and reported on the devastating consequences of human trafficking where innocent women and children were dragged into the dark abyss of sex slavery. but never in my wildest dreams

did i ever think human trafficking was so rampant right here in the united states of america. americans are being forced into sexual slavery by ruthless human trafficers. mr. speaker, right now -- human trafficers. mr. speaker, right now there are young women being forced into prostitution in virtually every district across this nation. it is hiding in plain sight. in fact, i was shocked to learn that my own hometown of st. louis, missouri, has been identified as one of the top 20 areas for sex trafficking in the united states. mr. speaker, this problem is before our eyes, it's in our communities, it's in our neighborhoods and it's in -- right here before us. every year thousands of young americans' lives are impacted by this despicable crime. however, there is hope. i take hope from the work done by the law enforcement professionals who are on the

front lines every day protecting our nation's children from those who would seek to exploit them. i take hope from those who work in victims services and their tireless efforts to help survivors recover, heal and forge new lives out of the horrors of sexual enslavement. most importantly, mr. speaker i take hope from all the survivors, the survivors of this hideous crime. their strength gives us strength, their resolve gives us inspiration and their steadfast commitment to ending sex trafficking gives us all the courage to fight. mr. speaker, because of the efforts of many individuals and groups, i am happy to report that congress has taken notice of this series -- serious problem. years of work by representatives noem and poe, paulsen, hultgren and reichert, smith, among many others, have raised awareness of this issue

and have laid the foundation for the long overdue action congress is presently taking. i am grateful that many of my colleagues have held events in their home districts to raise awareness and education of this crime. last year in st. louis, i participated along with judge poe in a conference in which the private and public sectors came together to share best practices about combating human trafficking. . they have held human trafficking events in their districts to offer solutions to end sexual assault and human trafficking. i applaud these efforts and look forward to continuing this work for years to come. however, mr. speaker, there is much work to be done. as legislators, we have an obligation to come together and do something because we can

because we should and because we must. the legislation that we are voting this week in the house of representatives, will prode prosecutors with the tools they need to prosecute traffickers and provide social service providers with the resources they need to help victims in healing. these bills will mandate training and provide government agencies with the dependable statistics they need to combat this crime. i'm proud that this body has taken to address this problem which has so long festered in the shadows. i'm equally proud of my colleagues who have come to the floor to speak up for the victims of human trafficking, to show them they are not alone that we are with them and no longer be silent.

i thank you, mr. speaker. and i'm pleased to recognize one of my colleagues and yield time to representative hultgren. he is reintroducing his bill. to recognize the link. and combat. the bill targets demand. he has hosted anti-trafficking forums for members of congress where the documentary was shown. the producers of the film attended. and he is part of the human trafficking caucus and worked on efforts to help human trafficking victims both here and abroad.

i yield three minutes to randy hultgren. mr. hultgren: i rise to talk about human trafficing awareness week. i thank representative wagner for hosting the special order. it represents a modern form of slavery. it is a crisis that victim mieses 21 million people worldwide. in my home state of illinois, the center estimates that 25,000 women and girls are exploited each year by sex traffickers. as a member of the congressional human trafficking task force, we are working to coordinate the efforts of the congressional efforts. to punish perpetrators and bring

hope to victims and assist nations in their global epidemic. through legislation like that which the house will bring to the floor this week, i am pleased to see this body take critical steps to target the perpetrators and enhance efforts to eradicate it. i will be re-introducing my own bill. evidence suggests a clear link between the purchase of commercial sex and the prevalence of sex trafficing, where there is a robust demand for commercial sex. the sex trafficking demand reduction act highlights this link and requires national governments to factor in to fight human trafficking. human trafficking is the most insidious of criminal enterprises and tarts the most

vulnerable, stealing their innocence and did he priving them of any hope. thankfully we are becoming aware of the extent of human trafficking and the magnitude of the effects on its victims. through the persistent efforts of anti-human trafficking groups, national, state and local groups and individuals concerned about the communities we have made sustained inroads towards eradicating the scurge. human trafficking will no longer represent a bright on humanity a day where victims will have complete restoration. i thank you for our opportunity to speak and i yield back. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, i would like to draw attention to this bracelet

that i have on, that many of my colleagues are going to be wearing over the next two days if we pass the 12 pieces of human trafficking legislation. the bracelet, hand made by dedicated volunteers to raise funds in my own hometown of st. louis missouri. the safe heems provide comfort and support for young women rescued. the bracelet project that was inspired by an 11-year-old victim wanting to make a difference has become a symbol of hope. i ask my colleagues to wear this bracelet to spread the word about the scourge of sex slavery. i yield time to represent tive beatty. last year she partnered with senator portman from ohio to

introduce bipartisan and bicameral legislation to bring the missing children home act. the most vulnerable victims of sexual exploitation. this would improve the assistance act in order to reflect the current state of current law. i'm a proud co-sponsor of the gentlelady's legislation and it is my pleasure to yield four minutes to the gentlelady from ohio, representative joyce beatty. mrs. beatty: thank you, mr. speaker. let me say thank you to my colleague for organizing tonight's special order hour but probably more importantly, a bipartisan special order hour.

i proudly wear this bracelet in honor of all of those survivors. i also want to note that her work as a former united states ambassador exposed her firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international level. her work has raised awareness of this problem and laid the foundation for congressional action. despite international efforts to eradicate human trafficking, it still exists and affects communities in every country, including the united states. this transnational crime exploits the weakest and often subs victims to mental and physical abuse. human traffickinging is an estimated a billion dollar a year enterprise that forces the

weakest into the horrors of modern-day slavery and one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. in fact the united states states department said it is the largest second criminal enterprise after illegal drug trade. it is forced prostitution, domestic slavery and forced labor. it is also oftentimes underground and masked so well, that it is difficult to recognize. these victims are our house keepers and farmworkers brought into the united states out who promised a job but enslave them instead. they target the weakest members of our survivors by using threats or other coercive means. human trafficking did he privacy

individuals of their most basic and unalienable rights. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. we must work to end human trafficking and support the victims by providing resources and assistance during their time of need. my home state, ohio is the fifth leading state of human trafficking. in ohio, there is an estimated 1,100 ohio children who become victims with some 3,000 more at risk. in fact a preliminary report on the scope of the problems in ohio cited that 13 years of age is the most common age for youth to become victims of child sex trafficking. during my time during public service both in the ohio legislation furnish and here, i

have heard human trafficking experiences from the people of ohio. just two weeks ago in my hometown paper it reported about a massage spa in central ohio was serving as a front for organized prostitution where 18 women, who spoke little or no english was forced to work there, eat there and sleep there. authorities believe

>> our nation, i engage during my firste icong t ss last ye, heom es wne i introd ati bicaliation, the bringing missing children home act h.r. 3905. this congress, i have introduced h.r. 246, which would improve and update the missing children's assist tan act to reflect the federal law and reinforce the current law that childrens are victims and not criminals. my bill would add the phrase child sex to section b-1-p to the missing children's act and fight the perception that sex trafficking is a voluntary victimless crime. i'm honored to join my colleagues, democrats and republicans, in speaking against and bringing awareness to human trafficking. our country, our constituents,

our children need our help. thank you. and i yield back. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and her friendship. thank you so much, congresswoman beatty. next mr. speaker, it is my pleasure to yield time to congressman ted poe of texas. he has been an advocate of the victims of crime and dedicated his life to promoting justice and giving voice to survivors and tirleless advocate toll provide a comprehensive approach to address human trafficking in the united states. congressman poe has been a friend and a colleague and kindred spirit to me in the house of representatives. his championing of victims' rights and he has demanded change. i yield to the congressman

texas congressman poe. mr. poe: the thank the gentlelady for yielding time. and mr. speaker, it's worth noting that this effort to combat human trafficking in the united states, in my opinion, is led by the ladies of the house on both sides. the republicans and the democrats. it's obvious the spunk of my friend from missouri and all of the others who have spoken on these pieces of legislation and they will speak later. there are 12 bills, mr. speaker. bipartisan bills on one subject. as long as i have been here i have not seen so much attention by both members of both sides of the aisle moving to fix a problem such as this. and we are bringing them up again. and once again it's the ladies.

i think america owes a great gratitude, like my grandmother used to say, there is nothing more powerful than a woman who has made up their mind and the ladies of the house have made up their minds on the issue of trafficking. it's ironic to me that this tremendous amount of legislation, this impoa subject is getting so little play in the national media. seems that the media and america is more concerned about the disappearance of air in fbles than they are about the disappearance of children. . the runaways, the throwaways and the stowaways of america's children are disappearing into this scourge of slavery as it has been rightfully called.

many of us remember how we got involved in trying to prevent this. my first experience was meeting a little girl in peru at the age of 7 whose name is lily. lily could not speak because of the numerous assaults that had been taken -- committed against her before she was rescued. and it's not just kids in south america or central america had or overseas. it's kids -- it's america's children. thank are being trafficked -- america's children that are being trafficked. we have to make it clear that these young girls primarily that are on the streets that are being sold and bartered by these slave masters these are not criminals, these are not prostitutes, these are victims of crime. and america needs to change its focus and its understanding that when we see that occurring, that person ia victim. not a criminal.

and as has been mentioned, this is one of the leading ways that criminal organizations are making money. because in the drug trade you have drugs, you sell them one time. plus the risk of apprehension is great -- greater for drug sales than with selling of kids. children can be sold multiple times a night and they are. and when the traffickers are captured, very often nothing happens. so that is why this lucrative trade continues to make money. but it also continues to make money because there is a demand in this country for this scourge. these men primarily that abuse children are criminals. they're sex offenders. they're child molesters. some call them johns. they're not johns. john was a good guy. he's in the bible. why would we call them that? they are child molesters. and we need to recognize them for what they are.

we need to know who they e, their names need to be published and they need to go to jail for what they do. because we got to go after t demand. that's why i've introduced the justice for victims of trafficking act along with my friend carolyn maloney from new york. a new york democrat and a texas conservative republican. that is just about as biparsan as you can get mr. speaker. we are separated by a common language, to coin the phse. but on this issue, like most members of the house, we are united that we're going to op this. so this bill does a few things. it goes after the trafficker, the slave master. it helps law enforcement capture them and put them in jail. that's why we build prisons. then it goes after the victim, the child, rescues them and restores them and finds a place for them. did you know mr. speaker that in the united states there are about, according to the humane society, about 3,000 animal shelters. and we need them all. i got three dalmations. i got one of them from a

shelter in dallas. i call him the weapons of mass deinstruction. we need those shelters - desucon we neeoste butrenlt 0 bedsinexffki vimse id states. that ought not to be. they need more places to go when the police rescue them. god bless the police, many times when they find these children, they know they're sex trafficking victims, but there's no place to put them, so they put them in the juvenile justice system. not a good idea but that's the only place they're safe. we need to find homes for them. what's what this bill does. the third thing it does is it goes after demand. the customer. that abuses children. the rapist. we're going after those guys. the days of boys being boys is over. those people are going to be arrested and prosecuted for e crimes that they have committed. mr. speaker i would like to

ask unanimous consent to introduce into the record some of the numerous anti-trafficking organizatis that ve helped all u this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: i call these groups the victims' posse that helps us in this issue. the last thing i want to mention before i yield back, and i can tell that the gentlelady from missouri wants her time back, and appreciate the time. mr. speaker i used to prosecute criminals when i was a judge in criminal court 22 years. sexual assault is what it's called now. but the crime really is rape. it's rape of america's greatest resource children. we cannot tolerate this. we ask sometimes, why are we even here? i can tell you why we're here. we are here to make sure that

all americans, including american children, and those immigrants that have been sold into the united states are protected from crimes like rape. mr. speaker children are not for sale and i'm glad to see that the house is making sure that they will not be for sale in the future and i thank the lady for the time and i'll yield back and that's just the way it is. thank you. mrs. wagner: thank you, judge poe for your tremes leadership in this area a so many others dealing with victims' rights. it's now my pleasure to recognize the gentlewoman from new hampshire, representative cufter. representative cufter is a strong proponent of human and women's rights, advoci for a number of bills that support sexual assault and human traffki including her bipartisan legislation to approve whistleblower protections which was pass into law last year, to protect

military members who report instances of sexual abuse. last congress representative kuster and i joined together in co-authoring a letter condemning the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls by the terrorist group boko haram. and callinging on the united states governmento wo with the united nations to enact more comprehensive financial sanctions against the organization. i thank her for her leadership on this area and -- in this area and it's my pleasure to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from new hampshire, representative kuster. ms. kuster: thank you very much and thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you, judge poe, and to my dear colleague ann wagner, and all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for tackling this issue. i am proud to join my colleagues in passing these six commonsense bills which i have pushed for across the aisle to strengthen protections for victims of sex trafficking. and judge poe has done a great

job setting the stage here for the child who is the victim of sex trafficking. i think we all need to work on our language and our understanding. he's absolutely correct. and look forward to passing more of these reforms tomorrow and to continuing our bipartisan work together. it saddens and astonishes me that in today's world, human trafficking remains such a serious problem both here at home and abroad. throughout the world thousands of women and underaged children are being trafficked and forced to commit sexual acts against their will. as judge poe so eloquently stated, rape, that's what wee talking about. and it's sickening that individuals advertise and promote iseiusraic detoaka ic prit rseate gn giatheac whichp to could inode, would penalize

individuals who knowingly host and sell advertisements for the commercial exploitation of minors and trafficking victims. last congress, as she eloquently stated, i was very proud to reach across the aisle and join representative wagner to lead all house women, every single house woman member, republican and democrat, in urging the obama administration to push the united nations security council to add boko haram to the al qaeda sanctions list, following the abduction of nearly 300 school girls threatened to be sold into sexual slavery by this terrorist group. the horrific kidnapping of the female nigerian school studes captured the world's shock and horror. however, human trafficking is not just a foreign issue. together we can be a powerful bipartisan voice against the horrors of this and other instances of human trafficking.

both democrats and republicans in the house understand the importance of working together to protect women and girls and they know that trafficking isn't just a political issue, it's a human issue. i've organized discussions on this topic back home in new hampshire where i've heard from community leaders, law enforcement officials, academic researchers advocates and most importantly and frankly most eloquently the trafficking victims themselves. about the ongoing occurrence of human and sex trafficking taking place right here in our own backyard. domestic child sex trafficking is a serious problem in the united states, with an estimated 293,000 american youth at risk of commercial sex trafficking and exploitation. it's imperative that we pass these bills to help law enforcement rescue domestic victims track down their

exploiters provide additional tools for prosecutors to treat traffic minors -- trafficked minors as victims instead of criminals and ensure access to protective services. and again i commend judge poe for his eloquent description. i applaud the house leadership for bringing to a vote these bipartisan bills to prevent trafficking and provide spo to victims. as a mother i honestly cannot even imagine the anguish and the pain that these families go through as they fight to bring their loved ones back home. it's essential that we pass these bills and moving forward that we do everything together to support states and countries' efforts to -- states' and countries' efforts to eliminate human trafficking. thank you to all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for organizing this worthy effort. and thank you again. i yield back the balance of my time. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentlewoman from new hampshire for her leadership and her

friendship on so many matters that we come together on, mr. speaker. it's now my pleasure to introduce the gentlewoman fr tennessee representative diane black. she was an original co-sponsor of my save act that we'll be introducing today, that i'll have the pleasure to talk about on the floor during debate tomorrow. she's sponsored round tables in her district with law enforcement and community leaders on the impact of human trafficking in her home state of tennessee. and she's worked with end slavery tennessee, to see firsthand their efforts to combat trafficking in her state. she's a leader among us for all victims all those who have no voice. she's a friend and a dear colleague. it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the representave from tennessee, congresswoman black. mrs. black: i thank the gentlelady and my good frie from missouri for yieldinto me and i also thank her for all her tireless hours of work in not only bringing up this issue

so that we can be more aware but also in finding solutions so that we can help those that are victims. i'm honored to wear the bracelet that's made by the survivors and i thank her for her endless and tireless work on behalf of these young women and men who have become victims. mr. speaker, for many americans, the issue of human trafficking is far removed from their daily lives. something that is relegated to foreign countries and maybe history books. but the truth is, human sex trafficking is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world, with an estimated 300,000 young americans at risk of becoming victims. according to the department of justice, those most likely to fall prey to this heartbreaking crime are 12 to 14-year-old girls. these young women are someone's daughters and cannot turn a blind eye to their plight.

last year i had the opportunity to visit end slavery tennessee, a nonprofit that works tirelessly to confront trafficking in my state. their mission is taken from the book of isiah and i quote, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners. this week the house will take meaningful steps to fulfill this vision, by taking up a series of bipartisan bills addressing the impact of trafficking. and this includes the save act sponsored by my good friend from missouri legislation that i co-sponsored, to go after the online advertisers who profit off of the sale of these innocent victims. mr. speaker no single act of congress will stop all acts of trafficking or even bring justice for every victim whose innocence has been stolen by this evil activity. but we cannot let our inability

to do everything stop us from doing something. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentlewoman for her leadehi and her friendshin this issue and so many others. it's now my pleasure, mr. speaker, to yield time to a brand new freshman member, representative mark walker from north carolina. combating human trafficki is a priority for congressman mark walker of north carolina, and this is his very first bill introduced here in washington. the human trafficking detection act of 2015. and it aims to help and end this unconscionable industry. north carolina is ranked as a top state for labor and sex trafficking and this vital legislation works to effectively train and inform department of homeland security personnel to better detect and intercept human traffickers and its victims. it's my pleasure to yield three minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, congressm