House Panel Approves Paulsen's Anti-Sex Trafficking Legislation

Statement

The House Judiciary Committee approved legislation introduced by Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-03) to combat sex trafficking by encouraging states to expand "safe harbor' laws. The bill, H.R. 159, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act, encourages states to adopt legislation that treats children involved in trafficking as victims, not criminals. By not pursuing prosecution for minors, law enforcement and protective services are better able to provide resources to victims and bring traffickers to justice. Similar legislation passed the House of Representatives last year in a unanimous vote, but was not brought up in the Senate.

"Sex trafficking is pervasive in communities across the country, and our nation's laws need to catch up," said Paulsen. "The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act will encourage states to adopt critical "safe harbor' legislation that will remove the fear of prosecution for children that are being sexually exploited. We can save lives and bring traffickers to justice if we enact best practices and model legislation that gets these young victims the services they need."

Paulsen's guest to last night's State of the Union Address is a leader in the law enforcement community on combating sex trafficking, Minneapolis Police Sergeant Grant Snyder.

Congressman Paulsen is a long-time advocate for combating sex trafficking and testified in front of a Ways and Means Subcommittee about what can be done to address the issue. In addition to the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act, Paulsen authored the Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act which was included in a larger bill and signed into law in 2014. A recent report released by the Polaris Project, an anti-sex trafficking group, found that a majority of states lack safe harbor laws to protect victims.

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