Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Let me join my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and thank him for his leadership in making sure that this bill would come to the floor. Along with the ranking member, Mr. Conyers; subcommittee chairman, Mr. Sensenbrenner; and myself as the ranking member, we are grateful for the leadership of our colleagues in working through the human trafficking legislation.
I would associate myself with the words that all of us have said very often. Tragically and heinously, sex trafficking, human trafficking, and the trafficking of children keeps on giving in an ugly, horrible, disastrous way that ruins the lives of innocent victims for they are used over and over again.
I stand here recognizing that Houston ranks very high among those cities that have the scourge of human trafficking. In fact, as I rise to support S. 178, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, I recognize that human trafficking is a scourge that impacts greatly on my home district in Houston, Texas. Houston currently ranks number one among the U.S. cities with the most victims of human trafficking.
On the House bill, I congratulate Congressman Poe, my neighbor in Houston, and Carolyn Maloney, a member from New York, who worked together to bring about this bipartisan legislation.
I want to thank my colleagues as well from the Homeland Security Committee. Judge Poe joined us in the first human trafficking hearing that I held in Houston, Texas, to further emphasize the coming together of law enforcement and social service advocates for the importance of this legislation.
In fact, as I recall this bill being written, there were so many different groups from faith organizations putting on walks to talk about trafficking. Houston recognized that they had a problem they need to fix.
In the backdrop of this legislation, as it was making its way through the House, we even had a massive human trafficking raid, if you will, where there were 20 to 30 persons in a home just a short distance from downtown. A couple of the individuals were minors. We know what their end would be.
Twenty-five percent of all human trafficking victims are in my home State of Texas. Currently, 30 percent of
all human trafficking tips to the national rescue hotline come from Texas; but this is a national problem. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven endangered runaways reported to the center are likely victims of minor sex trafficking and that at least 100,000 American children are victims of sex trafficking each year.
It is our duty to rescue these children, shelter them, and help them recover from the trauma that has been inflicted upon them. It is also our duty to prevent those crimes before they happen and to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to combat human traffickers.
This bill will be a significant weapon in the war against sex trafficking which, unfortunately, is the fastest growing business of organized crime in the United States, generating an estimated $9 billion annually. Mr. Speaker, we have said it continues to generate income and revenue.
I am very glad that there are a number of legislative initiatives incorporated into this final legislative document and that this will go to the President's desk and be signed.
I am glad it includes language I submitted in the Judiciary Committee that puts Congress squarely on the record in the sense of Congress, that we stand together on the issue of opposing human trafficking and viewing it as a dastardly deed.
Although not perfect, this is a comprehensive bill that includes a variety of measures intended to strike at the problem of child sex trafficking through prevention, law enforcement, and rehabilitation services for victims.
What I like most of all is that it puts the United States Congress and, ultimately, the President of the United States and the laws of the land on the side of children and on the side of victims who have been trafficked or victims of sex trafficking. The bill strikes at the demand for this business by adding criminal prohibitions for those who solicit and advertise human trafficking.
Law enforcement across the U.S. has identified online sex acts as the number one platform for buying and selling of sex with children and young women.
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These men can sit idly and relaxed in their homes and victimize individuals. This is an important step forward for law enforcement, to have the tools to reach those predators wherever they are.
This legislation provides the tools to rebuild the lives of those exploited by this business, and it specifically addresses the needs of thousands of homeless children, many of whom are on the streets of Houston. I say to them today that they will be embraced with a document that stands on their side, many who have fled physically and sexually abusive homes, only to be victimized again by sex traffickers.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted that this bill is moving, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great privilege to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), whom I have worked with over the years on issues dealing with women's rights and the abuse and misuse of children and certainly her work on the issues of sexual abuse and sex trafficking of children and women.
Congresswoman Maloney is a member of the Financial Services Committee and an original cosponsor, along with Congressman Poe, of this legislation in the House.
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Ms. JACKSON LEE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I thank the Members who have spoken and highlighted a number of points that I want to reinforce.
I want to reinforce what my good friend from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) have said: that we are now looking the pimps and the johns straight in the eye and really focusing on demand. But connected to demand are those lives, those lives that we want to restore and give them a new opportunity in life. We want them to not be bruised. We want them to have the ability to restore their lives as young as under 10, 11, or 12, teenagers or young women.
This particular legislation, which I want to highlight, promotes rehabilitation by encouraging the development of specialized court programs for victims of child human trafficking.
As the chair of the Children's Caucus, I realize how vulnerable our children are all over the world. And what I am most interested in is the outpatient treatment, life skills training, housing placement, vocational training, education, family support services, and job placement.
When you find a homeless teen or one who has been victimized, they are empty. They are without any substance to know that they have something of quality to save and to mold and to build. The rehabilitation part of this particular legislation--and I do want to acknowledge the gentleman from Texas, Senator Cornyn--is a very, very important part of this legislation.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of now yielding 4 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), the author of H.R. 246 that protects children from being criminalized, which is included in this bill, and I thank her for her work.
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Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, so many important points have been made, and I would just like to quickly summarize by adding my appreciation, again, to the sponsors and to the speakers today, Congresswoman Maloney and Congresswoman Beatty, and, of course, the speakers of our friends on the other side of the aisle.
I want to emphasize something that I think should pierce our hearts, which is that children should be protected. There are several elements that I think are important to make mention of regarding these children being protected.
One, I would like to acknowledge the responsibilities of the Attorney General to create a system to monitor the issuance and enforcement of mandatory restitution. Remember, these children have been victimized over the years and really have been thrown to foster care or other agencies where moneys were not available. These restitution orders will compensate victims not only of human trafficking but also related immigration and child pornography cases. The establishment of a domestic victims fund will also improve the conditions for our children.
We worked on a cybersecurity bill, an important part of this bill that establishes a national cyber crimes center to manage and provide data essential for this effort. It authorizes the U.S. Marshals Service to provide assistance to State, local, and other Federal law enforcement agencies. It has placed the U.S. Marshals in a very effective manner.
Let me note the fact that there are mandatory minimums. In a very small way in this bill, we will be looking at sentencing reformation and reform in the following months.
What I would say is that our children are enormously important. This is a very important bill. And I think it is very important that we move this legislation and view it as an embracing of our children and protecting of our women, standing as a country against the violence of sex trafficking and child trafficking.
Might I also say that this bill encourages and forces training for our law enforcement, something that we view as very important as we are going forward, to investigate human trafficking as well as training for those essential to our criminal justice system.
I might, as I close, indicate that we have finally come full circle to be able to stand again on the floor of the House and acknowledge that if you engage in these activities, we will find you wherever you are, and we will prosecute you. And the idea that you can hide as a pimp or a john is no more, and the idea that children are left to their own devices after they have been victimized is no more.
We look to reunite families, to strengthen families, to provide for these children, and, as my colleague has just said, not to criminalize the children but, tragically, first to restore the victims' lives.
I ask my colleagues to support the Senate bill, the underlying bill, the bill on the floor of the House. I thank the members of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate, the members of the Judiciary Committee here in the House, both the chairman and ranking member, and the members of our committee as we work through this process, and all the Members who put forward outstanding initiatives that are now a part of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is a scourge that greatly impacts on my home district in Houston, Texas. Houston currently ranks #1 among U.S. cities with the most victims of human trafficking. Twenty-five percent of all human trafficking victims are in my home state of Texas. Currently, thirty percent of all human trafficking tips to the National Rescue Hotline come from Texas.
Obviously, Houston does not shoulder this threat alone. Human trafficking impacts our whole nation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven endangered runaways reported to the Center are likely victims of minor sex trafficking, and that at least 100,000 American children are the victims of sex trafficking each year.
It is our duty to rescue these children, shelter them, and help them recover from the trauma that has been inflicted upon them. It is also our duty to prevent these crimes before they happen and to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to combat human traffickers.
This bill will be a significant weapon in the war against sex trafficking, which unfortunately is the fastest growing business of organized crime in the United States, generating an estimated $9 billion annually.
Although not perfect, S. 178 is a comprehensive bill that includes a variety of measures intended to strike at the problem of child sex trafficking through prevention, law enforcement, and rehabilitation services for victims.
This bill addresses the demand for this business by adding criminal prohibitions for those who solicit and advertize human trafficking. Law enforcement officials across the U.S. have identified online sex ads as the number one platform for the buying and selling of sex with children and young women.
The legislation provides the tools to rebuild the lives of those exploited by this business. It specifically addresses the needs of thousands of homeless children, many who have fled physically and sexually abusive homes, only to be victimized again by sex traffickers.
The bill promotes rehabilitation by encouraging the development of specialized court programs for victims of child human trafficking. These court programs will provide: outpatient treatment, life skills training, housing placement, vocational training, education, family support services, and job placement.
These programs will largely respond to the practical needs of those victimized by human trafficking. It is our duty to provide the tools to reclaim these stolen lives.
The bill goes further by encouraging through grant programs to the States that establish safe harbors for children who have been victims of sex trafficking. These safe harbors play a critical role in preventing youth, forced into the sex trade, from being re- victimized and stigmatized a second time by the criminal justice system.
Mr. Speaker, with this bill we are stating clearly: these children are not criminals. They are victims of one of the most heinous types of crime, and they deserve to be rescued and treated so that they may have the opportunity of overcoming their horrendous traumas.
The bill also allows victims of sex trafficking with related criminal charges to be eligible for acceptance in Job Corps program, an important process for reintegration into society.
Victims of sex trafficking deserve and need restitution for rehabilitation. This bill requires the Attorney General to create a system to monitor the issuance and enforcement of mandatory restitution orders. These restitution orders will compensate victims not only of human trafficking, but also related immigration and child pornography cases.
The establishment of a Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund will also improve services to children who have been rescued, in the form of long-term rehabilitative services, relief that is long overdue.
The requirement to monitor enforcement of restitution orders will in turn provide a strong basis for determining the next steps necessary to ensure that victims are justly compensated for the traumas inflicted on them by their traffickers.
The necessary reporting must also identify current gaps in research and data. This information will be helpful in formulating effective strategies in deterring children from becoming victims of trafficking. It requires the Government Accountability Office to report on both federal and state enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
The bill provides significant support for law enforcement officers to identify and rescue the victims of human trafficking. The bill establishes a National Cyber Crimes Center to manage and provide data essential for this effort. It authorizes the U.S. Marshals Service to provide assistance to state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies in locating and recovering missing children when requested to do so by those agencies.
Given the Marshals Service's well-established history, reputation, and success in locating missing persons and fugitives, this requirement makes perfect sense.
We must not underestimate the task ahead for law enforcement to effectively combat human trafficking. In my home state, it is well known to both state and federal officials that Mexican cartels facilitate, control, and benefit from nearly all human smuggling activity along the Texas-Mexico border. As I've already mentioned, domestic human trafficking is a nine billion-dollar business.
This legislation provides law enforcement with the tools to prosecute these crimes and to rebuild the lives of those exploited by this business
S. 178 gives block grants to states to assist law enforcement with the expenses of wiretaps, the use of experts, and essential travel.
The legislation requires better coordination between law enforcement and a variety of other entities, including: child advocacy centers, social service agencies, state governmental health service agencies, housing agencies, and legal services agencies.
When it comes to recovering and rehabilitating our missing children, we must utilize every available resource.
Several provisions in this bill encourage and foster training for law enforcement to investigate human trafficking as well as for training for those essential to our criminal justice system, such as physical and mental health care providers, federal prosecutors, and judges.
S. 178 empowers women who have been the victims of rape by providing incentives to states to pass laws allowing termination of parental rights of rapists.
In addition, the bill seeks to hinder demand by prosecuting not just the trafficker, but also--for the first time--those who patronize and solicit children for illicit sexual acts. Without the consumers of the human sex trafficking, there would be no victims.
And, S. 178 would criminalize the act of using the Internet to advertise human trafficking. While the Internet has enriched out lives significantly, it has also provided traffickers with a ready tool used to further the heinous trafficking of minors for sex.
Finally, the bill will help to foster better collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement in the fight against sex trafficking. Specifically, S. 178 directs that a task force be established within the Violent Crimes Against Children Program to facilitate such coordination.
This bill attacks the scourge of human trafficking by undercutting demand, providing law enforcement with the tools they need for intervention, and by providing rehabilitation and recovery for the victims of human trafficking.
I had hoped that before S. 178 was presented to the President, it would not contain provisions that extend the use of mandatory minimum sentences. Frankly, I am surprised that the final bill includes additional mandatory minimum sentencing provisions. Mandatory minimums have led to mass incarceration and a one- size-fits-all philosophy in sentencing that we should reject. But the overall value of the bill in protecting child sex victims and adult and child trafficking and sex victims is crucial. I support the vital purpose of this bill. On balance however, the many other positive provisions this legislation provides to combat human trafficking counsels in favor of its passage. Nevertheless, we must be vigilant in monitoring the execution of this bill after it becomes law, and effectuate modifications if necessary. The health and welfare of so many of our young people depend on it. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 300,000 children in this country are at risk of being trafficked.
Mr. Speaker, it is for these innocent children that I strongly encourage support for this legislation.
With that, I ask for Members' support on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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