National Pulse Memorial

Floor Speech

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Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1605, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022.

Debt Bondage is a terrible crime, and many victims find themselves trapped in a perpetual cycle of forced labor and coerced debt because of it. Helping these survivors regain their livelihood is a nonpartisan issue.

Earlier this year, the Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the financing of human trafficking. We heard from powerful witnesses, including Reverend Doctor Marian Hatcher, who is a trafficking survivor. It was her story, which inspired my original bill H.R. 2332, the Debt Bondage Repair Act.

Dr. Hatcher, like too many in this country, fell victim to human traffickers. Thankfully, she was able to escape a terrible situation and restore her life. However, she struggled to reestablish herself because of her credit score, which was negatively affected by loans she was forced to obtain her traffickers.

Madam Speaker, this is how these criminals trap an individual into a cycle of victimization. Traffickers will take out loans, open businesses, and destroy their victim's credit, which forces them to remain a victim until they pay off the debt. Too often, these victims are never able to get out.

Section 6102 in the final text has the potential to help thousands of victims every year by ensuring that a consumer reporting agency may not furnish a credit report with adverse information from a severe form of trafficking. While this does not erase the terrible crimes committed against them, it will help survivors to regain their financial freedom and begin to rebuild their lives.

I will conclude by thanking Chairwoman Waters for passing my bill H.R. 2332 on suspension earlier this Congress, and for including my provision in the House NDAA base text. Additionally, I would like to thank the numerous trafficking advocacy groups and the Consumer Data Industry Association for their work on H.R. 2332.

I urge my colleagues to support the conference agreement.

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