Pearce Votes to Send Anti-Trafficking Bill to President's Desk

Statement

By a vote of 420-3, the House of Representatives today passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178), to combat horrific crimes perpetrated on thousands of American victims. Following his vote to pass the bill and send it to the President's desk for signature, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce released this statement:

"Human trafficking is a despicable ageless crime that targets everyone from children and teens to adults. Often leading to sexual slavery, trafficking relies on kidnapping, child pornography, prostitution, and rape to perpetuate itself. Trafficking human beings must be rooted out and completely destroyed," stated Pearce.

"In January, I was pleased to vote for 10 House-passed bills aimed at aiding victims and eradicating this evil industry. The legislation approved today contains several of those bipartisan measures and will go a long way to hunt down and end this act at the source. It will help expedite the arrest and prosecution of traffickers, while also providing support to aid and help victims reclaim their lives. The job is not done, and Congress must continue to work with the nation to end this terrible practice. I applaud this bipartisan effort and I call upon the President to sign this critical legislation immediately," Pearce concluded.

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