Fisheries Fee Fairness Act of 2011

Mr. President, today, I am proud to join with Senators Scott Brown, John Kerry, and others to introduce the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011, which will reaffirm and expand our commitment to fighting human trafficking. Since it was first enacted with strong bipartisan support more than a decade ago, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act has played a central role in our country's efforts to combat human trafficking both abroad and at home.

Championed by the late Senator Wellstone and Senator Brownback, the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act drew upon the work and support of a broad coalition of advocacy organizations from across the political and social spectrum groups dedicated to children's rights, human rights, and women's rights, as well as religious organizations including Evangelical, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish groups. It was signed by President Clinton and reauthorized twice under President Bush. I am pleased that today we continue the tradition of bipartisan cooperation as we seek the fourth reauthorization of this critical law.

Earlier this week, the State Department released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which documents the continuing significant human trafficking crisis worldwide. The report has received considerable attention, as The Washington Post editorialized yesterday, the United States has made significant strides on this issue, both through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and through important initiatives from this administration. But much work remains to be done domestically and around the world.

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. Millions of children, women, and men throughout the world are trafficked every year, including here in the United States. According to recent Government estimates, between 15,000 and 20,000 people are trafficked to the United States annually for the purpose of labor and sexual exploitation. Thousands more of our own children are bought and sold in the commercial sex industry every year.

It is no surprise that border states are at a particularly high risk for human trafficking. I am proud that my home state of Vermont is taking significant steps to address the issue. State legislators in Vermont recently passed a comprehensive anti-trafficking law that includes criminal penalties, prevention programs, and services for human trafficking victims. I commend the Vermont legislature for taking on this important issue.

Trafficking is an affront to human dignity that we cannot ignore. The United States offers a beacon of hope to so many who face human rights abuses abroad, so we cannot sit back idly while this injustice continues not only elsewhere in the world, but also here at home. Thanks to the tools provided by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, we have made progress in combating this major human rights abuse, but there is more work to be done.

This reauthorization reflects Congress's ongoing commitment to abolishing human trafficking. It strengthens the government's ability to combat trafficking by expanding enforcement tools, and by encouraging further inter-agency cooperation to identify victims, investigate offenses, and provide victim services.

Strengthening our response to human trafficking in the United States will help this country serve as a model for the world as we work with other nations to confront this complicated problem. An important tool in that international effort is the annual Trafficking in Persons Report established in the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act. That report has come to serve as an important diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to increase efforts against modern-day slavery. This legislation will require that the United States include itself in the report, a step already initiated by Secretary of State Clinton last year.

Fighting human trafficking was a priority of the Bush administration, and the Obama administration is continuing that commitment. I applaud the hard work of Secretary of State Clinton, Attorney General Holder, Secretary of Labor Solis, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius to find new ways to work together to indentify and support victims of trafficking while bringing the full force of the United States down on those who seek to profit from the exploitation of others. Nowhere on Earth should it be acceptable to deceive, abuse, and force a person into a life of enslavement, least of all here in the United States. We must do all we can to end this scourge.

I look forward to working with Senator Brown and Senator Kerry to continue the bipartisan work started by Senators Wellstone and Brownback more than a decade ago. I hope that Senators from both parties will join us to quickly pass this critical reauthorization.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today, Federal regulations developed to limit fishing have forced some fishermen out of business and pushed many more to the brink. Too many Massachusetts fishermen are doing all they can every day to keep a roof over their head and to feed their families. They are extremely frustrated that the Department of Commerce has made a series of decisions that seem to make it more difficult for them to take care of their families.

In May 2009, I sent a letter to Administrator Lubchenco requesting that NOAA investigate allegations of excessive penalties and retaliatory actions. These charges have been confirmed both by the Inspector General and by Special Master Swartwood appointed by Secretary Locke. This has led to NOAA personnel being reassigned and some fines being rescinded by Secretary Locke. There continues to be a justified distrust of the Federal Government by the fishermen, this relationship must be repaired and trust must be restored.

I have been working in the Senate to make sure that our fishermen will be treated fairly by federal regulators.

That is why today I am introducing the Fisheries Fee Fairness Act of 2011. This legislation will give the Secretary of Commerce the option to take funds from the Asset Forfeiture Fund, AFF, and use them to reimburse the legal fees and costs incurred by fishermen and businesses whose fines were remitted by the Secretary of Commerce at the recommendation of Special Master Swartwood. Under my legislation, the Secretary of Commerce would have 90 days to determine whether to provide a reimbursement and the amount of the reimbursement and reimbursements would be capped at $200,000 per person or business. The Special Master is currently reviewing a second round of cases brought forth by fishermen who believed they were inappropriately penalized by NOAA enforcement agents. Under my legislation, the fishermen in this group will also qualify to have their legal fees and costs reimbursed if the Secretary of Commerce remits their fines.

We have made progress in rebuilding the relationship between our fishermen and the Federal Government, but we still have a distance to travel. This legislation ensures our fishermen are made whole and can keep what they have earned, and those are principles I intend to keep fighting for. I ask all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be printed in the Record.