Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sex trafficking is the fastest growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world. The scourge of our society is estimated to be a $9 billion industry in the United States and as much as a $30 billion industry worldwide.

All of the criminals and all of those who wish to do wrong realize that it is a bigger and better business than drugs because, tragically and unfortunately and with great sadness, they use their product over and over again. They use these innocent persons, many women, many children, many boys, over and over again.

Because this criminal activity rarely occurs in public view, it is difficult to say exactly how many children are being victimized. What we do know, however, is that the problem is extensive. All you have to do is walk along any of the streets of major cities and find homeless teenagers, or even younger than that, and you will find out that in some way they have been tainted and touched and brutalized by sex trafficking.

Madam Speaker, an estimated 290,000 American children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven endangered runaways who reported to the center are likely victims of minor sex trafficking.

I am told that the average age of minors entering the sex trade is between 12 and 14 years old. Vulnerable youth are primary targets. They are more easily lured into prostitution and other forms of child exploitation, while runaways and children in foster care are especially vulnerable. Child victims of sex trafficking can and do come from a type of home or socioeconomic background that makes them particularly, if you will, in the line of fire.

The bottom line, however, Madam Speaker, is that all of these children are deserving of rescue, recovery, protection, and shelter. One of the advocacies that I had in my own hometown was to provide for children in foster care that had aged out, because those are likely victims, unbeknownst to themselves, and they are worthy of saving.

The bill before us, H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015, is an important step toward pursuing traffickers and those who solicit the services of trafficked individuals. It mandates a review of Federal and State prevention activities by the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and this review is to be done in consultation with nongovernmental organizations. That is a great partnership.

The purpose of this review is to identify best practices in the prevention of

trafficking. This study, along with the mandated GAO, will provide much-needed intelligence to be shared among those Federal, State, and local agencies dedicated to combating sex trafficking.

And might I add, Madam Speaker, that what is also needed is a commitment, an investment of resources, to not just have the studies but to make sure that we match the importance of this legislation with resources.

Witnesses testified at a Homeland Security Committee field hearing in Houston in March of last year, which I convened and brought Members of Congress to Houston for, which has a particularly serious problem.

First, one of the biggest limitations on the ability of area law enforcement agencies to successfully combat human trafficking in and around Houston is a lack of data sharing. Another witness said we-- local enforcement--need the Feds to build a Houston trafficking regional database accessible only to vice and human trafficking personnel to store, share, and search data on all aspects of Houston- area human trafficking investigations.

Madam Speaker, the need for the information that will be collected by the GAO study and the Interagency Task Force to monitor and combat trafficking is not only needed, it is long overdue.

This bill also addresses a major concern that anti-trafficking advocates have shared with me--the lack of housing or shelter for survivors. Trafficked kids need a way out, someplace to escape. Without such refuge, these children will return to their traffickers, and their traffickers will be waiting for them. This bill provides funding for local shelters so they get the support they need to house survivors and to get these young people started on the path to recovery.

Today, we are considering several bills that address domestic minor sex trafficking, and it is right that we do all we can to protect our children. Most statistics indicate that the average age of a female when she is first victimized in human trafficking is a very young year of age. With this fact alone, we can understand why the majority of Federal investigations and prosecutions of trafficking involve minors. One of the statements we made on the floor today with all of these bills is that the minors are victims--they are not the criminals--and they need to be saved. That is what we are committing to.

I will share with you the testimony of another witness at last year's field hearing. The witness said:

Many of the females my officers are encountering on the

streets, in the massage parlors, at the strip clubs, and on

the Internet sites are typically 18 to 21. We know from

experience that, while these young women may be adults now,

they have, with all likelihood, been under the control of a

pimp trafficker for many years.

Madam Speaker, I met those women. Yes, they have been under the horrible domination of these traffickers for many years, and some were sold by their parents. We need to take definitive steps to ensure that this group of victims does not fall through the cracks because we are focusing on the minors. We do this by ensuring that the laws we pass and the supportive assistance we establish are also available to these older young women.

In closing, Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act. I compliment the sponsors and cosponsors, and I encourage them to remember that there are still those other victims of human trafficking who are equally deserving of our consideration and protection. While we will accomplish much in combating human trafficking by our actions today, let us commit ourselves to doing more.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 350, the ``Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention and Recovery Act of 2015.''

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sex trafficking is the fastest growing business of organized crime, and the third largest criminal enterprise in the world. This scourge of our society is estimated to be a $9.8 billion industry in the United States and as much as a $30 billion industry worldwide. Because this criminal activity rarely occurs in public view, it is difficult to say exactly how many children are being victimized. What we do know, however, is that the problem is extensive.

Madam Speaker, an estimated 290,000 American children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking, and 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. I am told that the average age of minors entering the sex trade is between 12 and 14 years. Vulnerable youth are primary targets. They are more easily lured into prostitution and other forms of child exploitation, and while runaways and children in foster care are especially vulnerable, child victims of sex trafficking can and do come from any type of home or socioeconomic background.

The bottom line, however, Madam Speaker, is that all of these children are deserving of rescue, recovery, protection and shelter. The bill before us, H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking, Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015, is an important step toward pursuing traffickers and those who solicit the services of trafficked individuals. It mandates a review of federal and state prevention activities by the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and this review is to be done in consultation with nongovernmental organizations. The purpose of this review is to identify best practices in the prevention of trafficking. This study, along with the mandated GAO will provide much-needed intelligence to be shared among those federal, state and local agencies dedicated to combatting sex trafficking.

Witnesses at a Homeland Security Committee field hearing held in Houston in March of last year testified,

First, one of the biggest limitations on the ability of

area law enforcement agencies to successfully combat Human

Trafficking in and around Houston is our lack of data

sharing.

Another witness stated,

We (local law enforcement) need the feds to build a Houston

Trafficking Regional Database, accessible only to Vice/Human

Trafficking personnel to store, share, and search data on all

aspects of Houston area Human Trafficking investigations.

Madam Speaker, the need for the information that will be collected by the GAO study and the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking is not only needed. It is long overdue!

This bill also addresses a major concern that anti-trafficking advocates have shared with me--the lack of housing or shelter for survivors. Trafficked kids need a way out, some place to escape to. Without such a refuge, these children will return to their traffickers. This bill provides the funding for local shelters to get the support they need to house survivors and get these young people started on the path to recovery.

Madam Speaker, today we are considering several bills that address domestic minor sex trafficking, and it is right that we do all we can to protect our children. Most statistics indicate that the average age of a female when she is first victimized into Human Trafficking is years old. For this fact alone, we can understand why the majority of federal investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking involve minors.

I must share with you, however, the testimony of another witness at last year's field Houston field hearing. That witness said,

. . . (many of the females that my officers are

encountering on the streets, in the massage parlors and strip

clubs, and on the internet sites are typically age 18-21. We

know from experience that while these young women may be

adults now, they have, in all likelihood been under the

control of a pimp/trafficker for many years. We need to take

definitive steps to ensure that this group of `victims' does

not fall through the cracks because we are focusing on the

minors by ensuring that the laws we pass and the support/

assistance we establish is also available to these young

women.

In closing, Madam Speaker I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking, Prevention, Intervention and Recovery Act of 2015, and I encourage them to remember that there are still those other victims of human trafficking who are equally deserving of our consideration and protection. While we will accomplish much in combating human trafficking by our actions today, there is still much more to be done.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as I have no further requests for time, I will just close by saying our children need our response. They are suffering. It is important that we work together to minimally provide them with the shelter that they need and with the resources that they need to eliminate the scourge of human trafficking and sex trafficking. With that, I ask for the support of the underlying legislation, H.R. 350.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of packages of human trafficking legislation to be considered by the House of Representatives this week, 12 different pieces of legislation. I also rise today in support of all the good work done by my colleagues here in Congress on the issue of human trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, as a former United States Ambassador, I was exposed firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international level. I witnessed and reported on devastating consequences of human trafficking, where innocent women and children were dragged into the dark abyss of sex slavery. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think human trafficking was so rampant right here in the United States of America. Americans are being forced into sexual slavery by ruthless human traffickers.

Mr. Speaker, right now there are young women being forced into prostitution in virtually every district across this Nation. It is hiding in plain sight. In fact, I was shocked to learn that my own hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, has been identified as one of the top 20 areas for sex trafficking in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, this problem is before our eyes. It is in our communities, it is in our neighborhoods, and it is in our cul-de-sacs. It is right here before us. Every year, thousands of young Americans' lives are impacted by this despicable crime. However, there is hope.

I take hope from the work done by the law enforcement professionals who are on the front lines every day protecting our Nation's children from those who would seek to exploit them. I take hope from those who work in victims services and their tireless efforts to help survivors recover, heal, and forge new lives out of the horrors of sexual enslavement. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, I take hope from all the survivors, the survivors of this hideous crime. Their strength gives us strength, their resolve gives us inspiration, and their steadfast commitment to ending sex trafficking gives us all the courage to fight.

Mr. Speaker, because of the efforts of many individuals and groups, I am happy to report that Congress has taken notice of this serious problem. Years of work by Representatives Noem, Poe, Paulsen, Hultgren, Reichert, Smith, among many others, have raised awareness of this issue and have laid the foundation for the long overdue action Congress is presently taking. I am grateful that many of my colleagues have held events in their home districts to raise awareness and education of this crime.

Last year in St. Louis, I participated, along with Judge Poe, in a conference at which the private and public sectors came together to share best practices about combating human trafficking. Representatives Davis, Hudson, Walberg, Roskam, Coffman, Huizenga, and Heck, among so many other Members of my colleagues, have all held human trafficking events in their districts to raise awareness and offer solutions to end sexual assault and human trafficking. I applaud these efforts, and I look forward to continuing this work for years to come.

However, Mr. Speaker, there is much, much work to be done. As legislators, we have an obligation to come together and do something because we can, because we should, and because we must.

The legislation that we are voting on this week in the House of Representatives will provide prosecutors with the tools they need to prosecute traffickers and will provide social service providers with the resources they need to assist victims in healing. These bills will mandate much-needed awareness and training, and will provide government agencies with the accurate, dependable statistics they need to combat this terrible crime.

I am so proud of the action this body has taken to recognize and address this problem, which has so long festered in the shadows.

I am equally proud of all my colleagues today who have come to the floor to speak up for the victims of human trafficking, to show them they are not alone, that we are with them, and that we will no longer be silent in the face of such depravity.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to one of my colleagues, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hultgren). He is reintroducing his bill, the Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act. The bill urges nations to recognize the link between the purchase of commercial sex and the prevalence of human trafficking in society, and to confront the former in order to effectively combat the latter. The bill targets demand.

He has hosted anti-trafficking forums for Members of Congress at which the anti-trafficking documentary ``Nefarious'' was shown. The producers of the film from Exodus Cry attended.

He is a member of the House leadership Human Trafficking Task Force and the Human Trafficking Caucus, and he has worked with the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on efforts to help human trafficking victims both in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois, Randy Hultgren.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw attention to this bracelet that I have on that many of my colleagues are going to be wearing over

the next 2 days as we pass 12 pieces of human trafficking legislation. This tab bracelet was handmade by dedicated volunteers to raise funds for Crisis Aid International safe homes in my own hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. The safe homes provide comfort and support for young women rescued from the horrors of sex trafficking.

The bracelet project, which was inspired by an 11-year-old victim wanting to make a difference, has become the symbol of hope for these precious young people.

Join me. I ask all my colleagues to join me in wearing this bracelet to spread awareness about the scourge of sex slavery.

Next, it is my pleasure to yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.

Last year, Congresswoman Beatty partnered with Senator Portman from Ohio to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation, the Bringing Missing Children Home Act, to improve law enforcement reporting and response procedures in cases of missing children, the most vulnerable victims of child trafficking and sexual exploitation.

This Congress, she introduces H.R. 246, which would improve and update the Missing Children's Assistance Act in order to reflect the current state of Federal law and reinforce that children who are sex- trafficked or sexually exploited are victims and not criminals.

I am a proud cosponsor of the gentlewoman's legislation, and it is my pleasure to yield to the gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.

I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and her friendship. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.

Next, Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield to the gentleman from Texas, Congressman Ted Poe. Judge Poe has been a longstanding advocate for victims of crime. He has dedicated his life to promoting justice and giving voice to survivors and, as a Member of Congress, has been a tireless advocate for legislation that provides a comprehensive approach to address the problem of human trafficking in the United States. Congressman Poe has been a friend and a colleague and a kindred spirit to me in the House of Representatives. His championing of victims' rights has inspired countless survivors of crime to stand up for their rights and demand change.

I yield to the Congressman from Texas, Judge Ted Poe.

Thank you, Judge Poe, for your tremendous leadership in this area and so many others dealing with victims' rights.

It is now my pleasure to recognize the gentlewoman from New Hampshire, Representative Ann Kuster. Representative Kuster has been a strong proponent of human and women's rights, advocating for a number of bills that support fighting sexual assault and human trafficking, including her bipartisan legislation to improve whistleblower protections which was passed into law last year to protect military members who report instances of sexual abuse.

Last Congress, Representative Kuster and I joined together in coauthoring a letter condemning the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls by the terrorist group Boko Haram and calling on the United States Government to work with the United Nations to enact more comprehensive financial sanctions against the organization.

I thank her for her leadership on this area, and it is my pleasure to yield to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire, Representative Ann Kuster.

I thank the gentlewoman from New Hampshire for her leadership and her friendship on so many matters that we come together.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to introduce the gentlewoman from Tennessee, Representative Diane Black. She was an original cosponsor of my SAVE Act that we will be introducing tomorrow and that I will have the pleasure to talk about on the floor during debate tomorrow.

She has sponsored roundtables in her district with law enforcement and community leaders on the impact of human trafficking in her home State of Tennessee, and she has worked with End Slavery Tennessee to see firsthand their efforts to combat trafficking in her State.

She is a leader among us for all victims, all those who have no voice. She is a friend and a dear colleague. It is my pleasure to yield to the representative from Tennessee, Congresswoman Diane Black.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this issue and so many others.

It is now my pleasure to yield to a brandnew freshman Member, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker). Combating human trafficking is a priority for Congressman Walker, and this is his very first bill introduced here in Washington, the Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015. It aims to help end this unconscionable industry. North Carolina is ranked as a top State for labor and sex trafficking, and this vital legislation works to effectively train and inform Department of Homeland Security personnel to better detect and intersect human traffickers and their victims.

I thank Congressman Walker for his leadership, and congratulations on your first piece of legislation--it is so very important--that you will be bringing forward tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure for me to cosponsor with the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) this Special Order on human trafficking. I look forward tomorrow to a number of bills that are going to pass in this United States House of Representatives. I look forward to speaking tomorrow on the SAVE Act that will go after advertisers of this hideous and heinous crime.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield back the remainder of my time so the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) may speak. She has been a friend and a partner on the issue of human trafficking since her time in Congress. She has been a real partner to me as we moved this legislation forward. We were able to move, as I said, five pieces of legislation last Congress and will be moving 12 tomorrow with her leadership and support on this very, very important issue. She has a wonderful piece of legislation, H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015. I am a proud cosponsor and look forward to its passage tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, it is worth noting that this effort to combat human trafficking in the United States, in my opinion, is led by the ladies of the House on both sides, the Republicans and the Democrats. The spunk of my friend from Missouri and all of the others who have spoken and will speak later on these pieces of legislation is obvious.

There are 12 bills, Mr. Speaker. They are bipartisan bills on one subject. As long as I have been here, I have never seen so much attention by all Members of the House on both sides of the aisle moving and trying to fix a problem as this.

Twelve pieces of legislation--many of those passed last year, they just never got voted on in the Senate--and we are bringing them up again. Once again, it is the ladies to whom America owes a great gratitude to. My grandmother used to say that there is nothing more powerful than a woman who has made up her mind. The ladies of the House have made up their mind on the issue of trafficking. They are not going to tolerate it, and neither are the rest of us.

Mr. Speaker, it is ironic to me that this tremendous amount of legislation--this important subject--is getting so little play in the national media. It seems that the media and America, I guess, is more concerned about the disappearance of air in footballs than they are about the disappearance of America's children that are being trafficked across the United States.

The worst thing that is taking place among our youth is the slavery that is happening to them. The runaways, the throwaways, and the stowaways of America's children are disappearing into this scourge of slavery, as it has been rightfully called.

Many of us remember how we got involved in trying to prevent this. My first experience was meeting a little girl in Peru at the age of 7 whose name is Lilly. Lilly could not speak because of the numerous assaults that had been committed against her before she was rescued. It is not just kids in South America or Central America or overseas; it is America's children that are being trafficked.

We have to make it clear that these young girls, primarily, that are on the streets and that are being sold and bartered by these slave masters are not criminals. These are not prostitutes. These are victims of crimes. America needs to change its focus and its understanding that when we see that occurring, that person is a victim, not a criminal.

As has been mentioned, Mr. Speaker, this is one of the leading ways that criminal organizations are making money because, in the drug trade, you get drugs and you sell them one time; plus the risk of apprehension is greater for drug sales than with the selling of kids. Children can be sold multiples times a night, and they are.

When the trafficker is captured, very often, nothing happens, so that is why this lucrative trade continues to make money, but it also continues to make money because there is a demand in this country for this scourge.

These men, primarily, that abuse children are criminals. They are sex offenders. They are child molesters. Some call them johns. They are not johns. John was a good guy. He is in the Bible. Why would we call them that?

They are child molesters, and we need to recognize them for what they are. We need to know who they are. Their names need to be published, and they need to go to jail for what they do because we have to go after the demand.

That is why I have introduced the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act along with my friend Carolyn Maloney from New York. Carolyn Maloney--a New York Democrat and a Texas conservative Republican, that is just about as bipartisan as you can get, Mr. Speaker. We are separated by a common language, to coin the phrase; but on this issue, like most Members of the House, we are united that we are going to stop this.

This bill does a few things. It goes after the trafficker, the slave master. It helps law enforcement capture them and put them in jail. That is why we build prisons. Then it goes after the victim--the child--rescues them, restores them, and finds a place for them.

Did you know, Mr. Speaker, that in the United States, according to the Humane Society, there are about 3,000 animal shelters? We need them all. I have got three Dalmatians. I got one of them from a shelter in Dallas. I call him the weapon of mass destruction. We need those shelters.

But did you know that, according to Shared Hope International, there are only about 300 beds for minor sex-trafficked victims in the United States? That ought not to be. They need more places to go when the police rescue them.

God bless the police. Many times, when they find these children, they know they are sex-trafficked victims, but there is no place to put them, so they put them in the juvenile justice system. That is not a good idea, but that is the only place they are safe. We need to find residences and homes for them. That is what this bill does.

The third thing it does is it goes after the demand, the person in the middle, the customer that abuses children, the rapist. We are going after those guys, Mr. Speaker. The days of ``boys being boys'' is over. Those people are going to be arrested and prosecuted for the crimes that they have committed.

Mr. Speaker, I insert into the Record some of the numerous anti- trafficking organizations that have helped all of us in this legislation.

Anti-trafficking, Child Welfare, and Law Enforcement Organizations

Children at Risk (Houston), Rights for Girls, Shared Hope

International, End Child Prostitution and Trafficking--USA,

National Children's Alliance, National Association to Protect

Children, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,

Equality Now, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women,

Fraternal of Police, National Association of Police

Organizations, National Conference of State Legislatures,

National Criminal Justice Association, National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children.

Mr. Speaker, I call these groups the victims' posse that helps us in this issue.

The last thing I want to mention, Mr. Speaker, is I used to prosecute criminals. I was a judge in criminal court for 22 years. Sexual assault is what it is called now, but the crime really is rape. It is rape of America's greatest resource: children.

We cannot tolerate this. We ask sometimes: Why are we even here? Well, I can tell you why we are here. We are here to make sure that all Americans, including American children and those immigrants that have been sold into the United States, are protected from crimes like rape.

Mr. Speaker, children are not for sale. I am glad to see that the House is making sure that they will not be for sale in the future. I thank the gentlelady for the time.

And that is just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, first let me just say thank you to my colleague from Missouri, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, for organizing tonight's Special Order hour but, probably more importantly, a bipartisan Special Order hour. And let me say, I proudly wear this bracelet in honor of all of those survivors.

I also want to note that her work as a former United States Ambassador exposed her firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international level. Her work has raised awareness of this problem and has laid the foundation for congressional action.

Despite international efforts to eradicate human trafficking, it still exists and affects communities in every country, including the United States. This transnational crime exploits the weakest and often subjects victims to mental and physical abuse.

Human trafficking is an estimated multibillion-dollar-a-year international enterprise that forces the weakest among us into the horrors of modern day slavery.

It is also one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world. In fact, according to the United States State Department, human trafficking is the world's second-largest criminal enterprise, Mr. Speaker, after illegal drug trade. It is forced prostitution, domestic slavery, and forced labor.

It is also oftentimes underground and masked so well that it is difficult to recognize. These victims are our housekeepers, our farmworkers brought into the United States by labor brokers who promised a job but enslaved these victims instead. Sex traffickers target the weakest members of our society by using violence or threats or other coercive means to keep victims enslaved.

Human trafficking deprives individuals of their most basic and unalienable rights--life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is why we must continue to work to end human trafficking and support the victims by providing resources and assistance during their time of need.

My home State of Ohio is the fifth-leading State for human trafficking. In Ohio, an estimated 1,100 Ohio children become victims, with some 3,000 more at risk. In fact, a preliminary report on the scope of the problem in Ohio cited that 13 years of age is the most common age for youth to become victims of child sex trafficking.

During my time in public service, as a public servant both in the Ohio Legislature and here, I have heard story after story of heartbreaking personal human trafficking experiences from Ohio. Just 2 weeks ago, my hometown paper, The Columbus Dispatch, reported that a massage spa in central Ohio was serving as a front for organized prostitution, where 18 women who spoke little or no English were forced to work there, eat there, and sleep there. Authorities believe that these women were likely trafficked into the United States to work in a sex trade.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to have a copy of this article placed into the Record.

[From the Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 15, 2015]

(By Theodore Decker)

Behind the Powell storefront--between a dentist's office

and a dessert shop--the women slept each night on massage

tables.

Rarely, investigators say, did they appear to leave the

Amsun Massage Spa, a business that caught the attention of

Powell police not long after it opened last fall in a strip

mall at 128 E. Olentangy St.

The women worked there. They ate there. They slept there.

They might not have had a choice, authorities said.

Local, state and federal investigators announced yesterday

that the massage parlor was a front for organized

prostitution and was one of four addresses raided in Delaware

and Franklin counties as part of Powell's investigation. A

parallel federal investigation resulted in searches of other

addresses, although details of those raids were under court-

ordered seal yesterday.

The combined searches turned up 18 women who speak little

or no English and might have been trafficked to work in the

sex trade. Investigators said various agencies have stepped

in to provide shelter and other support to the women.

``They don't know the culture, they don't speak the

language, and they're very untrusting of law enforcement,''

said Nathan Emery, special agent in charge of the Columbus

office of the federal Homeland Security Investigations

agency.

The women fear deportation, a threat that was used by their

employers to keep them in line, police said. Authorities are

trying to pin down their identities and countries of origin.

``We are not just arresting those who are suspected of

trafficking women for sex, we are also rescuing those who may

be victims of this heinous crime,'' said Cmdr. Gary Cameron

of the Columbus police narcotics bureau.

Powell's search warrants were served at Amsun Massage in

Powell; Amsun Massage, l000 High St., Worthington; Rainbow

Massage, 5564 Hilliard-Rome Rd. on the Far West Side; and a

Jasmine Court residence on the Far West Side.

A man and woman from Columbus were arrested: Xiao Shuang

Chao, 56, and Qing Xu, whose age was unknown. Investigators

aren't sure of the couple's relationship but said they

operated the businesses locally. They face organized-crime

charges in Delaware County Common Pleas Court.

Powell Police Chief Gary Vest said that soon after Amsun

opened, his department was tipped that women were living

there and providing sex-related services to clients.

Emery said women are brought to the United States by human

traffickers and, instead of finding a better life, ``to pay

off their debts, they're put into forced servitude.''

Because of the importance of this issue in my State and in our Nation, I engaged during my first term in Congress to pass a sex trafficking bill, 400-9. Last year, as you heard from Congresswoman Wagner, I partnered with Senator Portman from Ohio to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation, the Bringing Missing Children Home Act, H.R. 3905.

This Congress, I have introduced H.R. 246, which would improve and update the Missing Children's Assistance Act in order to reflect the current state of Federal law and reinforce that children who are sex- trafficked or sexually exploited are victims and not criminals.

Lastly, my bill would add the phrase ``sex child trafficking, including child prostitution'' to section b(1)(P) of the Missing Children's Assistance Act to fight the perception that sex trafficking is a voluntary, victimless crime.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, in speaking against and bringing awareness of human trafficking. Our country, our constituents, our children need our help.

Madam Speaker, for many years, my perspective of human trafficking was based off of a scene I had seen in a movie. It was a scene in which a father came to a playground, took the hand of his 6- year-old daughter, took her off to have sex with someone, and then brought her back to play. That was a scene from a country far,

far away, but it changed me forever. Oftentimes, when I have thought about human trafficking or sex trafficking over those years, I have thought about its being far, far away from home. Then I began to learn about what a problem we have here in the United States.

It is not just happening in other countries. It happens here. It happens in States like New York, Florida, and California, but it also happens in South Dakota, and that is devastating for me for many reasons. I have two daughters, and I know that the average age that a young girl is trafficked is between the ages of 12 and 14. I have a son who is 12, and the average age of boys who are trafficked is between the ages of 11 and 13. I cannot imagine my children having to go through what some of these victims have had to go through.

I also spent my life involved in many different youth organizations. I have been a children's minister for many years. I still teach Sunday school. I have also been involved with 4-H. I have spent my life with kids, trying to help their lives become better so that they can build the kinds of traits and character they need to benefit the world. I recognize that many children don't have those opportunities; yet I see the devastating effects of this industry here in our country.

They say one of the first steps to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. We have got a huge problem in this country, and that is why you will find these bills on the House floor today. We want to make sure that we not only recognize that there is a problem, but that we give our law enforcement officers as many tools as possible to get rid of this industry and to help as many victims as possible.

Hundreds of thousands of children are trafficked every single year in the United States. Most of these victims are women and girls. Many come from tough backgrounds that have led them to the situations they are in today; but did you know that most of them, if they are involved in the sex trafficking industry, are forced to have sex 25 to 48 times a day? That is unfathomable to me. We as a nation have a responsibility to do everything that we can to prevent trafficking. When prevention efforts fail, we have a responsibility to help those victims recover.

I know many of my colleagues today have also made this a priority, and I am grateful for their leadership on this issue. Last year, we passed many of these bills through this House, but they got hung up in the Senate even though they were extremely bipartisan over here in the House. That is why they are back again today, because we need to get these bills signed into law to save our children.

Now, as we begin the 114th Congress, our resolve is brought forward again to fight against human trafficking. I am grateful for everyone here today who has sponsored the bills, who has worked on behalf of these bills, and I am grateful for their leadership to make sure that we pass these bills and get them signed into law.

The bill that I have sponsored here today is going to make sure that when we spend Federal resources that they are spent in a manner that is going to actually help kids and help people get out of this industry. It is going to make sure that we are cooperating with nonprofits and with other organizations that have been involved in the industry before and that were being effective while we put those efforts forward. Then it is going to make sure that we have the dollars available to have shelters for those victims who are trying to come out of this situation. We have fewer than 200 beds available for victims in this country who want to recover, who want to heal, and who want to get on with their lives in pursuing the American Dream, like so many other people in this country have. That is why this bill is important. That is why all of these bills are important. It is why we need to pass them.