SAFE Act of 2017

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

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Florida for managing this bill along with the previous initiative, and let me thank Mrs. Maloney and Mr. Trott for their leadership on this very important legislation.

Protecting girls and young women from abuse and exploitation is vital to the health of our communities. The Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act is intended to amend 18 U.S.C. Section 116 by raising the penalty such that the maximum penalty for the crime of genital mutilation is 15 years.

Given the abhorrent nature of this practice, States should have in place laws that require healthcare professionals, school employees, and other professionals who work with children to report any suspected practice of female genital mutilation to the appropriate law enforcement entity.

This legislation is important as a means for Congress to appropriately punish those who commit this crime. Female genital manipulation, cutting, is internationally recognized as a violation of human rights of girls and women. It is currently a crime in 26 States, including Michigan and Texas. It is also a Federal crime.

Around the world, at least five girls are mutilated, cut, every hour. An estimated 100 million girls and 140 million women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM. Despite the fact that FGM has been banned in the United States since 1996, people continue to engage in this abusive practice.

Recently, Michigan was faced with the first Federal prosecution under this statute, whereby a Michigan doctor was charged with performing female genital mutilation on two girls that crossed State lines. Because this intolerable practice has no medical benefits, it has no place in our society, and those who commit these horrendous crimes should be held accountable for their actions. I, therefore, ask support for this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Protecting girls and young women from abuse and exploitation is vital to the health of our communities.

``The Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act of 2017'' is intended to amend 18 U.S.C. Sec. 116 by increasing the maximum penalty for the crime of female genital mutilation (FGM) from five years to fifteen.

Given the abhorrent nature of this practice, States should have in place laws that require health care professionals, school employees and other professionals that work with children, to report any suspected practice of female genital mutilation, to the appropriate law enforcement entity.

I support this legislation as a means for Congress to appropriately punish those that commit this crime.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It is currently a crime in 26 states, including Michigan and Texas. It is also a federal crime.

Around the world, at least five girls are mutilated/cut every hour. An estimated 100 million girls and 140 million women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM.

Despite the fact that FGM has been banned in the United States since 1996, people continue to engage in this abusive practice.

Recently, Michigan was faced with the first federal prosecution under this statute, whereby, a Michigan doctor was charged with performing female genital mutilation on two girls that crossed state-lines.

Because this intolerable practice has no medical benefits, it has no place in our society and those who commit these horrendous crimes should be held accountable for their actions.

I therefore, support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, we must do everything we can to protect victims, particularly, the most vulnerable people in our society, our children.

This bill will certainly do that. Beyond serving as a deterrence for many in our society that continue to engage in the practice of female genital mutilation, this legislation will also provide a more appropriate punishment for violation of the FGM statute, under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 116.

For all these reasons, I therefore, support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is certainly a pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), a good friend and a champion of these issues dealing with vulnerable women, the original sponsor of this legislation along with Mr. Trott.

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

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

Again, let me thank the gentleman from Florida for managing and joining me in the managing of this legislation, and, again, I thank the cosponsors.

Let me also express my appreciation to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Trott) for his service to this Congress and, as well, for his excellent bill that is on the floor.

I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), as well, for her leadership on this legislation.

I think it is important to note that these are dastardly acts against women and girls; and as I indicated, across the world, we are talking about 140 million women and 100 million girls who have been subjected to living with the consequences of the FGM. It was banned in the United States since 1996, but we know this act still goes on. So we must do everything we can to protect victims, particularly the most vulnerable people in our society: our children.

This is not a mandatory minimum. This is upwards of 15 years. This is a deserving penalty for a horrific crime. This bill will certainly do that to try to protect these children here in the United States.

Beyond serving as a deterrent for many in our society who continue to engage in the practice of female genital mutilation, this legislation will also provide appropriate punishment for violation of the FGM statute under 18 U.S.C. 116.

For all these reasons, I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3317) to amend title 18, United States Code, to increase the penalty for female genital mutilation, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3317, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 3317, the Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act, or the SAFE Act.

This legislation increases the criminal penalty for female genitalia mutilation of a minor from a maximum of 5 years to a maximum of 15 years. It also encourages States to adopt laws to require certain professionals who work with children to report suspected mutilation cases.

Female genitalia mutilation, or FGM, is internationally recognized as a human rights violation for girls and women. It is an extreme form of abuse against women and girls, often causing serious and permanent health complications, including shock and death.

Across at least 30 countries, more than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to FGM and more than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk every year of being subjected to this procedure even though it is outlawed in 42 countries.

Congress first passed legislation making this horrific practice illegal in 1996. The Federal Prohibition of Female Genitalia Mutilation Act made it illegal to perform FGM on girls younger than 18 years of age in the United States.

In 2013, Congress passed another law, the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act, which amended the 1996 legislation and made it a crime to knowingly transport a girl out of the United States for the purpose of FGM, yet the practice still continues. According to some estimates, the number of girls who have undergone FGM has tripled over the past 2 decades.

In 2017, after 20 years on the books, the first charges were filed under the FGM statute against a doctor in Michigan who performed this disfiguring assault on two 7-year-olds.

By increasing the criminal exposure for this crime, we send a message that our country will not tolerate the mutilation of our young girls and women and we will do what we can to prevent that.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Trott from the great State of Michigan for introducing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Trott), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers on this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I would first like to thank the gentlewoman from Texas for helping to manage these two very important bills on the floor today.

I, too, want to congratulate Mrs. Maloney and Mr. Trott on H.R. 3317, to ban this horrible procedure of FGM and really help to protect the women and girls of the United States.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Sheila Jackson Lee, for her extraordinary leadership on this issue and so many others, and I thank her for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3317, the Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation, or SAFE, Act. It is a bipartisan, noncontroversial issue; and I hope this body unanimously supports it, as it will save the health and protection and stop the abuse of girls in our country.

I am the Democratic lead on this bill and, first, want to thank my friend and colleague from Michigan (Mr. Trott) for his devotion, extraordinary leadership, and commitment to bringing this bill to the floor.

Female genital mutilation is an issue that affects women and girls in the United States and around the world.

I want to express my regret that he has decided to retire from this body. We will miss his leadership in Congress. His district, I am sure, and State will miss it, and, I must say, I believe our country will miss it. It is one thing when a woman champions a woman's issue, but to have a like-minded man join you and lead you is a very, very special expression of leadership, and I am deeply grateful for the gentleman's leadership on behalf of the girls and women that this bill will help.

Female genital mutilation is a terrible, abusive practice that causes immense physical and emotional pain and damage to young girls that can last a lifetime. It is a Federal crime. Twenty-two States have laws against it, yet it is still being practiced in our great country.

It is illegal in the United States, and while we condemn this practice around the world, we really need to do more to stop it right here at home.

The CDC estimates that in 2012, 500,000 females in the United States have been subjected to or are at risk of female genital mutilation, and that number is rising. It is up to us to bring that number to zero.

This bill creates a harsher and more appropriate penalty, increasing the current sentence of 5 years to 15 years imprisonment. Stricter penalties for performing the procedure are critical to eradicating this horrific abuse.

I not only thank my colleague, but also Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Nadler and our sponsors in the Senate, Senators Feinstein and Grassley.

This is an important bill. I hope this entire body supports it. It will literally save the lives of many young girls in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Florida for managing this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3317, the SAFE Act, legislation that will increase the Federal penalty for female genital mutilation from 5 years to 15 years.

This past April, just north of Detroit, reports of this appalling and brutal practice surfaced in my district. As a lifelong resident of southeast Michigan, I was horrified to learn that three local residents, including two physicians, professionals we trust with our children, were charged for allegedly performing and participating in this barbaric practice.

The subsequent Federal prosecution has shed light on an evil practice that has no place in southeast Michigan or the United States. This person who claims to be a physician is a monster and has reportedly committed this heinous act hundreds of times.

This despicable practice has no place in our society, and we must ensure our Federal laws reflect this principle. We must make it clear to Americans and the rest of the world that this practice will not be tolerated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over 500,000 girls in the United States have undergone or are at risk of FGM. That is 500,000 girls too many. We must set a zero tolerance against this practice. This is gender violence and oppression, and it is time for the government to punish such egregious behavior accordingly.

My bipartisan SAFE Act will increase the Federal penalty from 5 to 15 years, putting it more in line with other developed countries. We need to protect our girls right here at home, and increasing the penalty will go a long way toward accomplishing this goal.

I want to thank the coauthor of this bill, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), my friend and colleague, for her work. I also want to thank Chairman Goodlatte for his effort and leadership in moving this bill through the committee process.

Mr. Speaker, today we can step toward eradicating this barbaric practice, and I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 3317.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3317.

Unfortunately, this bill is needed to help protect young women and girls from the horrible practice of female genital mutilation. H.R. 3317 would increase the maximum penalty from 5 years to 15 years for female genital mutilation to appropriately punish those who commit this horrible crime.

FGM, female genital mutilation, is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and young women. It is currently a crime in 26 States, including New York, in addition to the prohibition in the Federal criminal code.

Around the world, at least five girls are mutilated in this way every single hour. An estimated 100 million girls and 140 million women worldwide are living with the consequences of genital mutilation.

Despite the fact that female genital mutilation has been banned in the United States since 1996, people continue to engage in this abusive practice. Recently, the first prosecution

was initiated under the Federal statute. A doctor in Michigan was charged with performing female genital mutilation on two girls who had been brought across State lines for this purpose.

Those who commit these horrendous crimes should be held accountable for their actions. I support increasing the maximum penalty under Federal law from 5 to 15 years in order to reflect the severity of these injuries and their long-lasting consequences and, perhaps, to better deter these crimes. Therefore, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.