No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1532) to disqualify from operating a commercial motor vehicle for life an individual who uses a commercial motor vehicle in committing a felony involving human trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on S. 1532.

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

Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is a terrible crime with an estimated 20 million victims worldwide. It is incumbent upon Congress to take the steps necessary to combat this crime whenever possible.

Just this past summer there was a case in San Antonio in which 10 people died while being illegally trafficked in a commercial motor vehicle. Drivers have been the first line of defense in helping identify and report these sorts of activities within the trucking community. We need these drivers to stay vigilant and we need to weed out the bad actors.

In addition to the criminal penalties, drivers who knowingly take part in human trafficking should never again be able to drive commercially. Current law prohibits an individual from operating a commercial motor vehicle if they are convicted of one of nine different crimes, including alcohol abuse, negligent manslaughter, and drug trafficking.

S. 1532 disqualifies individuals from operating a commercial vehicle for their lifetime if they ever use that commercial vehicle to commit a felony involving human trafficking.

This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with unanimous consent, and I would like to commend Mr. Katko for his leadership on the House version of this bill, and I would urge my colleagues to support S. 1532.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko).

Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of S. 1532. This legislation institutes a lifetime ban from operating a commercial motor vehicle for any individual who has used such a vehicle to commit human trafficking.

In the summer of 2017, 10 people died in San Antonio, Texas, in the process of being illegally trafficked in a truck at Walmart. That horrendous incident served as a stark reminder that the transportation sector can be exploited for heinous acts.

Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has received reports of more than 22,000 sex trafficking cases inside our country. In addition, it has received over 5,000 reports of individuals who have been coerced into forced labor or indentured servitude.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every six runaway children who was reported to them last year had become victims of sex trafficking.

The FMCSA currently prohibits any individual from operating a CMV for life if he or she is convicted of committing specific crimes, including negligent manslaughter and drug trafficking. This bill ensures that the FMCSA also takes action against perpetrators who use their CMV to commit ``severe''--and that is the operative word--forms of sex trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported an identical bill, H.R. 3814, to the House by a voice vote in November. This legislation takes important steps to reduce human trafficking in the transportation sector.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is another example of what bipartisanship can achieve in the House of Representatives, unlike, sadly, the tax bill that was just passed just before us in the House of Representatives here this afternoon.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in favor of S. 1532, the No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill strengthens our Nation's efforts to combat human trafficking.

As a former organized crime prosecutor for two decades both on the Northern border and on the Southern border, I have seen firsthand the horrors of human trafficking. Too often, human traffickers take advantage of our Nation's transportation network to transport their victims from one location to the next.

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the transportation industry play a critical role in preventing and stopping these heinous exploitations. I want to commend the trucking industry for their commitment in training drivers to identify instances of human trafficking through organizations like Truckers Against Trafficking.

Truck drivers are often a critical asset in helping law enforcement identify victims who otherwise might go unseen. However, an isolated few individuals have taken advantage of their position to illegally traffic innocent people. We must stop this from occurring.

Earlier this year, alongside my good friend, Congresswoman Esty, I introduced H.R. 3814, the identical House companion to this bill. While the vast majority of our Nation's truck drivers are hardworking, honest men and women, our bill is necessary to ensure that the select few who commit these crimes are brought to justice.

I am grateful for the chairman's support in moving our bill through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and bringing this important issue before the floor of the House. I would also like to thank outside organizations, like the National District Attorneys Association, for supporting this legislation.

Again, I would like to thank Representative Esty and Senators Thune and Klobuchar for their bipartisan, bicameral leadership in this matter.