Countering Human Trafficking Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman from the Committee on the Judiciary, the gentleman from New York, and the manager who is joining us on these bipartisan bills, which many of them had their origins in the House. I am delighted that the Senate was able to join us. These bills come under the Senate name because of the fact that we are working with the Senate on many of these similar bills in order to have them become law, because they are important.

I rise now to support S. 2991, the Countering Human Trafficking Act. I thank the Senator from Michigan who offered this legislation, and it deals with making the Center for Countering Human Trafficking permanent and requires other changes to strengthen the center's contribution for the fight against human trafficking.

Let me be very clear on the floor. Human trafficking is an epidemic. It is a pandemic. It is a scourge on the fabric of America. Human trafficking is one of the greatest threats to human rights in the United States. In 2020, 11,190 instances of potential human trafficking were reported to the United States National Human Trafficking Hotline, with at least 70 percent of these instances involving sex trafficking.

The one thing about sex trafficking, it is more profitable than drugs, because you utilize, unfortunately, the tragic human being who has been made part of the bounty of your profit and recycle them over and over again, and they are young girls and boys in many instances.

I will continue to advance and support legislation, like the bill before us today, as well as programming aimed at preventing human trafficking, protecting victims and survivors, as an estimated 25 percent of human trafficking victims are reportedly in my home State of Texas at any given time, many of whom are minors.

In our State of Texas, we have developed strong advocacy groups that fight against human trafficking and even have done something innovative, which means that we have called our sports arenas No Trafficking Zones.

So I rise to support this legislation with over 5,359 trafficking victims and survivors identified through the hotline in 2019.

I introduced H.R. 7566, the Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act, now known as the No Trafficking Zones Act. I pronounce today on the floor, this bill must pass. We must have the Senate agree to this bill so this can be a complement to the bill that we now have on the floor. We have done hard work. We have worked with the Senate. We want to make sure we get this bill passed.

I rise also to support the bill previously discussed, the VAWA Technical Amendment Act of 2022. I thank Senator Hirono for this courageous legislation to protect Native Hawaiian victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sex violence, and others, to have access to the vital services of VAWA, which I think are extremely important.

I also rise to support S. 5230, Billy's Law, or the Help Find the Missing Act. This is important. I have worked with missing and exploited children. This bipartisan legislation would fix the gaps in our Nation's databases of missing persons and unidentified remains, providing much-needed closure to the thousands of families who have endured the trauma of losing someone they love.

Each year, more than 600,000 Americans are reported missing. While many are ultimately found, at least 22,000 are currently missing.

I know that for a fact, Mr. Speaker, because I have dealt over the last month with a family whose loved one was missing, it was very painful, until tragically this person was found, and they were not found alive. But the pain of missing the person and not getting any response, this should be very helpful in at least giving comfort to families who are desperately in need of finding their loved one.

So as we go forward on this legislation, I hope to continue the work that we need to do with the Senate to move forward.

My final support is for S. 2899, the Prison Camera Reform Act of 2021. It is bipartisan legislation that would require the Bureau of Prisons to reevaluate the security camera, land-mobile radio, and public address systems in use at BOP institutions and submit to Congress a report. This is very important for civil liberty, civil rights, and prison employees.

Mr. Speaker, the well-being of these prisoners is critical, along with protecting the safety, well-being, and civil rights of incarcerated people and prison employees, including correctional officers, medical personnel, and other staff.

Let me just simply say, as I close, on the Bureau of Prisons, there is more work to be done. They have to do work on how they are treating women. There was a recent hearing that shows that women have been abused, sexually abused, in prisons, besides addressing other terrible issues, and that includes both prisoners and employees.

In addition, the Bureau of Prisons has been known to not utilize the compassionate release. In fact, their percentages are disgraceful. Most of the prisoners have had to go outside with a lawyer. This is a law. They should use it.

I hope that as we look at improving the cameras that will provide due process to these prisoners who are incarcerated, who are doing their time, they will also have a bureau that is responsible and sensitive to their responsibilities of incarceration but also fairness and due process.

I thank my colleague for yielding, and I ask for support for all of the legislation that I just commented on, particularly the underlying legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2991, the ``Countering Human Trafficking Act of 2021,'' which would make the Center for Countering Human Trafficking permanent and require other changes to strengthen the Center's contributions to the fight against human trafficking.

Human trafficking is one of the greatest threats to human rights in the United States. In 2020, 11,193 instances of potential human trafficking were reported to the United States National Human Trafficking Hotline with at least 70 percent of those instances involving sex trafficking.

I will continue to advance and support legislation, like the bill before us today, as well as programming aimed at preventing human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors--as an estimated 25 percent of human trafficking victims are reportedly in my home state of Texas at any given time--many of whom are minors.

At least 5,359 of trafficking victims and survivors identified through the hotline in 2019 were under the age of 18, and in 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 17,200 reports of suspected child sex trafficking.

That is why I introduced the H.R. 7566 Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act, also known as the No Trafficking Zones Act, to ensure that our nation's schools are a safe haven for students. I hope the Senate will take up and pass my bill so that we may get it to the president's desk before this Congress ends.

While traffickers seek out vulnerable minors and adults--no person is truly safe from the schemes of charismatic traffickers bent on exploiting and destroying lives.

Sadly, these statistics were only made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic--during which traffickers took advantage of individuals and communities in crisis--further increasing the number of people at risk of falling victim to human trafficking.

It is for all of these reasons that we must help maintain the momentum gained by the Center for Countering Human Trafficking in recent years.

The Center is responsible for integrating the efforts of 16 different offices and components of the Department of Homeland Security into a cohesive strategy that supports law enforcement investigations and training, shields and supports victims, develops and enhances prevention strategies, and engages with the public.

S. 2991 is a straightforward, bipartisan bill that would make the Center permanent while promoting stability and modernization and encouraging continued collaboration, growth, and innovation.

I thank Senator Gary Peters and John Katko for their leadership on this bill and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2991) to establish a Department of Homeland Security Center for Countering Human Trafficking, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2991.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2991, which would codify the Center for Countering Human Trafficking within the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency of the Department of Homeland Security; require the center to develop a strategy to improve the effectiveness of its programs; and transfer the Department's national trafficking awareness Blue Campaign to the center.

Human trafficking is a multibillion-dollar criminal industry that exists in cities, suburbs, and rural towns and denies freedom to nearly 25 million people around the world.

Although some populations are more vulnerable than others, trafficking is a constant threat to the health and safety of victims of all ages, genders, nationalities, and backgrounds, while posing a grave danger to public health and safety, as well as national and global security.

In 2020, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified more than 16,000 victims of human trafficking, who likely represent only a fraction of the total number of victims.

In that same year, the Department of Homeland Security launched the Center for Countering Human Trafficking, or the CCHT, a centralized location for subject matter experts to coordinate and expand efforts to combat human trafficking. The CCHT integrates the efforts of 16 DHS offices and agencies that combat human sex trafficking and forced labor, which encompasses criminal investigations, victim assistance, identifying and reporting human trafficking, and external outreach, intelligence, and training.

Since its establishment, the CCHT has made great strides, providing critical support and analysis to criminal investigators in the field; delivering comprehensive training to domestic and international audiences; and focusing on promoting an integrated, victim-centered approach to the investigation of human trafficking.

However, because the center is not formally codified, it lacks permanence and long-term funding necessary to further strengthen its efforts.

S. 2991 would make the CCHT permanent within ICE, ensuring that the progress made in recent years can be maintained and improved upon, while also increasing coordination among other components within DHS to fight human trafficking and prevent the importation of products made using forced labor.

This legislation would allow the CCHT to fortify its permanent staffing with at least 45 employees that are special agents, criminal analysts, victim-support specialists, and other subject-matter experts dedicated to disrupting and dismantling human trafficking organizations and providing support and protection to their victims.

To promote modernization of the CCHT's information systems and operations, which support global investigations of human trafficking and forced labor in supply chains, S. 2991 would require the development of a strategy and proposal to modify systems and processes related to its mission.

Lastly, this bill would transfer to the CCHT the Blue Campaign, the national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement, and industry partners to recognize and respond to human trafficking, and authorize DHS to transfer any additional functions to the CCHT that combat human trafficking and the production of goods using forced labor.

Because we know that traffickers are constantly looking for new ways to exploit new victims, we must do more to fight this grave crime. That includes being responsive to change and making necessary improvements to the agencies, offices, and components put in place to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle trafficking organizations and to give aid and support to victims.

This bipartisan legislation would allow the Center for Countering Human Trafficking to continue guiding counter-human trafficking operations, protecting victims, and enhancing prevention efforts to combat human trafficking around the world.

I thank Senator Gary Peters for introducing this important legislation, as well as Representative John Katko, and the bipartisan coalition of colleagues who have worked on the House companion.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Homeland Security,

Washington, DC, December 9, 2022.

Hon. Jerrold Nadler,

Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Nadler: I am writing to you concerning S.

2991, the ``Countering Human Trafficking Act of 2021.'' There

are certain provisions in the legislation that fall within

the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Homeland

Security.

In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed

expeditiously to floor consideration of this important bill,

I am willing to waive this committee's formal consideration

of the provisions that fall within its jurisdiction. I do so

with the understanding that, by waiving consideration of the

bill, the Committee on Homeland Security does not waive any

future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters

contained in the bill which fall within its rule X

jurisdiction.

Please place this letter in the Congressional Record during

consideration of S. 2991

on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in

which you have worked regarding this matter and others

between our respective committees.

Sincerely,

Bennie G. Thompson,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, S. 2991 would not only provide permanency, increased coordination, and modernization to the Center for Countering Human Trafficking and the Department of Homeland Security, this bill would also promote growth within the center and bolster victim-centered counter human trafficking efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, every year, there are thousands of people who are victims of human trafficking in America.

Over the past two decades, the number of trafficking victims has steadily and disturbingly increased.

Human traffickers subject their victims to forced labor, debt bondage, or sexual exploitation by using violence, manipulation, or false promises.

This criminal activity are not just human rights abuses; they compromise national and economic security and harm the well-being of communities everywhere.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leads the Federal Government's efforts to identify, disrupt, and dismantle complex domestic and cross-border human trafficking organizations.

Given that multiple DHS components are involved in this effort, it is important that there be standing and robust coordination mechanisms to ensure the Department is working to combat this threat effectively and efficiently.

That is why I support passage of the ``Countering Human Trafficking Act of 2021,'' the Senate version of legislation introduced by my friend and the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Representative John Katko, and which I am a proud original cosponsor.

This legislation codifies DHS's Center for Countering Human Trafficking, a cross-component operations center that brings together 16 DHS agencies and offices to ensure they are working collaboratively.

As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I have long supported legislative efforts to improve the capabilities of U.S. law enforcement to disrupt and dismantle these dangerous human trafficking organizations.

Furthermore, Ranking Member Katko and I led an effort last year to include important anti-human trafficking legislation in the ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.''

Known as the ``DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act,'' this legislation improved DHS's communication and education materials on human trafficking awareness and prevention.

I am confident that S. 2991 will build upon the success of the Blue Campaign.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to come together to stand against the exploitation of the most vulnerable among us and join me in supporting S. 2991.

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

Mr. Speaker, in October 2020, the Trump administration created the Center for Countering Human Trafficking, or CCHT, to consolidate all human trafficking-related DHS components into one law enforcement operations center. This bill would codify this operations center within DHS. Additionally, it would transfer the resources of the Blue Campaign to the CCHT.

The Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign to educate the public, law enforcement, and others about the indicators of human trafficking and how to respond to potential cases.

Unfortunately, the Committee on the Judiciary has held no meetings on the CCHT or any of the various programs it operates. We should be evaluating the requirements and consequences of any piece of legislation in the committee of jurisdiction before it is brought to the floor. This is common sense.

Members should have an opportunity to ask important questions and offer amendments to the bill before it is brought to the floor for a vote. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 272, S. 2991.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn; that the Peters substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.