Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call upon the President and the Congress of the United States to act without delay and pass legislation to prevent gun violence and mass casualties from shootings.

The community of Parkland, Florida--along with the rest of the country--is still reeling from the horrific tragedy that took place at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2018.

Our hearts still ache with sadness and disbelief for the families and loved ones of the 17 students--sons and daughters, brothers and sisters--who lost their lives in this senseless, horrific act of domestic terrorism.

It is safe to say that America is sick and tired of being sick and tired of gun violence.

That is why we must act now to stop gun violence, protect citizens, and save lives.

Here are the top 6 actions the President and the Congress can and must take now to protect our communities:

Require universal background checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands;

Extend the waiting period to purchase or transfer dangerous--weapons like the AR-15 pending completion of a background checks to 7 days;

Raise the minimum age to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15, high-capacity magazines, ammunitions, and silencers from 18 to 21 years of age;

Ban military-style assault weapons;

Limit high-capacity magazines; and

Increase access to mental health services.

We can take action without infringing on the 2nd Amendment rights of Americans.

We need to make it harder for criminals to obtain guns by strengthening the background check system.

We need to ensure that mental health professionals know their options for reporting threats of violence--even as we acknowledge that someone with a mental illness is far more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the perpetrator.

We must also make safe gun storage a priority.

As the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, a senior Member of the Judiciary Committee, and the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, I have listened far too often to the testimony of individuals who have survived tragedies or lost loved ones as a result of gun violence.

In the words of President Obama after the 2013 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, ``We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.''

While it is certainly true that violent crime and homicide rates in this country have been declining in recent years, they are still far above those in other industrialized nations.

There exists a culture of violence in America; a subculture that with today's technologically advanced weaponry is far more dangerous to public safety than ever before.

At no point in our nation's history has a single human been more capable of inflicting massive death and our society is producing more individuals who seek to employ such means to carry out their ill intentions.

Far too often, the tool of choice for would-be killers are military- style assault weapons with high-capacity magazines.

Every day, on average, 92 Americans are victims of gun violence, resulting in more than 33,000 deaths annually.

In raising this issue, we recognize and respect other cultures that exist in America; law-abiding citizens who are responsible in their ownership of firearms.

Many of these citizens are responsible with respect to the lethal capacity of their firearms, opting not to obtain assault weapons or to equip assault weapons with 30, 50, 75, or 100-round magazines.

Here is what I think the Congress can and must do to reduce gun violence without abridging the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.

Extend the waiting period to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15 pending completion of a background checks to 7 days.

That is why I have introduced H.R. 4268, the ``Gun Safety, Not Sorry Act.''

Raise the minimum age to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15, high-capacity magazines, ammunitions, and silencers from 18 to 21 years of age.

That is why I have introduced H.R. 5088, the ``No Mass Atrocities With Guns Act'' (`No MAGA Act').

Reinstate and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons.

I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 3947, legislation that will reinstates the assault weapons ban that has been introduced by my colleague, Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island.

Reinstate a federal ban on bump stocks and high-capacity magazines holding more than ten rounds and allowing a shooter to inflict mass damage in a short period of time without reloading will save lives.

I will soon be introducing the ``Stop Abuse, Violence, and Ending Lives Act of 2018,'' legislation to ban the sale and possession of bump stocks.

Require a background check for every gun sale, while respecting reasonable exceptions for cases such as gifts between family members and temporary loans for sporting purposes.

I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 4240, the ``Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017,'' legislation that requires universal background checks and closes the gun show loophole that has been introduced by my colleague, Congressman Mike Thompson of California.

It is estimated that four out of ten gun buyers do not go through a background check when purchasing a firearm because federal law only requires these checks when someone buys a gun from a federally licensed dealer.

That would be like allowing four out of ten people to choose if they would like to go through airport security.

This loophole allows felons, domestic abusers, and those prohibited because of mental illness to easily bypass the criminal background check system and buy firearms at gun shows, through private sellers, over the internet or out of the trunks of cars.

Strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database to ensure it is up to date by requiring federal and state agencies to transfer important records to the database expeditiously since without the information, the reliability of a background check is questionable.

Pass legislation aimed specifically at cracking down on illegal gun trafficking and straw-purchasing which often puts guns in the hands of people who are prohibited from having them.

Straw-purchasing is when a prohibited buyer has someone with no criminal history walk into a gun store, pass a background check and purchase a gun with the purpose of giving it to the prohibited buyer.

Restore funding for public safety and law enforcement initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence.

Congress should fund law enforcement's efforts to reduce gun violence, while supporting federal research into causes of gun violence.

There is no reason the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the National Institute of Health (NIH) should be prohibited from researching the causes of gun violence.

That is why I have co-sponsored H.R. 1832, legislation that authorizes the appropriation of funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for conducting or supporting research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.

I have also co-sponsored H.R. 1478, the Gun Violence Research Act, which repeals the provision that in practice prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from sponsoring research on gun violence.

And there is no reason for the restrictions federal law places on our law enforcement officers' ability to track and combat the spread of illegal guns.

Close the holes in our mental-health system and make sure that care is available for those who need it.

Congress must improve prevention, early intervention, and treatment of mental illness while working to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.

Access to mental health services should be improved, the shortage of mental health professionals should be addressed, and funding should be made available for those programs that have proven to be effective.

That is why I have co-sponsored H.R. 1982, the ``Mental Health Access and Gun Violence Prevention Act,'' legislation that authorizes the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration to: (1) increase access to mental health care treatment and services, and (2) promote reporting of mental health information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Help local communities get unwanted and illegal guns out of the hands of those who should not have them.

Congress should help support and develop local programs that get unwanted guns off our streets, such as gun buy-back programs that proved so effective in Australia.

Finally, we must address our culture's glorification of violence seen and heard though our movie screens, television shows, music and video games.

Congress should fund scientific research on the relationship between popular culture and gun violence, while ensuring that parents have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about what their families watch, listen to, and play.

Here is what I think neither the President, the Congress, nor state and local governments should not do to reduce gun violence.

We Should Not Arm Teachers because they are not trained to handle weapons; this is not what they signed up for.

We Must Not Surrender to NRA even though the gun lobby has long enjoyed tremendous influence over congressional Republicans and some Democrats.

Persons who live in fear of gun violence and mass shootings at schools, theaters, places of worship and work, and public spaces are not afraid of the NRA.

What they are afraid of is an AR-15 in the hands of a mentally unstable person. Americans are a can-do people; we do not bemoan our problems and accept terrible outcomes.

We act to solve them.

We have made our cars and trucks and roads safer and reduced traffic fatalities.

We have virtually eradicated polio, small pox, and other debilitating and life-threatening diseases.

We respond immediately to natural disasters caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, floods, and man-made disasters caused by acts of terrorism.

When it comes to reducing or preventing gun violence, we must summon that same spirit of American resolve and know-how and get the job done.

We can do it; after all, we are Americans.

Mr. Speaker, on March 5 and March 6, 2018, I was unavoidably detained attending to representation duties, and I would like to indicate how I would have voted had I been present.

On rollcall vote No. 92, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 93, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 94, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 95, H.R. 4607, the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered to be the primary sponsor of H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African- Americans Act, and H.R. 1498, the End Racial Profiling Act, bills originally introduced by Representative Conyers of Michigan, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Mr. Speaker, I could not help, as I listened to the colloquy of my two friends, to recognize that the key element is saving lives, saving lives from the pillage and the murderous acts that are done with guns.

The NICS fix is crucial. The banning bump stocks is crucial. The expanded waiting period is crucial, and banning of AR-15s.

But if we can move the issue of the NICS fix, if we can move the issue of expanded background checks, we can lose the taint of not doing anything since Las Vegas, not doing anything since Sandy Hook, Mother Emanuel, or, tragically, Florida. It is imperative that we save lives.

Now, let me speak very clearly to DACA.

I invite my ICE officers to stand with me on Sunday in Houston and tell my thousands of DACA young people that they will not raid their homes, they will not jeopardize their lives, and that they are, in fact, statused individuals who can go about their daily business. Join me Sunday and announce it to them.

And I ask ICE officers to join the Members of Congress across the Nation, because these young people are scared to death, and I would ask that we recognize that.

Mr. Speaker, I intend to honor the late Council Member Larry Green with a statement in the Record acknowledging the very fact of his great leadership and the fact that he has passed.

Mr. Speaker, in my district, over the past couple of days, a baby, 8 years old, has been shot. A baby, 5 years old, has been shot. Other individuals have been shot and killed. And, of course, the death and the pillage of mass murders continue, and those in Florida are still suffering, and no gun action at all, no debate.

Additionally, young people are in the streets, their families are fearful because the DACA fix promised by this President has not been done.

We need to do our work, if we are Americans; we need to do it for good for all of those who live within the confines of this Nation.

Then, finally, we had an election yesterday in Texas full of mistakes and closed polls and nonworking machines. Yet, the President of the United States has $120 million to safeguard our elections in 2018 and he has done absolutely nothing.

It is a demand that we begin to look at the Russian intrusion, faulty voting polls and machines, and begin to address the American people's right and civil liberty of voting--one vote, one person--without the fear and the apprehension of Russians intruding into an election in 2018 in order to skew the Federal elections.

Enough is enough. It is time for us to act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the issue of gun violence in America.

This Valentine's Day, February 14, 2018, marked the thirtieth mass shooting in our country this year, when a mentally unstable 19-year-old opened fire on Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida with an AR-15 military style weapon, killing 17 individuals and injuring 15 others.

We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragedy and recognize the skill and heroism of the law enforcement officers and first responders who came to the aid of others.

We commend the efforts of those who are working to care for the injured and investigate this horrific incident.

We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of the fallen, and to all those affected in the community of Parkland, Florida and in the United States.

The horrifying events in Parkland mark the 378th mass shooting in the U.S. since 2017, and the 30th this year, according to Gun Violence Archive.

Mass shootings are a near daily occurrence in America, but what happened in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 stands out: It was the deadliest such incident in U.S. history, with more than 58 killed and 515 injured.

A mass shooting is defined by Gun Violence Archive as any incident in which four or more are shot and/or killed in a single event, at the same general time and location not including the shooter.

Recent U.S. mass shootings include:

Las Vegas, 2017: 58 killed; 515 wounded

Orlando, 2016: 50 killed

Virginia Tech, 2007: 32 killed

Sandy Hook, 2012: 27 killed

San Ysirdo, 1984: 21 killed

San Bernadino, 2015: 14 killed

Edmond, 1986: 14 killed

Fort Hood, 2009: 13 killed

Columbine, 1999: 13 killed

Charleston, 2015: 9 killed

There were more than 11,600 deaths linked to gun violence in 2017, which is roughly equivalent to nearly four 9/11 attacks in terms of the total number killed on September 11, 2001.

Comparatively, more than 15 thousand were killed by gun violence in 2016, and there were 383 mass shootings.

It is horrifying to admit that gun violence now seems to be a staple of American life.

The United States ranks No. 1 in the world in terms of firearms per capita--with 88.8 guns per 100 people--and it has the highest homicide- by-firearm rate in the developed world.

The problem is so endemic that gun violence is now the third leading cause of death for children in the U.S.

An average of 1,297 children die annually from gun-related injuries.

Guns are linked to roughly 33 thousand deaths in the U.S. per year; about two-thirds of them are suicides.

According to Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans (across partisan lines) support gun policy proposals such as barring people with mental illnesses from buying guns; prohibiting gun purchases by people on federal no-fly or watch lists; and background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows.

America has six times as many firearm homicides as Canada, and nearly 16 times as many as Germany.

United Nations data shows that America far and away leads other developed countries when it comes to gun-related homicides.

America has 4.4 percent of the world's population, but almost half of the civilian-owned guns around the world.

In December 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children, six adults, and himself.

Since then, there have been at least 1,518 mass shootings, with at least 1,715 people killed and 6,089 wounded.

The fairly broad definition of ``mass shooting'' includes not only shootings in which four or more people were murdered, but shootings in which four or more people were shot at all (excluding the shooter).

Even under this broad definition, mass shootings make up a tiny portion of America's firearm deaths, which totaled more than 33,000 in 2014.

On average, there is more than one mass shooting for each day in America.

Whenever a mass shooting occurs, supporters of gun rights often argue that it is inappropriate to bring up political debates about gun control in the aftermath of a tragedy.

For example, former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a strong supporter of gun rights, criticized former President Barack Obama for ``trying to score cheap political points'' when Obama mentioned gun control after a mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.

But if this argument is followed to its logical end, then it will never be the right time to discuss mass shootings.

Under the-broader definition of mass shootings, America has nearly one mass shooting a day.

So if Congress is forced to wait for a time when there is not a mass shooting to talk gun control, Congress could find itself waiting for a very long time.

The time for responding to mass shootings with thoughts and prayers has long since passed.

The time for responding with effective legislation is now.

I have called upon this Administration to secure the passage of H.R. 4268, the ``Gun Safety Not Sorry Act,'' legislation I have introduced that would impose a 7-day waiting, or ``cooling off,'' period prior to the purchase or

transfer of ownership of a semiautomatic firearm, silencers, armor piercing ammunition, or large capacity ammunition magazines.

According to Newsweek, the ``Gun Safety Not Sorry Act'' is the No. 1 legislative proposal that Congress can and should pass right now.

The majority must cut its close ties to the powerful gun lobby to facilitate useful gun control legislation necessary immediately.

The ``Gun Safety Not Sorry Act will not abridge the Second Amendment, it will not take away gun rights, and it does not impose greater restrictions on gun ownership--it will not stop all mass shootings but it will certainly help.

In the wake of the horrific Valentine's Day mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the emboldened survivors of the high school shooting are calling for immediate gun reform.

States with tighter gun control laws have fewer gun-related deaths.

I will soon introduce legislation to keep our children safe from mass shootings: the ``No More Atrocities with Guns Act'' (No MAGA Act) raises the minimum age from 18 to 21 for a person to purchase or possess semi-automatic assault weapons.

Teenagers, whose brains are not yet fully developed should not yet be entrusted with a weapon that is designed to inflict maximum damage in minimum time.

Americans cannot understand how it is legally possible for a 19-year- old mentally unstable person to purchase such a highly lethal weapon such as the AR-15 assault rifle and then use that weapon to slaughter 17 high school students.

Although Americans say they want to protect the right to bear arms, they are very much supportive of many gun policy proposals--including some fairly contentious ideas, such as more background checks on private and gun show sales and banning semi-automatic and assault-style weapons.

Mass shootings occur more frequently in states that do not require background checks for all gun sales.

Analyses of mass shootings in the United States between 2009 and 2015 document that the majority of mass shootings occur in venues where the carrying of firearm is not restricted.

In states that require background checks for all handgun sales, including guns offered in unlicensed sales online and at gun shows, there are 52 percent fewer mass shootings.

Congress must take action to prevent other incidents such as the recent act of terror and hatred in Parkland, Florida that resulted in the tragic loss of 17 innocent lives.

There have been 32 moments of silence observed on the House Floor related to Gun Violence since 2012.

The time for moments of silence has long since passed.

The American people are demanding moments of action.

I pledge to continue to work to reduce gun violence and prevent mass shootings.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call upon the President and the Congress of the United States to act without delay and pass legislation to prevent gun violence and mass casualties from shootings.

The community of Parkland, Florida--along with the rest of the country--is still reeling from the horrific tragedy that took place at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2018.

Our hearts still ache with sadness and disbelief for the families and loved ones of the 17 students--sons and daughters, brothers and sisters--who lost their lives in this senseless, horrific act of domestic terrorism.

It is safe to say that America is sick and tired of being sick and tired of gun violence.

That is why we must act now to stop gun violence, protect citizens, and save lives.

Here are the top 6 actions the President and the Congress can and must take now to protect our communities:

Require universal background checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands;

Extend the waiting period to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15 pending completion of background checks to 7 days;

Raise the minimum age to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15, high-capacity magazines, ammunitions, and silencers from 18 to 21 years of age;

Ban military-style assault weapons;

Limit high-capacity magazines; and

Increase access to mental health services.

We can take action without infringing on the 2nd Amendment rights of Americans.

We need to make it harder for criminals to obtain guns by strengthening the background check system.

We need to ensure that mental health professionals know their options for reporting threats of violence--even as we acknowledge that someone with a mental illness is far more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the perpetrator.

We must also make safe gun storage a priority.

As the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, a senior Member of the Judiciary Committee, and the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, I have listened far too often to the testimony of individuals who have survived tragedies or lost loved ones as a result of gun violence.

In the words of President Obama after the 2013 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, ``We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.''

While it is certainly true that violent crime and homicide rates in this country have been declining in recent years, they are still far above those in other industrialized nations.

There exists a culture of violence in America; a subculture that with today's technologically advanced weaponry is far more dangerous to public safety than ever before.

At no point in our nation's history has a single human been more capable of inflicting massive death and misery, and our society is producing more individuals who seek to employ such means to carry out their ill intentions.

Far too often, the tool of choice for would-be killers are military- style assault weapons with high-capacity magazines.

Every day, on average, 92 Americans are victims of gun violence, resulting in more than 33,000 deaths annually.

In raising this issue, we recognize and respect other cultures that exist in America; law-abiding citizens who are responsible in their ownership of firearms.

Many of these citizens are responsible with respect to the lethal capacity of their firearms, opting not to obtain assault weapons or to equip assault weapons with 30, 50, 75, or 100-round magazines.

Here is what I think the Congress can and must do to reduce gun violence without abridging the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.

Extend the waiting period to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15 pending completion of background checks to 7 days.

That is why I have introduced H.R. 4268, the ``Gun Safety, Not Sorry Act.''

Raise the minimum age to purchase or transfer dangerous weapons like the AR-15, high-capacity magazines, ammunitions, and silencers from 18 to 21 years of age.

That is why I have introduced H.R. 5088, the ``No Mass Atrocities with Guns Act'' (`No MAGA Act').

Reinstate and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons.

I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 3947, legislation that will reinstates the assault weapons ban that has been introduced by my colleague, Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island.

Reinstate a federal ban on bump stocks and high-capacity magazines holding more than ten rounds and allowing a shooter to inflict mass damage in a short period of time without reloading will save lives.

I will soon be introducing the ``Stop Abuse, Violence, and Ending Lives Act of 2018,'' legislation to ban the sale and possession of bump stocks.

Require a background check for every gun sale, while respecting reasonable exceptions for cases such as gifts between family members and temporary loans for sporting purposes.

I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 4240, the ``Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017,'' legislation that requires universal background checks and closes the gun show loophole that has been introduced by my colleague, Congressman Mike Thompson of California.

It is estimated that four out of ten gun buyers do not go through a background check when purchasing a firearm because federal law only requires these checks when someone buys a gun from a federally licensed dealer.

That would be like allowing four out of ten people to choose if they would like to go through airport security.

This loophole allows felons, domestic abusers, and those prohibited because of mental

illness to easily bypass the criminal background check system and buy firearms at gun shows, through private sellers, over the internet or out of the trunks of cars.

Strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database to ensure it is up to date by requiring federal and state agencies to transfer important records to the database expeditiously since without the information, the reliability of a background check is questionable.

Pass legislation aimed specifically at cracking down on illegal gun trafficking and straw-purchasing which often puts guns in the hands of people who are prohibited from having them.

Straw-purchasing is when a prohibited buyer has someone with no criminal history walk into a gun store, pass a background check and purchase a gun with the purpose of giving it to the prohibited buyer.

Restore funding for public safety and law enforcement initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence.

Congress should fund law enforcement's efforts to reduce gun violence, while supporting federal research into causes of gun violence.

There is no reason the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the National Institute of Health (NIH) should be prohibited from researching the causes of gun violence.

That is why I have co-sponsored H.R. 1832, legislation that authorizes the appropriation of funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for conducting or supporting research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.

I have also co-sponsored H.R. 1478, the Gun Violence Research Act, which repeals the provision that in practice prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from sponsoring research on gun violence.

And there is no reason for the restrictions federal law places on our law enforcement officers' ability to track and combat the spread of illegal guns.

Close the holes in our mental-health system and make sure that care is available for those who need it.

Congress must improve prevention, early intervention, and treatment of mental illness while working to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.

Access to mental health services should be improved, the shortage of mental health professionals should be addressed, and funding should be made available for those programs that have proven to be effective.

That is why I have co-sponsored H.R. 1982, the ''Mental Health Access and Gun Violence Prevention Act,'' legislation that authorizes the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration to: (1) increase access to mental health care treatment and services, and (2) promote reporting of mental health information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Help local communities get unwanted and illegal guns out of the hands of those who should not have them.

Congress should help support and develop local programs that get unwanted guns off our streets, such as gun buy-back programs that proved so effective in Australia.

Finally, we must address our culture's glorification of violence seen and heard though our movie screens, television shows, music and video games.

Congress should fund scientific research on the relationship between popular culture and gun violence, while ensuring that parents have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about what their families watch, listen to, and play.

Here is what I think neither the President, the Congress, nor state and local governments should not do to reduce gun violence.

We should not arm teachers because they are not trained to handle weapons; this is not what they signed up for.

We must not surrender to NRA even though the gun lobby has long enjoyed tremendous influence over congressional Republicans and some Democrats.

Persons who live in fear of gun violence and mass shootings at schools, theaters, places of worship and work, and public spaces are not afraid of the NRA.

What they are afraid of is an AR-15 in the hands of a mentally unstable person.

Americans are a can-do people; we do not bemoan our problems and accept terrible outcomes.

We act to solve them.

We have made our cars and trucks and roads safer and reduced traffic fatalities.

We have virtually eradicated polio, small pox, and other debilitating and life-threatening diseases.

We respond immediately to natural disasters caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, floods, and man-made disasters caused by acts of terrorism.

When it comes to reducing or preventing gun violence, we must summon that same spirit of American resolve and know-how and get the job done.

We can do it; after all, we are Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4406, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 99 Macombs Place in New York, New York, as the ``Tuskegee Airmen Post Office Building.''

H.R. 4406 is a fitting tribute to the African American men who fought heroically and against great odds and personal hardships, in World War II and is long overdue.

The 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th, Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces, which will be forever known as the ``Tuskegee Airmen,'' were instrumental in the Allied Powers victory in World War II, and is by any standard American heroes.

For these reasons it is a fitting tribute that we honor these men by naming the Post Office at 99 Macombs Place, in Harlem, New York after them.

A few years ago about this time, I was honored to join my colleagues, Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Charles Rangel, a Korean War veteran, in paying tribute to surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen and the 555th Parachute Infantry, the famed ``Triple Nickels'' at a moving ceremony sponsored by the U.S. Army commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The success of the Tuskegee Airmen in escorting bombers during World War II--achieving one of the lowest loss records of all the escort fighter groups, and being in constant demand for their services by the allied bomber units--is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.

So impressive and astounding were the feats of the Tuskegee Airmen that in 1948, it helped persuade President Harry Truman to issue his famous Executive Order No. 9981, which directed equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces and led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military forces.

It is a source of enormous and enduring pride that my father-in-law, Phillip Ferguson Lee, was one of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Clearly, what began as an experiment to determine whether ``colored'' soldiers were capable of operating expensive and complex combat aircraft ended as an unqualified success based on the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen, whose record included 261 aircraft destroyed, 148 aircraft damaged, 15,553 combat sorties and 1,578 missions over Italy and North Africa.

These outstanding African American men defied all odds and became military pilots when the United States was still subject to Jim Crow Laws and the American military was still segregated.

Not only were these men exceptional soldiers who fearlessly defended this nation, but they were torchbearers who illuminated a path for countless African Americans to follow.

The Tuskegee Airmen proved that the antidote to racism is excellence in performance.

This bill would honor the unsung heroes of World War II who valiantly fought to defend this nation and pioneered a movement that led to the desegregation of the American military.

For these reasons, I am proud to support, H.R. 4406; and I ask my colleagues to join me in voting to pass this fitting tribute to American heroes.

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

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentlewoman from Alabama for managing this legislation. I thank Congresswoman Wagner for her leadership and, as someone said, continued determination, joined by my friend and colleague from Ohio, Congresswoman Beatty and Congresswoman Maloney. We have all worked together over the years for the victims of human trafficking and sex trafficking.

In the last couple of hours, we heard in the Judiciary Committee the stories of the victims of rape, so we know that this is an important time and important legislation. Throughout this time, you will hear stories of victims who have been victimized and are in need of this legislation.

Just to recount my statement in the Rules Committee, yesterday, Monday, a week ago, in Houston, I sat down with victims who had been trafficked or who had been victimized through online sex trafficking or other aspects of sex trafficking. It was overwhelming to hear parents speak of a young girl, their daughter, who had been misled and driven away from their home or from her area and had been taken and abused for a long period of time until he had to rescue her himself, spending $50,000, and then $60,000, to be able to rehabilitate herself, which is now an ongoing process. Though, as every family and every parent, he is grateful that she is alive.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1865, Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, an important bill intended to address the reprehensible crime of online sex trafficking by prosecuting the violators and providing relief to the violated.

First and foremost, H.R. 1865 makes clear that section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which its interpretation was expanded in the first circuit court ruling of Doe v. Backpage, this bill makes it clear that section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was never intended to protect the facilitation of online prostitution or sex trafficking and calls out those websites that have acted recklessly in allowing the sale of victims of sex trafficking online or stood idly by while young boys and girls, many as young as 13 years old or even younger, were coerced, threatened, tortured, bought, and sold on the whims of their exploiters.

Secondly, this legislation will provide Federal prosecutors with an additional weapon to use against the immoral individuals who participate in the forced enslavement we know as sex trafficking.

H.R. 1865 creates the new offense of intentional promotion or facilitation of prostitution while using or operating a facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, such as the internet. A general violation of this offense will be punishable by a sentence of upwards of 10 years.

Websites have operated with impunity, hidden behind section 230, allowing traffickers to advertise, promote, sell minors and other vulnerable at-risk members of our society, children, parents' precious, precious children, who are forced to perform unspeakable acts under the threat of violence, gun violence, starvation, and emotional and physical abuse.

Under this legislation, an aggravated violation of the new offense, punishable by imprisonment, occurs if a defendant, such as Backpage, promotes or facilitates the prostitution of five or more victims or acts with reckless disregard of the fact that the conduct in question contributed to sex trafficking as defined in the Federal criminal code at section 1591, title 18.

Not only does H.R. 1865 create criminal liability and mandatory restitution for online sex traffickers and their enablers, this legislation goes even further. Victims harmed as a result of an aggravated violation of this new offense will have the ability--very important--to seek civil damages, while judges will be required to impose restitution upon defendants convicted of committing either the general or aggravated violation.

We appreciate law enforcement, U.S. attorneys, yet we know that State law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are vital in the fight as well, and they have called on Congress to act and to fight more effectively. There are State task forces across the country working to protect young girls and boys, and H.R. 1865 allows State legislators to enact laws prohibiting the conduct that reflects the offense created in this bill.

Soon we will be discussing the Walters amendment, which is offered because of the victims groups who want a stronger response to helping victims. We thank them for that.

The Jackson Lee amendment, which I will offer, leads to be able to help understand what the level of recovery is and the mandatory restitution. It will tell the story. It will provide the GAO study to find out how this legislation is positively impacting, who is receiving the dollars, are they receiving the dollars.

Today, this account has swelled to $99 billion a year, with a considerable portion of that money being generated through online advertising solicitation, and that is the account of dollars that are being used through sex trafficking.

My amendment will determine and help to bring information to us as to the effectiveness of this particular legislation, and I think it will be very important.

Let me conclude by saying that a letter to Congress from the National Association of Attorneys General indicated certain Federal courts have broadly interpreted the Communications Decency Act, which has left victims and State and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, who regularly confront the cruel realities of sex trafficking, feeling powerless against online ad services and websites that facilitate or allow sex trafficking.

My heart goes out, and I am grateful that we have moved. As we move forward, we will be able to build with more legislation that might include my second amendment that would have allowed victims of sex trafficking to file civil actions in State courts.

Mr. Chair, let me express my gratitude to the victims who have been courageous enough to tell their story.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1865, the ``Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017,'' an important bill, intended to address the reprehensible crime of online sex trafficking by prosecuting the violators and providing relief to the violated.

First and foremost, H.R. 1865:

(1) Makes clear that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was never intended to protect the facilitation of online prostitution or sex trafficking; and

(2) Calls out those websites that have acted recklessly in allowing the sale of victims of sex trafficking online, or stood idly by while young boys and girls--many as young as thirteen years old or even younger--were coerced, threatened, tortured, bought, and sold on the whims of their exploiters.

Secondly, this legislation will provide federal prosecutors with an additional weapon to use against the immoral individuals who participate

in the forced enslavement we know as sex trafficking.

H.R. 1865 creates the new offense of intentional promotion or facilitation of prostitution while using or operating a facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, such as the Internet.

A general violation of this offense will be punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of up to ten years.

Websites have operated with impunity and hidden behind Section 230-- allowing traffickers to advertise, promote, and sell minors and other vulnerable, at risk members of our society, who are forced to perform unspeakable acts under the threat of violence, starvation, and emotional and physical abuse.

Under this legislation, an aggravated violation of the new offense, punishable by a maximum of twenty-five years imprisonment, occurs if a defendant, such as Backpage.com:

(1) Promotes or facilitates the prostitution of five or more victims; or

(2) Acts with reckless disregard of the fact that the conduct in question contributed to sex trafficking, as defined in the federal criminal code at section 1591 of title 18.

Not only does H.R. 1865 create criminal liability and mandatory restitution for online sex traffickers and their enablers, this legislation goes even further.

Victims harmed as a result of an aggravated violation of this new offense will have the ability to seek civil damages, while judges will be required to impose restitution upon defendants convicted of committing either the general or aggravated violation.

We appreciate the efforts of federal law enforcement and assistant U.S. attorneys who endeavor to rid the streets and virtual highways of sex trafficking.

Yet we know that state law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are vital to this fight as well, and they have called on Congress to help them fight more effectively.

There are state task forces across the country working on the frontlines to locate young girls and young boys--children--and return them to the arms of distraught mothers and fathers.

H.R. 1865 allows state legislatures to enact laws prohibiting conduct that reflects the offenses created in this bill and the existing sex trafficking statute that I previously mentioned.

Congresswoman Walters has offered an amendment, which is supported by many victims' advocacy groups, to further strengthen the legislation before us today.

Taking two key provisions from the Senate bill, known as SESTA, the Walters amendment makes clear that the Communications Decency Act does not impair or limit federal causes of action filed by victims of sex trafficking and creates a right of action for state attorneys general to file federal causes of action for sex trafficking on behalf of their citizens.

This leads me to my own amendment, which is intended to measure the effectiveness of the civil recovery and mandatory restitution provisions of H.R. 1865.

In every community across the country, soulless individuals bend, break, and use the minds and bodies of young girls, young boys, men, and women--for a profit--over and over and over again.

Despite the reprehensible nature of this crime, sex trafficking is a widespread problem that is now the fastest growing criminal industry.

Today, it has swelled to $99 billion a year--with a considerable portion of that money being generated through online advertising and solicitation.

Sex traffickers have harnessed the wide-reaching expanse of the Internet together with the ability to conduct their so-called business anonymously.

They are no longer restricted to dark, unsafe street corners, filthy truck stops, or seedy hotels and strip clubs.

Instead, websites have made sex trafficking easy, convenient, and less risky for traffickers and their cowardly customers.

Today, visitors to websites can scroll through virtual Yellow Pages of listings, on their cell phones or tablets, according to their location, tastes, and preferences, without leaving the privacy and safety of their homes.

According to the Polaris Project, U.S. law enforcement has identified online advertisements as the primary platform for buying and selling sex with minors. Over the past several years, more than 80 percent of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's reports regarding child sex trafficking relate to the sex trafficking of a child online.

When notified of the criminal activity occurring on their websites and platforms, many companies, have worked to remove the content and even collaborated with law enforcement to find the perpetrators and rescue victims.

On the other hand, there are companies that have made every effort to obfuscate the criminal nature of the activity that is allowed to continue unabated, while the companies continue to turn a profit, and traffickers continue to force their captives to perform sex acts, under the threat of violence and actual physical and emotional abuse.

Girls and boys, men and women, are brazenly advertised and sold for sex on roughly a dozen major websites--the most notorious of these is, of course, Backpage.com.

However, local law enforcement officials in Seattle, Washington have identified more than 130 websites where mostly women and children are bought and sold for sex.

Many attempts have been made to hold these websites, including Backpage.com, accountable for allowing sex traffickers to operate on their platforms and profiting from their conduct.

However, as was pointed out in a letter to Congress from The National Association of Attorneys General: ``certain federal courts have broadly interpreted the Communications Decency Act,'' which has left victims and state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, who regularly confront the cruel realities of sex trafficking, feeling powerless against online ad services and websites that facilitate or allow sex trafficking.

My heart aches for those who are taken advantage of, abused, robbed of their innocence, and then robbed again of the justice they seek.

As I said earlier, the legislation before us will allow victims to file civil actions in federal courts under certain conditions and my amendment will determine if the civil actions are delivering relief and restoration.

I offered a second amendment that would have allowed victims of sex trafficking to file civil actions in state courts under the same conditions set forth in the underlying bill for federal civil actions.

Although I am disappointed that this amendment was not accepted, I look forward to building upon the work that has been done to address the needs of victims and survivors of sex trafficking, and introducing additional legislation to continue along the pathway towards a comprehensive solution.

I am inspired and energized by the countless survivors who, despite their suffering, are willing to stand against those who have exploited them. These brave individuals want justice and I want them to have it.

As a leader in the fight against Human and Sex Trafficking and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, I am painfully familiar with the pervasiveness of sex trafficking in my own state of Texas--which has become a hot bed of human trafficking.

Among law enforcement and human trafficking authorities, Houston is known as the hub of human trafficking.

The highest number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in Texas comes from Houston, and a study conducted by the University of Texas stated that there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas, including almost 79,000 minors.

In the few minutes I have left, I would like to share the story of a young woman named Kathy, who moved to Houston in 1994 with her family.

Kathy was raised to be strong and independent; she was very involved in her church, community, and ROTC.

She graduated from high school, with hopes of pursuing a career in journalism.

Yet, Kathy became a victim of sex trafficking.

Like most girls, she wanted to be loved.

She met a charming young man who treated her like she had never been treated before.

After a fairytale year, her Prince Charming proposed something Kathy felt she could not refuse--a promising job with his company, an administrative position that would triple her income and provide financial security for her future, which seemed like a dream come true.

The job was in Dallas and, despite her initial hesitation, she saw the offer as an opportunity to provide for her family.

But, shortly after she arrived in Dallas, Kathy found herself in the dark world of sex trafficking and prostitution--a life she never imagined.

Graphic images were taken of her and placed on the Internet against her will.

She was forced to perform sexual favors multiple times, every day, throughout Dallas and surrounding areas.

Escape was not easy.

She was cut off from her family.

Her boyfriend, turned pimp, limited her phone calls to johns, and did not allow her to have money.

But, somehow she found an opportunity to get away and she never looked back.

After many years of living in silence, Kathy decided to journal her experience.

That journal became a book, which became a stage play.

Kathy found her voice and is now an inspirational speaker who hopes to use her story to encourage others to join the fight against sex trafficking.

Images of Kathy's horrific past linger on the Internet.

She says: ``Sites like Backpage have chosen to revictimize survivors and keeps us in bondage by refusing to remove images taken against our will.''

Kathy hopes that one day the voices of survivors will be heard.

Well, Kathy--know that I hear you.

Congress hears you.

We hear the voices of the victims, who remain in physical and mental bondage.

We hear the voices of the survivors, who are struggling to rid themselves of reminders of their torment--survivors like Liliana who was lured away from her home by a man she met on the internet, held captive, repeatedly raped by at least five different men, and suffers from PTSD.

H.R. 1865, the ``Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017,'' together with Representative Walters's amendment, provides law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts at every level with the tools they need to hold responsible each and every bad actor who participates in, facilitates, contributes to, or profits from this modern-day form of slavery.

The proposed legislative combination will help defend and protect communities across the country, guard against the further spread of sex trafficking, and provide survivors with a path to justice of their own.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), a Democratic cosponsor of this legislation. I thank her very much for her perseverance and determination.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), who joined with Representative Joyce Beatty from Ohio and the lead sponsor, Congresswoman Wagner, to be strong supporters of this legislation. She is an original cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), a member of the Judiciary Committee, a distinguished Member, who is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security and knows about violations of human beings.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time and offer a closing to this important legislation.

Mr. Chairman, as indicated, I had offered an amendment that would have allowed victims of sex trafficking to file civil action in State courts under the same conditions set forth in the underlying bill for Federal/civil actions.

I believe, however, that we have laid a stupendous foundation for innocent victims and that we will have an opportunity to work with all of our friends who fought so hard for this legislation.

So again, I want to take the opportunity to thank Congresswoman Wagner and her cosponsors, and as well Congresswoman Maloney and Congresswoman Beatty, and the work that we have done in the Judiciary Committee through a period of coming together, I believe, is extremely constructive.

It is so constructive that we have any number of support letters. I include in

the Record a statement by John F. Clark, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Statement By John F. Clark, President & and CEO, National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children

Regarding House Action on Legislation to Provide Justice to Child Sex

Trafficking Victims--February 23, 2018

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is

pleased that the House of Representatives is scheduled to

consider Representative Ann Wagner's Allow States and Victims

to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (H.R. 1865) next week. We

strongly urge all Members to support the crucial amendment

offered by Representative Mimi Walters, which makes long

needed updates to the Communications Decency Act (CDA) to

ensure that children trafficked for sex online can have their

day in court against online traffickers and to clarify that

there is no legal protection for anyone who participates in

the sex trafficking of children.

We especially thank Senators Rob Portman and Richard

Blumenthal for their powerful leadership in authoring the

Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (S. 1693), which is the

basis for Representative Walters' amendment, and for their

ongoing support of the child survivors, their families, and

the coalition of advocacy organizations who serve these

survivors.

We look forward to continuing to work with Members of

Congress to bring this legislation to a vote on the House

Floor and through the Senate so that it can get to the

President's desk to be signed into law.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter from Enough is Enough.

For Immediate Release: February 26, 2018

Enough Is Enough Calls on the U.S. House of Representatives To Pass

Critical Legislation To Hold Websites Accountable for Knowingly

Facilitating Sex Trafficking

Statement by Donna Rice Hughes, President & CEO, Enough Is Enough

Great Falls, VA.--H.R. 1865, the Fight Online Sex

Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA), originally introduced by

Representative Ann Wagner, is scheduled for an historic floor

vote on Tuesday. The need for legislation to clarify Section

230 of the Communication's Decency Act (CDA) is necessary

given the 1st Circuit ruling in Doe v Backpage which held

that even if Backpage had participated in the crime of sex

trafficking, Section 230 shielded the company from the claims

filed by child victims.

``The urgency to amend Section 230 of the Communications

Decency Act is long overdue,'' said EIE President Donna Rice

Hughes. ``Section 230, originally known as the Good Samaritan

Defense, was intended to protect children from the online

exploitation. Unfortunately, it has been anything but a Good

Samaritan immunity for responsible Internet service and

content providers, and instead has been misused by third

party websites like backpage.com as a Trojan horse to

knowingly facilitate sex and trafficking with women in

children,'' said Ms. Hughes. ``There must be accountability

in the form of state and local criminal and civil liability

for such sites which have been referred to by prosecutors as

an `online brothel.' Its time to put the dignity of women and

children over corporate profit,'' said Hughes.

For years, EIE has encouraged Congress to amend Section 230

due to a series of devastating rulings in multiple court

cases over the years which have misinterpreted Section 230 of

the Communications Decency Act by granting anything goes

immunity to websites whose advertising business model

knowingly facilitates sex trafficking and exploitation.

``By passing FOSTA along with the crucial amendment offered

by Representative Mimi Walters which mirrors S. 1693 ``Stop

Enabling Sex Trafficking Act 2017'' (SESTA), each member of

the House has the opportunity to send an `enough is enough'

clarion message to sites who exploit and traffic vulnerable

children and women and to the federal courts who have failed

to properly interpret Congress's original intent for #230 An

overwhelming `yes' vote by the House will say to child

victims, `we hear you, we see you and we are standing with

you by providing the necessary legislative remedy to seek

justice,'' continued Hughes, who applauded the resolution

last week set forth unanimously by the Kentucky House of

Representatives, which requested and petitioned the U.S.

Congress to amend sections of the Community Decency Act (CDA

230) to ``permit the prosecution of interactive computer

service providers.''

In 2016, during his candidacy, Donald Trump signed EIE's

Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge in which he

promised to ``aggressively enforce existing federal laws to

prevent the sexual exploitation of children online, including

the obscenity, child pornography, sexual predation & sex

trafficking laws.'' Ms. Hughes added, ``We strongly urge the

House to pass the FOSTA-SESTA compromise package and move it

to the Senate, offering hope to and justice for those who

have suffered from this unconscionable act of human

exploitation.'' SESTA, originally introduced by Senators

Portman and Blumenthal currently has 67 bipartisan Senate co-

sponsors and is endorsed by the Internet Association (IA), as

is H.R. 1865.

In 2013, Enough Is Enough voiced strong support of the

effort of The National Association of Attorneys General (49

Attorneys General) calling on Congress to support a simple

two word amendment that would enable state prosecutors to

help fight prostitution and child sex trafficking.

Unfortunately, Congress failed to act, resulting in more

years of untold trauma and exploitation for trafficking

victims and huge profits for websites and interactive service

providers.

Mr. Chair, I also include in the Record a letter from World Without Exploitation with many, many signatures.

For Immediate Release

National Anti-Trafficking Coalition Urges Congress to Pass FOSTA With

Section 230 Provision to Curb Online Sex Trafficking--As Internet Demand Explodes, World Without Exploitation Calls on National Lawmakers to Support Survivors and Stem the Tide of Human Trafficking by Holding

Websites Accountable

New York, NY--February 26, 2018--World Without Exploitation

(WorldWE), the national coalition to end human trafficking

and exploitation, today urges members of Congress to pass

legislation that would clarify Section 230 of the

Communications Decency Act and allow state law enforcement

and survivors to seek justice against websites that knowingly

engage in facilitating human trafficking. The bill will help

disrupt sex trafficking in the United States, much of which

has shifted from the streets to the Internet.

The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA), H.R.

1865, was introduced by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) and now

includes a crucial amendment by Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA) that

seeks to close a legal loophole in Section 230 of the

Communications Decency Act that allows websites that host

online sex ads to operate with impunity. The Walters

amendment echoes language from the Stop Enabling Sex

Traffickers Act of 2017 (SESTA), S. 1693 sponsored in the

Senate by Rob Portman (R-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

``Every day, thousands of children and adults are being

illegally bought and sold online, and the websites that

facilitate these transactions have been able to hide behind

legislation that was never designed to shelter this kind of

activity,'' said Lauren Hersh, national director of WorldWE.

``WorldWE and our members are incredibly grateful to Reps.

Wagner and Walters and Sens. Portman and Blumenthal, among

many others, for listening to the voices of survivors and

driving meaningful change with so much bipartisan support.

The urgency we are seeing to stop human trafficking at the

highest levels of our government is truly inspiring.''

With the growth of the Internet, human trafficking that

once happened mainly on street corners has largely shifted

online. According to the National Center for Missing &

Exploited Children, 73 percent of the 10,000 child sex

trafficking reports it receives from the public each year

involve ads on the website Backpage.com. The anonymity and

ease with which victims can be bought and. sold on the

Internet has created a multibillion-dollar industry, and a

tremendous surge in exploitation across the United States.

``The illegal sex trade is no less odious simply because it

is operating on the Web,'' said Anne K. Ream, founding co-

chair of WorldWE. ``Wherever it happens, whenever it happens,

human trafficking is an industry in which profits are built

on human pain. We need public policies that are responsive to

the current face of trafficking, which is why passage of

FOSTA with the Walters amendment is so critical.''

``We urge the House to pass FOSTA with the Walters

amendment and send the bill to the Senate for adoption,''

said Nikki Bell, founder and director of Living in Freedom

Together (LIFT), a survivor-led organization. ``We are hoping

after today, we will be one step closer to bringing justice

to survivors and disrupting the profitable model of online

trafficking in our country.''

To learn more about WorldWE, hear survivor stories, donate,

and join our movement to create a world without exploitation,

please visit http://www.worldwithoutexploitation.org./

About World Without Exploitation

World Without Exploitation (WorldWE) is a national

coalition of more than 100 organizations and individuals

committed to human rights, civil rights, and gender justice.

WordWE's mission is to create a world where no person is

bought, sold or exploited. The coalition aims to create a

culture where those who have been trafficked or sexually

exploited are treated as victims of a crime, not criminals

themselves, while those who purchase, sell or exploit another

human being are punished.

What was it like before this legislation? Simply, J.S., who is documented in the film ``Jane Doe,'' will tell you. A bright young lady, 15 years old, ran on the track team here in this area and, for her own enthusiasm, went to Seattle, Washington.

When she went to Seattle, Washington, it would have been nice if a kind soul had found her, but that was not the case.

Within 15 days, she met a man twice her age, who seduced her with gifts and convinced her to stay with him. Once she trusted the 32-year- old, he quickly turned on her and raped her, and he would post explicit pictures of her in an ad on Backpage.com, and she was forced to continue to have sex for money.

One would think that there was relief. But when her family sought to file in court, she lost. She lost. Only through the work of Congress has her case been able to move forward on an appeal.

So the work that we have done is vital to saving lives and to restoring lives. I am inspired and energized by the countless survivors, many of whom I have seen today and many of whom I have joined with last Monday in my district.

As a leader in the fight against human and sex trafficking and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, I am painfully familiar with the pervasiveness of sex trafficking in my own State of Texas, which has become a hotbed of human trafficking in the city of Houston.

Among law enforcement and human trafficking authorities, Houston is known as a hub of human trafficking, not because of the lack of concern and energy in my law enforcement and social service community. It is just an epicenter because of the ability for people to come because of the warm weather, for children who have aged out of foster care, and for others who are victims of human trafficking.

The highest number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in Texas comes from Houston, and a study conducted by the University of Texas stated that there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas, including almost 79,000 minors.

The story of Kathy, right here in Houston, in the few minutes I have left, I would like to share the story of a young woman named Kathy who moved to Houston in 1994 with her family. Kathy was raised to be strong and independent. She was very involved in a church community and ROTC. So in the few minutes I have remaining, I will share the story of Kathy.

She graduated from high school with hopes of pursuing a career in journalism, but she became a victim of sex trafficking. Like most girls, she wanted to be loved. She met a charming young man who treated her like she had never been treated before.

After a fairytale year, her Prince Charming proposed something Kathy felt she could not refuse: a promising job with his company, an administrative position that would triple her income and provide financial security for her future. It seemed like a dream come true.

The job was in Dallas. Despite her initial hesitation, she saw the offer as an opportunity to provide for her family. But shortly after she arrived in Dallas, Kathy found herself in the dark world of sex trafficking and prostitution, a life she never knew she would be involved in.

Graphic images were taken of her and placed on the internet against her will. She was forced to perform sexual favors multiple times every day throughout Dallas' surrounding areas.

Escape was not easy. She was cut off from her family. Her boyfriend- turned-pimp limited her phone calls to johns and did not allow her to have money. Somehow she found an opportunity to get away, and she never looked back.

After many years of living in silence, Kathy decided to journal her experience. The journal became a book, which became a stage play. Kathy found her voice and is now an inspirational speaker who hopes to use her story to encourage others to join the fight.

Images of Kathy's horrific past linger on. She said:

Sites like Backpage have chosen to revictimize survivors

and keep us in bondage by refusing to remove images taken

against our will.

Kathy hopes that one day the voices of survivors will be heard. Well, we hear Kathy today. Congress hears her. We hear the voices of the victims remaining in physical and mental bondage.

So, in conclusion, let me say, as we hear the voices of the survivors, we realize the importance of our First Amendment and the ability of free expression. But we know that the torment that these victims are going through, the PTSD that they are suffering, really is a statement of importance for H.R. 1865 that allows States and victims to fight online sex trafficking and to work with all of those who have worked so hard on this bill, from our Judiciary Committee to the Senate Judiciary Committee to the sponsors, and to go forward building on this legislation with more legislation, more victims being able to work with us, and, finally, Mr. Chairman, to be able to stomp out and extinguish human trafficking, sex trafficking, and online trafficking.

This is a powerful nation. There is no reason why we cannot do this. I look forward to that effort. With that, I ask for a vote of ``yes'' on this bill.

I want to say that Mrs. Maloney, who sounded as if she said vote ``no,'' really meant to say she wants a resounding ``yes'' on this legislation as well.

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

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the Goodlatte amendment, and I thank the chairman along with our ranking member, Mr. Nadler, for their hard work in working together.

I think this amendment is particularly important because it clarifies that the restitution provision applies to victims of sex trafficking and ensures that the affirmative defense applies to both of the criminal offenses created in the underlying bill. These changes are simple and reasonable.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the Goodlatte Manager's Amendment, which makes technical changes to H.R. 1865.

The amendment adds ``attempt'' language that was inadvertently omitted from the bill and is consistent with, and tracks the typical language used in the federal criminal code to define criminal offenses.

The amendment also clarifies that the restitution provision applies to victims of sex trafficking and ensures that the affirmative defense applies to both of the criminal offenses created in the underlying bill.

These changes are simple and reasonable and maintain the overall spirit of the bill

Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. Chair, a 16-year-old was found beaten and stabbed to death after being advertised as a prostitute on Backpage.

I might suggest that we follow one great philosopher in California who asked: Can we all get along?

This amendment is needed in order to give enhanced powers to State attorneys general that they can provide the extra litigation leverage for individuals who are impacted in a devastating manner.

As I said, we have to be concerned about the First Amendment, but we have got to protect our children. Every time I think of this precious young lady, Desiree, and the tears of her mother who testified before the other body in the Senate hearing, I think it is important that we move forward. If we move forward, we can build on this legislation.

I intend to offer additional legislation that we will need so that we can put a stop sign in front of the dastardly behavior of online sex trafficking.

So I ask my colleagues to support the Walters amendment in order to ensure that we can move forward and, as we move forward, make a difference in the lives of these children.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the Walters Amendment, which addresses problems states and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and advocates have faced in their attempts to hold online sex traffickers responsible for their despicable behavior.

Congress decided more than 150 years ago that no person--no woman, no child, no boy or girl--deserves to be bought, sold, or owned by another person.

And, as I have said many times before, trafficking in human beings has no place in a civilized society.

Our country is facing a crisis that touches urban cities, rural areas, and suburbs, and violates the fundamental American ideal of liberty--which sets this country apart from so many others.

Traffickers hold their victims captive both physically and mentally, employing extreme forms of psychological abuse and coercion to main control over them and prevent them from escaping, while stripping them of their humanity.

This is an ongoing battle with very high stakes. Several years ago, I, along with Chairman McCaul, held the first field hearing on human trafficking in Texas before the Committee on Homeland Security. At the time of the hearing, a stash house was raided and 115 people were rescued. I visited that location and saw first-hand, the atrocious conditions in which those people were forced to exist.

Without the hard work of those Texas officers, I cannot fathom the torment that might have befallen those poor souls.

As Ranking Member of the Judiciary Crime Subcommittee, I support the eradication of Human and Sex Trafficking. This vile cruelty must end.

Anyone who aids, assists, facilitates or promotes such behavior must be held accountable.

Just last week, I sat down with a room filled with anti-human trafficking advocates and representatives of anti-human trafficking advocacy groups, including Real Beauty Real Women and Break the Cycle. I heard stories of suffering and stories of frustrations.

Victims and survivors are crying out for a change in the law and they are crying out for justice. They have tried to bring cases against the people, websites, and online service providers, who contributed to their suffering and profited from their victimization--to no avail.

Prosecutors have tried to bring online sex traffickers and the companies who provide them safe harbor--and, unfortunately failed.

It is imperative that we do all that we can to provide for victims of this disgusting crime, protect vulnerable members of society from becoming victims as well, and tell websites like Backpage.com.

Sex trafficking is a callous and brutal crime that unquestionably deserves the nation's upmost attention. It is particularly difficult to see the victimization of the very young who are sold into the sex trafficking market.

The SESTA amendment provides law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts at every level with the tools they need to hold responsible, both civilly and criminally, each and every bad actor who participates in, facilitates, contributes to, or profits from sex trafficking.

Many of the groups that work with victims and survivors of sex trafficking support passage of H.R. 1865 only if Ms. Walters's amendment passes as well.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I have already raised the picture of Desiree, who is dead. Her death was driven by being exposed as a so- called prostitute in the sex trafficking of a little girl on Backpage.

Or J.S., who, in fact, was victimized in Seattle. She was raped. She was put on Backpage. Then she was rescued by her family. Since it was before this legislation, it failed in court.

My legislation is very simple: Does this bill work? What more can we do?

I am asking for a study where the GAO would be instructed to assess the damages awarded to victims and restitution amounts imposed against defendants as a result of this bill.

Victims of sex trafficking require a multifaceted response to rebuild their life. That includes housing; counseling; job training; and, in many cases, drug treatment and rehabilitation. We as Members of Congress need to be able to know if it works.

A citizen-led movement called Fight for Us, along with a team of influential citizens called The Houston 20, work to fill in the gaps and strengthen the services for victims and survivors in the city of Houston.

I was very proud to meet with them at the Community of Faith Church, a socially motivated church, led by Bishop James Dixon. Jackie is the lead. They were all committed, Children at Risk and many other organizations, to eliminating some of the gaps for The Houston 20, which will allow them to utilize resources for greater work.

So I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 1865 which requests the Government Accountability Office to study the effectiveness of the civil and restitution provisions enacted by H.R. 1865.

In an effort to determine if we are actually providing justice to victims of sex trafficking through this legislation, GAO would be instructed to assess the damages awarded to victims and restitution amounts imposed against defendants as a result of this bill.

Victims of sex trafficking require a multi-faceted response to rebuild their lives that includes: housing, counseling, job training, and, in many cases, drug treatment and rehabilitation.

There are well-meaning, dedicated victim advocacy groups all over the country, that offer their help and services that are dependent on state and federal grants, charitable donations, and private funding.

A citizen-led movement called Fight For Us, along with a team of influential citizens called the Houston 20, work to fill in the gaps and strengthen the services for victims and survivors in my city of Houston. I commend these selfless individuals and hope that they continue their important work.

Fortunately though, H.R. 1865 creates a civil cause of action for victims of the aggravated violation, and requires judges to impose mandatory restitution orders in criminal cases involving such victims.

It is my hope that this measure will eliminate some of those gaps for the Houston 20 and allow them to utilize their resources for even greater work. Through this legislation, victims will be empowered to take control of their own recovery and restoration.

My amendment will collect data on the civil awards and restitution orders, to determine whether victims are actually receiving the relief, assistance, and justice they require and deserve.

My amendment primarily asks GAO to:

(1) report the amounts of the damages awarded and the restitution amounts ordered; but also

(2) report the amounts that are requested by victims and the government, on behalf of victims;

(3) the nature and descriptions of the losses that are claimed and proven; and

(4) the justifications for the amounts that are requested and eventually ordered to be paid.

My amendment further asks GAO to report cases that are dismissed and provide information describing the reason or reasons for the dismissals.

While it is Congress's duty to address the needs of our citizens by enacting sensible legislation, we are also responsible for monitoring the legislation we enact and determining whether we have truly responded to the needs of our citizens.

For this reason, and all reasons previously stated, I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee Amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, how much time is remaining on each side?

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty).

Mr. Chair, does the gentlewoman have any additional speakers?

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will close at this time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewomen from Ohio and from New York. I thank Congresswoman Wagner. I thank Congresswoman Lofgren for her concern, as evidenced by her statement, but I want to focus on building blocks, and I want to say to fight for us in the coalition of 20 that I met with.

My promise is that we are in building blocks. We are going to build on what we are doing today, and we are going to continue to mount the assault on sex trafficking and human trafficking, and we are going to literally wipe it out.

We are going to wipe it out because of Shaundra. We are going to wipe it out because of this young, beautiful lady, 16 years old, Desiree. We are going to wipe it out because of Desiree. We are going to wipe it out because of J.S. We are going the wipe it out because Desiree was found beaten, stabbed to death, after being advertised as a prostitute on Backpage. We want her mother to know that we are outraged that children are treated in this way.

My amendment will be the guidepost: Is what we are doing working? It will provide a report on the amounts of damages awarded, the restitution awarded, report the amounts that are requested by victims and the government on their behalf, the nature and description of the losses that are claimed and proven, the justification for the amounts that are requested and eventually ordered to be paid.

My amendment asks GAO to report cases that are dismissed and provide information to describing the reason for those dismissals. We don't want anything to go under the rug. Our children are too important. I would ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment.

And in conclusion, I would say to those who I met with, to those groups around the Nation meeting in local communities thinking that they are alone fighting this dastardly act of sex trafficking and human trafficking, and, of course, a moneymaker like Backpage, you are not alone, we are starting today, we have done work before, and we are not going to stop. I will work with you for the ongoing blocks that are going to continue to stamp out online sex trafficking and human trafficking. With that, I ask for support of the legislation and my amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, the question is: When? In 2017, there were 11,600 deaths linked to gun violence. In 2017, nearly four 911 attacks. There were more than 15,000 killed by gun violence in 2016. There were 383 mass shootings.

The United States ranks number one in the world in terms of firearms per capita. The problem is so epidemic that gun violence is now the third leading cause of death of our children, which includes those dear souls who died in Florida just a couple of weeks ago. We heard those children's voices. We have heard many voices.

So let me explain to the American people: no one is grabbing the Second Amendment. I honor the amendments of this Nation. For your information, in order to change an amendment, you need a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate and three-quarters of the States. The last time we changed an amendment was 1933, where we repealed the prohibition amendment.

This is a cause of the heart and the mind. It is not a Second Amendment debate. It is a debate on sensible gun legislation to save lives.

Ban bump stocks.

Extend the waiting period.

Ensure that multiple munitions are banned and automatic weapons are banned.

When is there going to be, Mr. Speaker, the coming together of a bipartisan effort to save the lives of our children? Enough is enough. We need to answer the call. Our children are dying.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees and as founder and co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus I rise in strong support of S. 772, ``AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017.''

This bill ensures that Native American tribes would be eligible for Justice Department grants to establish AMBER Alert systems, authorizing a $10 million grant program.

The bill would allow grants to cover costs associated with integrating tribal AMBER Alert systems into state and regional plans to ensure broader distribution of alerts involving Indian children.

This legislation provides crucial infrastructure to keep children and adults safe in all of America, whether they live on a reservation or not.

The Justice Department will be able to waive their 50 percent funds matching cap if any Native American Tribe is not able to fully fund their nonfederal share of the project.

Law enforcement agencies use the AMBER Alert system through radio, television, phones, email, and road alerts to alert the public of child abductions.

This system is responsible for the successful return of over 800 missing children.

The lack of coordination between tribal and state authorities, and the resulting delays in broadcasting an AMBER Alert, were blamed for the 2016 death of Ashlynne Mike, an 11-year-old Navajo girl.

More than 7,500 Native American children are listed as missing in the United States. This legislation will reduce that number.

This legislation facilitates coordination between tribal and state authorities, resulting in faster unification of families of abducted children.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will make a difference and deserves the overwhelming support of this body.

The sheer volume of abduction of love ones is enough to support this legislation.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in protecting our children and those suffering from abuse by supporting S. 772.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support to H.R. 2410, the ``Sickle Cell Disease Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2017.''

I support this bipartisan legislation because it will improve the way states study and monitor sickle cell disease.

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to states to:

Collect data on the prevalence and distribution of sickle cell disease;

Conduct sickle cell disease public health initiatives to improve access to care and health outcomes; and

Identify and evaluate strategies for prevention and treatment of sickle cell disease complications.

Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that:

Sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000; Americans;

Sickle cell disease occurs among about 1 out of every 500 Black or African-American births;

Sickle cell disease occurs among about 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births;

Sickle Cell Trait occurs among about 1 in 12 Blacks or African Americans.

If one parent has sickle cell 4 anemia and the other has sickle cell trait, there is a 50 percent chance (or 1 out of 2) of having a baby with either sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait with each pregnancy.

It is critical that infants with Sickle Cell are identified early.

Sickle cell-related deaths among African-American children younger than 4 years of age fell by 42 percent from 1999 through 2002.

This drop coincided with the introduction in 2000 of a vaccine that protects against invasive pneumococcal disease.

Many racial health disparities stem from lack of access to quality healthcare and proper health awareness.

Certain medical illnesses are known to be more prevalent in certain demographic groups, including type II diabetes, lupus, sickle cell anemia, and Triple Negative Breast Cancer for which African Americans are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed on average.

As a Member of Congress, I have been a staunch advocate for my constituents to find a cure for sickle cell disease.

Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation will prepare states to combat sickle cell disease in the 21st century, while helping provide access to healthcare for Americans.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2422, the Action for Dental Health Act of 2017.

The ADH Act will allow states to receive grants that will establish innovative dental programs on behalf of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Passing H.R. 2422 will establish of dental homes for children and adults, reduce use of emergency departments for dental services, and reduce geographic, language and cultural barriers in the dental care system.

Mr. Speaker, there is a great need to improve oral health education and prevent dental diseases in low-income and underserved communities.

The health of many Americans is dependent upon the resources we provide.

African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans and Alaska Natives generally have the poorest oral health of any racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

African Americans, non-Hispanics, and Mexican Americans aged 35 to 44 years experience untreated tooth decay nearly twice as much as white, non-Hispanics.

Poor oral health is strongly correlated with other chronic health conditions like cardiovascular diseases, lung disease, strokes, diabetes and can also contribute to problems with employment which furthers poverty.

The Surgeon General estimates that children with oral disease miss over 51 million hours of school each year, and that adults with oral disease miss approximately 164 million hours of work each year.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2422 to show their support and compassion for the people we serve and to ensure that individuals predisposed to contracting any sort of dental diseases receive the proper prevention and care they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, although many in my constituency are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey--and I wear a ``Houston Strong'' pin--we are working on getting housing rebuilt and seniors back in their homes, I can tell you that, throughout my district, as I was there this past week, they spoke in quiet tones about Douglas, the high school, and the tragedy in Florida.

And none of them seemed to agree--and, in particular, young men, who I will talk about in the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order on guns. None of them seemed to agree to arming teachers. All of them had ideas about gun violence and handguns, as well as weapons of war. And I believe the young people should be listened to, and we should not leave until we do constructive, sensible gun safety legislation, and it should be done now.

I ask the American people to rise up and speak in tones of nonpartisanship, bipartisanship, to save and secure our children and our teachers.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for his leadership. I am delighted to join the Congressional Black Caucus this evening under the leadership of Chairman Richmond.

As my colleagues have said, we have been, sadly, a leader on commonsense gun safety legislation, sadly, because many of our districts, although we represent the huge numbers of diverse Americans--our districts represent Anglos, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, and all economic backgrounds, all wealth backgrounds, all backgrounds dealing with religion--we are able to speak because many of our districts have the reality of gun violence.

So I want to speak, Mr. Speaker, to a particular point that I have heard from the stander-uppers of the NRA, particularly the president and CEO when he spoke to the conservative organization just this past week. I was certainly shocked to hear accusations about Democrats are socialists, even to the extent of calling out Members' names, which I think patently rejects the comity and collegiality of recognizing democracy accepts two distinct parties and some other parties and respects differences of opinion.

But let me be very clear on the record. No one Member of this body, nor the distinguished gentleman, can eliminate the Second Amendment. No group of 20 Members of Congress, no Republicans of Congress and no Democrats of Congress, can eliminate the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment is a constitutional amendment, and there is a decided practice of a percentage of Members of Congress and the percentage of Members of 50 States. With that in mind, let us clear the air. But if we want to know the truth, what is being fought is gun safety legislation, not gun eradication.

In my State, you cannot rent a car if you are not 21. The Federal law says that you cannot buy a gun if you are not 21. I will be introducing legislation to raise the age of 21. I already have legislation, a 7-day waiting period banning bump stocks, and, of course, dealing with automatic weapons. I know we are introducing one now.

There are a multitude of introductions of bills and a multitude of decisions being made by the Florida delegation which we should listen to. I hope they will come forward in a bipartisan way.

But let me talk about the children and parents. I was on the air today talking--or hearing that parents are hovering and scared of sending their children to school, and the children are scared. This last week I went into my schools where children were not only talking about not arming teachers, but the gunfire in their neighborhoods by handguns, or those who were in schools dealing with children who had steered in the wrong direction. Those children were talking about you got to pack. Gun culture doesn't realize what we are turning our children into that they have got to pack.

So from Las Vegas to Orlando, to Virginia, to Sandy Hook, to San Bernardino, to now Douglas High School, the question is: When are we going to act?

An average of 1,297 children die annually from a gun-related injury. A majority of Americans now support gun policy proposals, such as barring people with mental illness from buying guns. But let me make it very clear. I don't label people who suffer from mental health issues. What I say is: Let us provide the resources for those individuals and clearly between mistakes of reporting what this young man had indicated, to mistakes on the local and Federal level, to mistakes on his mental health situation. We all can stand in blame. But they are adults.

What the response has been from our good friends who are the gun advocates, so they say, has been to close their eyes, close their ears, and not sit down at the table of reconciliation. The gun manufacturers cannot continue to dominate the discussion of sensible gun legislation, from Gabby Giffords to the tragedies that I have listed, to children who are saying: I hover in my room, my bedroom, listening to gunfire in my neighborhood because the proliferation of guns is so extensive.

So guns are being trafficked illegally because of the gun culture. There are many elements that will go into this. The Congressional Black Caucus has been at the forefront of changing that gun culture, as Congresswoman Kelly has preached about, because of what happened in Chicago. I join her because what happens in our neighborhood is that our children are cowering over gun violence, period.

No, arming our teachers is not the answer. Securing our school is; banning those weapons of war is; extending the timeframe is; lifting the age is; and getting the background checks to close the loopholes is.

So I am asking this floor and this leadership, as we are doing good legislation on human trafficking, of which I will participate in tomorrow, that we put on the floor legislation of gun safety.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership tonight.