Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 670, the IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act, is bipartisan legislation that has a dual purpose. It would establish the program within the DHS' Homeland Security Investigation unit, or HSI. It would also codify and expand the HSI Victim Assistance Program. By establishing the IMPACTT program, this bill would ensure that outreach and training are available to HSI agents, forensic interviewers, survivor assistance specialists, task force officers, and other partners who work with survivors of human trafficking. This work can be extremely taxing, exposing these individuals to the trauma of those they are working to help. By ensuring that these individuals receive support, such as through training to help recognize burnout and secondary traumatic stress, this legislation would help them be more effective, reduce turnover, and ensure that they can continue the important work of fighting human trafficking and assisting survivors. The second component of this legislation would enhance the HSI Victim Assistance Program to ensure that every human trafficking survivor identified by HSI is assigned a survivor assistance specialist and that this program provides survivors with the support they need. Survivor assistance specialists are a critical component of HSI's survivor-centered approach to addressing human trafficking.…”