Karen Bass: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5081, the Strengthening Child…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5081, the Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2014, and I would like to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for their support and collaboration on creating momentum for this policy that will be a critical step towards preventing child sex trafficking. I appreciate both their insight and assistance in bringing this bill to the floor today. I also want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Representative Marino. He has been a tireless advocate for children in the foster care system. Mr. Marino, along with the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth cochairs, Representatives McDermott and Bachmann, all served as original cosponsors of the Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act, and their continuing commitment to transforming the child welfare system has brought national attention to the intersection between child sex trafficking and the child welfare system. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 300,000 children in the country are at risk of sexual commercial exploitation and trafficking each year. These are 300,000 too many, and tragically, this number shows that a comprehensive and aggressive response is needed in order to combat child trafficking throughout the country. In my city, the Los Angeles County Probation Department reports that 61 percent of identified trafficking victims are foster youth.…”