Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly support the passage of S. 1536, the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill is an important step in combating the terrible crime of human trafficking. The Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act will help stem the tide of trafficking by providing training to commercial truck drivers through the Department of Transportation to recognize and report trafficking, further empowering them to prevent this horrendous crime. Specifically, this bill designates a human trafficking prevention coordinator at the U.S. Department of Transportation and increases outreach, education, and reporting efforts at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is an appalling and inhumane crime, and it is occurring in communities all over my home State of Connecticut and throughout the entire United States. As I learned when a human trafficking ring was broken up in my small hometown, anyone can become a victim of this crime regardless of race, age, gender, or socioeconomic status. This appalling crime takes many forms, the vast majority of which are sexually exploitative in nature. Shockingly, the average age a teen enters the sex trade in the United States is 12 to 14 years old, and many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.…”