Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor to thank my colleagues and to ask for their support for our first amendment, Klobuchar amendment No. 296. I understand it is going to be by voice vote, and it is something I have worked on for a long time. I know everyone has put a lot of effort into this bill--certainly Senator Cornyn and I have--and we are very pleased that it is moving forward. I thank all my colleagues for their work. This afternoon, I know we will be considering a number of important amendments, and, as I mentioned, one is the safe harbor legislation. I think we have 26 cosponsors on the bill. Let's first get to why we are doing this bill. The United Nations considers human trafficking to be one of the three largest criminal enterprises in the world. The first is illegal trafficking of drugs, the second is illegal trafficking of guns, and the third is illegal trafficking of humans. It is not just something, as we know, that is happening in faraway lands. It happens in our own backyards. It has happened to 12-year-olds in my own State. As Senator Heitkamp knows, it happens in the oil patches of North Dakota. That is why this bill and this amendment No. 296, which passed with the bill unanimously through the Judiciary Committee, are so important. This is about treating the children who are victims of these crimes as victims because that is what they are. Right now, in many States around the country, these kids can still be prosecuted.…”