Erik Paulsen: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker and Members, while there are many issues that divide Washington, this is…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker and Members, while there are many issues that divide Washington, this is absolutely an area where there is agreement and bipartisan and bicameral work being done. We already passed five separate antitrafficking bills just a few months ago, in May, and I am very pleased we are taking additional action on these pieces of legislation tonight. More than 100,000 children are at risk of being trafficked for commercial sex in the United States. Those most at risk of victimization are the vulnerable, including children from our foster care system. Many of these children face barriers to a real childhood, and they are unable to participate in school activities, to play after- school sports, or to even spend time with friends. Youths that have been involved in the foster care system are much more likely to become runaways or homeless at an early age. The preventative measures in this legislation will make a difference. On any given night, 2,500 youths in Minnesota--my home State--will experience homelessness, and a majority of those homeless youths is solicited for sex within 48 hours of becoming homeless. In fact, law enforcement will say--and tells me--that the overwhelming majority of trafficking victims is part of that homeless population and that 60 percent of those victims were in foster care or group homes when they ran away. We know, Mr. Speaker, that trafficking is a very complex problem that requires many different solutions.…”