Political Quotes

“I want to add my voice to all of the accolades that have been expressed today to Senator Cornyn and Senator Klobuchar for giving a voice to the victims of the most horrific crime that occurs in our country; those are the victims of human trafficking. Without their hard work, without their advocacy, we would not be debating this on the floor of the Senate. So it is so important to acknowledge that work and to advance the cause by working together. Today, I wish to speak to amendment No. 290, which is the Collins- Leahy runaway and homeless youth amendment. I want to thank Senator Collins and Senator Leahy for being such fierce advocates for runaway and homeless youth. I have had years of experience working with victims and vulnerable youth. I can tell you based on this experience that this amendment is the most critical piece that we are considering today to truly address prevention and early intervention for a population that is the most susceptible to being trafficked; that is the population of runaway and homeless youth. It is a story I believe is too often told. It is a story of a runaway and homeless youth engaging in survival sex, being coerced into criminal activity by people offering nothing more than a roof over their head or maybe even a meal. Since 1995, North Dakota has received $11.5 million in this very critical and important prevention program. How many of these children have we rescued from a life of despair? We will never know.…”