On the recordDecember 9, 2010
with the passage of S. 2925, the Senate is sending to the House the first ever all-out battle plan to defeat one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in our country; that is, trafficking children for sex. Senator Cornyn and I have worked together on this issue for many months on a bipartisan basis with tremendous help from Chairman Leahy, from Senator Sessions, from Senator Durbin, and Senator Kyl, and before I begin my statement tonight, I wish to express my thanks to them. This is a textbook for how the Senate ought to work together on an important issue in a bipartisan way, and I am very grateful to my colleagues for their leadership. Each year, an estimated 100,000 children in America are trafficked for sex. They are recruited by violent criminals, and their average age is between 12 and 14. The fact is, sex trafficking in children is modern day slavery, pure and simple. Tragically, my home State of Oregon has become a hub for those who would exploit women and young girls, and the tragedy is my State is not alone.
