Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, for many years, my perspective of human trafficking was based off of a scene I had seen in a movie. It was a scene in which a father came to a playground, took the hand of his 6- year-old daughter, took her off to have sex with someone, and then brought her back to play. That was a scene from a country far, far away, but it changed me forever. Oftentimes, when I have thought about human trafficking or sex trafficking over those years, I have thought about its being far, far away from home. Then I began to learn about what a problem we have here in the United States. It is not just happening in other countries. It happens here. It happens in States like New York, Florida, and California, but it also happens in South Dakota, and that is devastating for me for many reasons. I have two daughters, and I know that the average age that a young girl is trafficked is between the ages of 12 and 14. I have a son who is 12, and the average age of boys who are trafficked is between the ages of 11 and 13. I cannot imagine my children having to go through what some of these victims have had to go through. I also spent my life involved in many different youth organizations. I have been a children's minister for many years. I still teach Sunday school. I have also been involved with 4-H. I have spent my life with kids, trying to help their lives become better so that they can build the kinds of traits and character they need to benefit the world.…”