Kevin Brady: “my amendment is simple. I want to ensure that the Department of State and the Department of Justice have the resources…”

“my amendment is simple. I want to ensure that the Department of State and the Department of Justice have the resources they need to start the process to close safe havens around the world for fugitives who commit crimes in America and flee our justice. We can do this by updating and modernizing extradition treaties, as well as negotiating new ones. This problem is growing. The world is getting smaller; and whereas in the past criminals would flee to the county or State line to flee justice, today they flee the country and even the continent. We have more than 3,000 indicted criminals who have fled America and are out of our reach. The crimes they have committed or are charged with are serious. They include murder, terrorism, drug trafficking, child abduction, money laundering, financial fraud, and the new growing area of cybercrime. Currently, America has international extradition agreements with only 60 percent of the world's countries. Unfortunately, it is important to note that nearly half of these were enacted before World War II, so they are hopelessly outdated. Even the others, State Department officials tell us those enacted prior to 1970 are basically ineffective because only specific crimes are listed in the treaties as extraditable, and crimes have changed a lot in the last three decades. Mr. Chairman, we have crimes that are growing and criminals who are fleeing more and more, with criminal justice tools that are more outdated and less effective.”