Sheila Jackson Lee: “I stand in strong support of H.R. 515 because it seeks to protect our children from predators by identifying the…”

“I stand in strong support of H.R. 515 because it seeks to protect our children from predators by identifying the whereabouts of sex offenders and providing means to monitor their activities. This legislation is important because sex trafficking of children is a displaceable act that we detest and has been an on-going concern for the United States. In addition to protecting our children from national threats, we must also consider the potential threat from international actors, especially during times of increased tourism, like for example the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, World Olympics and other major events around the world where tourism is high. This legislation by my friend Representative Smith aims to protect our children from exploitation, specifically sex trafficking in tourism, by providing advance notice of intended travel by registered child-sex offenders outside of the United States to the government of the destination country. This legislation is important because it requests that foreign governments notify the United States when a known child-sex offender is seeking to enter the United States. International child exploitation is increasingly becoming a top priority for all nations and certainly is for our country. For instance, two years ago, during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, reports of child exploitation received global attention. According to the Department of State, Brazil is a destination country for children subjected to sex trafficking.…”