Ted Poe: “Laura was a middle school counselor who noticed that one of her students had begun to act strangely. Laura's instincts…”

“Laura was a middle school counselor who noticed that one of her students had begun to act strangely. Laura's instincts were right. Out of the classroom, her student, Alyssa, had started to frequently flee her foster home and was often found in random locations with adult strangers. After some investigation, Laura learned that Alyssa had been lured into the business of having sex with adults. Traffickers did what they do best, identified a vulnerable young woman and lured her into the sex trade. Laura immediately contacted the National Human Trafficking Hotline, reported what had happened to her young student and they were able to advise her on how to proceed and what social services and law enforcement agencies to contact. Because of the hotline, Laura was able to save Alyssa's life. The National Human Trafficking Hotline serves as an essential lifeline to victims of trafficking, but it also serves as an important source of information to those who suspect they have encountered a victim of trafficking and don't know how to help. This hotline is an essential tool in the fight against human trafficking in the United States. H.R. 5422 is a bipartisan, non-controversial bill that makes a small technical fix to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue funding the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH). In the House, I introduced this bill with Representative Carolyn Maloney.…”