Blake Moore: “I thank the gentleman from Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through…”

“I thank the gentleman from Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3610, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. Before I say anything, I want to thank Congressman Erik Paulsen of Minnesota, who has been a tremendous, superb partner throughout the process of putting this legislation together. I also want to thank the authors of all of the other four bills that are going to be considered today. This bill really incentivizes States to put safe harbor laws into place, and that is the crux of this bill, but I can tell you that solving the problem of the sexual exploitation of children is going to require a lasting commitment and a bipartisan effort. It is going to be very, very, very difficult, colleagues, because, as the FBI has told us, this is not just something that happens in Nigeria, but it is something that happens right here in the United States. It is a $9.5 billion annual business activity. There are 100,000 kids a year who are currently trafficked, and another 200,000 are at risk. A pimp can earn as much as $250,000 a year in this booming business, so it is going to take all of us to stop this. The victims are mostly girls, and on average, they are trafficked at age 13. I am embarrassed and I regret to report that my own hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has become known as the sex trafficking hub for both children and adults.…”