Political Quotes

“my substitute amendment, No. 301, brings together three very important bills that provide a comprehensive approach to preventing human trafficking and help survivors rebuild their lives. First, it includes the Leahy-Collins-Murkowski-Ayotte amendment to protect runaway and homeless youth from trafficking. Second, it includes the Klobuchar-Cornyn bill as reported in February by the Judiciary Committee. The safe harbor bill encourages States to treat victims of trafficking as victims and not--as oftentimes they are treated--as criminals. Finally, it includes the Cornyn-Klobuchar bill, S. 178, but without the divisive language that limits victims' services, which has held us up so long. My amendment came about as a response to the request of survivors and the dedicated people who work with them, the people who actually see this day-by-day, for whom it is not a theoretical thing, but is an actual day-by-day crisis. They have urged us to remove the unnecessary and harmful provision which stalled this bill for weeks. Congress has a long history of passing legislation to address human trafficking. We did so in the Leahy-Crapo Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which included the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. We consistently have addressed human trafficking legislation without abortion politics being inserted in the discussion. My amendment would return us to the path of the bipartisan bills we passed in years past.…”