Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. Hou

Violence is present every day in every community. Whereas since e tredy at sand hook lementa school, the house ofepsentatives haseld 43 moments of silence to honor the memory of people lled someone using guns. Whereas most gun owners are responsibleand lawabiding. Whers the Supreme Court in s district of columbia vs. Hellerdecision recognized the right tkeep and br arms. Where the bradhandgun violence prevention act was enacted on november 30, 1993. Whereas backgrounhecks ve been successful and every day stop more than 170 felons, some 50 desti abusers, and nearly 20 fugitives from buying aun. Wheas over two million gun sales were bcked since enactment the bradyandgun violence preveion act. Wheas 90 of a bkground checks are done itantly. Whereas thetates that require background ccks, 47 fewer women are murdered by an intimate partner. Hereas in states that quire background ccks, there are 47 firem sure sides. Whereas in states that require background chcks, 53 fewer law enfcement officerare killed by someone using a gun. Whereas 97 f americans ped support background checks for all gun sales hereasn many state noes ackground check is requid to bua gun online or at a gun ow and whereas the president has said, whether are republican or democrats, must nowfocus on strengthening background ecks. Now, therefore, be it resolved thathe house of representativ shou immediatelconsider h. R. 440, theublic health the plic safety and secd amendment righ protecti act of 2017, anh. R. 3464, the backgroun heck compleon act of 2017. The speaker pro tempore does e gentleman from california wish to present argument on the rliamentary iuiry . Yes, i do, mr. Speaker. The speaker po tempore the ntman is recognized. Thank you, mr. Speaker. R. Saker, itsur duty a lawmakers and representatives to pass laws tt will make our communities safer. And so f, mr. Speaker, congress as done nothing in regads to a gun violence prevention. Ery memr here knows something must bone about gu violence. We may not agree on wt that is, but everyone from the president of the un united stes of americto the apiring you leader who are leading a Movement Today out of lorida, agree. Mr. Thompson we must expand background cecks. Thats why we need this resolution and why wmust take up the bipartisa background billmmediately. You cannot table the 30 ppl a day who are killed by someone using a gun. Let us he this vote, mr. Speaker, we ha had too many we haveof silenc bill ready to come to the floor. Democrats and republicans coauthoring the bill. 97 of the American People believe we should take up and vote for a measure regarding background checks. This is a good bill. It should be brought to the flar. The republicans should not be silencing the wishes of the American People. The republican majority should not disallow hearings and votes on this bill. Mr. Speaker, its past time to bring this bill up. The speaker pro tempore it must be could be find to the it must be confined to the question 69 order. The chair is prepared to rule. The gentleman from california seeks to offer a resolution raising the question of the privilege of the house under rule 9 much the resolution offered by gentleman from california provides the house should vote on two specified mesh shumplese one of the fundamental tenets of rule night as the chair ruled on december 10, 2015, that the house should consider a particular bill does not qualify as a question of the privileges of the house. On february 6, 201, the chair ruled a resolution providing the house should act on business does not constitute a question of the privilege of the house. By calling for a vote on two measures, the resolution expresses the legislative sentiment in violation of the principle document in section 702 and 706 of the house rules manual. Accordingly, the resolution does not constitute a question of the privileges of the house. Mr. Thompson i appeal the ruling of the chair. The speaker pro tempore the decision of the chair stands as the judgment of the house. Mr. Burgess i have a motion at the desk. The clerk mr. Burgess of texas moves to table the appeal of the ruling of the chair. The speaker pro tempore the question is on the motion to table. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the 15minute on the motion to table will be followed by five minutes votes on House Resolution 748. Adoption of House Resolution 748 if ordered. Ordering the previous question on House Resolution 747 and adoption of the resolution 747 if ordered. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 227. He nays 182. The speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 228. The nays are 184. The motion is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The Unfinished Business is the vote on ordering preast question on House Resolution without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. 748 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. The clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 129. House resolution 748. Resolution providing for consideration of the bill h. R. 1865, to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify that section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of Interactive Computer Services of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to Sexual Exploitation of children or sex trafficking, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question. Members will record their votes by electronic device. His is a fiveminute vote [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ]. Ssly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ]. The speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 228, the nays are 184. The previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i request a recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore a recorded vote is requested. Those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 235, the nays are 175. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion trow consider is laid on the table motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The Unfinished Business is the vote on ordering the previous question on House Resolution 747 on which the yeas and nays are order. The clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 128. House resolution 747. Resolution providing for consideration of the bill, h. R. 4296, to place requirements on Operational Risk Capital Requirements for banking organizations, established by an appropriate federal banking agency, and providing for consideration of the bill, h. R. 4607. To amend the Economic Growth and regulatory paperwork reduction act of 1996, to ensure that federal financial regulators perform a comprehensive review of regulations, to identify outdated or otherwise unnecessary regulatory requirements imposed on covered persons and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This will be a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 227. The nays are 185. The previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. On that i ask recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore a recorded vote is requested. Those favoring a recorded vote will rise. A recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 230. The nays are 177. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of house concurrent resolution 106, and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The eaker pro tempore clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. The clerk house concurrent resolution 106. Resolution authorizing the use of emancipation hall for a ceremony to present the congressional gold medal collectively to the members of the office of strategic services. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution . Without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider s laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentlelady from alabama seek recognition . Mrs. Roby mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks for what purpose does the and ie extraneous material to h. R. 1865. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Pursuant to House Resolution 748, rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of 1865, the chair appoints the gentleman from california, mr. Denham, to preside over the 1865, the chair appoints the gentleman from california, r. The chair the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h. R. 1865, which the clerk will report by title. The clerk a bill to meand the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of Interactive Computer Services of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to Sexual Exploitation of children or sex trafficking, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. The gentleman from alabama, mrs. Roby, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Jackson lee, each will control 30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from alabama. Mrs. Roby thank you, mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, today this body will make tremendous progress towards ending online sex exploitation. This is a big deal. Im proud to stand here as an original o cosponsor of the important legislation were considering today, h. R. 1865, the allow states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act. I have been so pleased to work closely with my colleague, congresswoman ann wagner on this issue. I know im not the only person here who greatly appreciates her leadership on this. It has been sobering to say the least to hear some of the personal accounts of sex trafficking victims and several from my home state of alabama. It is our responsibility to provide justice for these victims and to do everything that we can to protect the most vulnerable members of our society from trafficking. This is modern day slavery. As it stands now the sad truth is that criminals can easily and anonymously purchase women and children on the internet using various websites. Thanks to broad interpretation of existing law, specifically section 230 in americas courts, these websites are essentially immune from state and local prosecutions. These websites make millions by enabling sex trafficking while we while facing very little risk of being punished for these crimes. The bill were considering today would change that by amending this law to ensure that websites that unlawfully contribute to the exploitation of sex trafficking victims are no longer immune to punishment. H. R. 1865 will finally hold bad for websites accountable these unspeakable wrong does. The bill also provides increased criminal liability and thus deters websites and individuals from selling human beings online. Websites will no longer be able to turn a blind eye or actively conceal this horrific practice without facing very real consequences. This legislation has been a work in progress for some time now and i am excited today to have the opportunity to cast my vote in favor of it here today. I urge my colleagues to join me. I reserve. The chair the gentlelady reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee mr. Speaker, i ask to speak for such time i might consume. The chair without objection. The gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee let me thank the gentlelady from alabama for managing this legislation. To thank congresswoman wagner for her leadership. And as someone said, continued determination. Joined by my friend and colleague from ohio, congresswoman beatty, and congresswoman maloney. We have all worked together over the years for the victims of Human Trafficking and sex trafficking. And in the last couple of hours we heard in Judiciary Committee the stories of the victims of rape. So we know that this is an important time. And important legislation. Throughout this time you will hear stories of victims who have been victimized and are in need of this legislation. Just to recount my statement in the rules committee, yesterday, monday a week ago, in houston, i sat down with victims who had been trafficked or who had been victimized through online sex traffic trafficking or other aspects of sex trafficking. And it was overwhelming to hear parents speak of a young girl, his daughter, that had been misled and driven away from their home or from her area and had been taken and abused for a long period of time until had he to rescue her himself. Spending 50,000 and then 60,000 to be able to rehabilitate herself, which is now an ongoing process. Hes grateful that shes alive. So i rise in support of h. R. 1865, that allows states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act of 2017. An important bill intended to address the reprehensible crime of online sex trafficking by prosecuting the violators and providing relief to the violated. First and foremost, h. R. 1865 makes clear that section 230 of the Communications Act, which was altered or its interpretation was expanded in the First Circuit court ruling of dough v. Backstage, this bill makes it clear that section 230 of the Communications Decency act was never intended to protect the facilitation of online prostitution or sex trafficking and calls out those websites that have acted recklessly in allowing the sale of victims of sex trafficking online or stood idly by while young boys and girls, many as young as 13, or even younger, were coerced, threatened, tortured, bought and sold on the whims of their exploiters. Secondly, this legislation will provide federal prosecutors juan dagsal weapon to use against the immoral individuals who participate in the forced enslavement we know as sex trafficking. H. R. 1865 creates the new offense of intentional promotion or facilitation of prostitution while using or operating a facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce. This is will be punishable of a sentence upwards of 10 years. Websites have been hidden behind section 230 allowing them to sell minors and other vulnerable atrisk members of our society. Children, precious, precious children who are forced to perform unspeakable acts under the threat of violence, gun violence, starvation and physical and emotional abuse. This punishable by imprisonment occurs if a defendant such as backpage, promotes or facilitates the prostitution of five or more victims or acts in reckless disregard of the fact that the conduct in question contributed to sex trafficking as defined in federal criminal code, section 1591, title 18. Not only does h. R. 1865 create mandatory restitution for online sex traffickers and their enablers, this legislation goes even further. Victims harmed as a result of an aggregated violation of this new defense will have the new offense will have the ability to seek civil damages while judges will be required to impose restitution upon defendants convicted of either the general or aggravated violation. We appreciate Law Enforcement, u. S. Attorneys. Yet, we know state Supreme Court<\/a> in s district of columbia vs. Hellerdecision recognized the right tkeep and br arms. Where the bradhandgun violence prevention act was enacted on november 30, 1993. Whereas backgrounhecks ve been successful and every day stop more than 170 felons, some 50 desti abusers, and nearly 20 fugitives from buying aun. Wheas over two million gun sales were bcked since enactment the bradyandgun violence preveion act. Wheas 90 of a bkground checks are done itantly. Whereas thetates that require background ccks, 47 fewer women are murdered by an intimate partner. Hereas in states that quire background ccks, there are 47 firem sure sides. Whereas in states that require background chcks, 53 fewer law enfcement officerare killed by someone using a gun. Whereas 97 f americans ped support background checks for all gun sales hereasn many state noes ackground check is requid to bua gun online or at a gun ow and whereas the president has said, whether are republican or democrats, must nowfocus on strengthening background ecks. Now, therefore, be it resolved thathe house of representativ shou immediatelconsider h. R. 440, theublic health the plic safety and secd amendment righ protecti act of 2017, anh. R. 3464, the backgroun heck compleon act of 2017. The speaker pro tempore does e gentleman from california wish to present argument on the rliamentary iuiry . Yes, i do, mr. Speaker. The speaker po tempore the ntman is recognized. Thank you, mr. Speaker. R. Saker, itsur duty a lawmakers and representatives to pass laws tt will make our communities safer. And so f, mr. Speaker, congress as done nothing in regads to a gun violence prevention. Ery memr here knows something must bone about gu violence. We may not agree on wt that is, but everyone from the president of the un united stes of americto the apiring you leader who are leading a Movement Today<\/a> out of lorida, agree. Mr. Thompson we must expand background cecks. Thats why we need this resolution and why wmust take up the bipartisa background billmmediately. You cannot table the 30 ppl a day who are killed by someone using a gun. Let us he this vote, mr. Speaker, we ha had too many we haveof silenc bill ready to come to the floor. Democrats and republicans coauthoring the bill. 97 of the American People<\/a> believe we should take up and vote for a measure regarding background checks. This is a good bill. It should be brought to the flar. The republicans should not be silencing the wishes of the American People<\/a>. The republican majority should not disallow hearings and votes on this bill. Mr. Speaker, its past time to bring this bill up. The speaker pro tempore it must be could be find to the it must be confined to the question 69 order. The chair is prepared to rule. The gentleman from california seeks to offer a resolution raising the question of the privilege of the house under rule 9 much the resolution offered by gentleman from california provides the house should vote on two specified mesh shumplese one of the fundamental tenets of rule night as the chair ruled on december 10, 2015, that the house should consider a particular bill does not qualify as a question of the privileges of the house. On february 6, 201, the chair ruled a resolution providing the house should act on business does not constitute a question of the privilege of the house. By calling for a vote on two measures, the resolution expresses the legislative sentiment in violation of the principle document in section 702 and 706 of the house rules manual. Accordingly, the resolution does not constitute a question of the privileges of the house. Mr. Thompson i appeal the ruling of the chair. The speaker pro tempore the decision of the chair stands as the judgment of the house. Mr. Burgess i have a motion at the desk. The clerk mr. Burgess of texas moves to table the appeal of the ruling of the chair. The speaker pro tempore the question is on the motion to table. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the 15minute on the motion to table will be followed by five minutes votes on House Resolution<\/a> 748. Adoption of House Resolution<\/a> 748 if ordered. Ordering the previous question on House Resolution<\/a> 747 and adoption of the resolution 747 if ordered. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States<\/a> house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 227. He nays 182. The speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 228. The nays are 184. The motion is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The Unfinished Business<\/a> is the vote on ordering preast question on House Resolution<\/a> without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. 748 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. The clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 129. House resolution 748. Resolution providing for consideration of the bill h. R. 1865, to amend the Communications Act<\/a> of 1934 to clarify that section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of Interactive Computer Services<\/a> of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to Sexual Exploitation<\/a> of children or sex trafficking, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question. Members will record their votes by electronic device. His is a fiveminute vote [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States<\/a> house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ]. Ssly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ]. The speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 228, the nays are 184. The previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i request a recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore a recorded vote is requested. Those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States<\/a> house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 235, the nays are 175. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion trow consider is laid on the table motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The Unfinished Business<\/a> is the vote on ordering the previous question on House Resolution<\/a> 747 on which the yeas and nays are order. The clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 128. House resolution 747. Resolution providing for consideration of the bill, h. R. 4296, to place requirements on Operational Risk<\/a> Capital Requirements<\/a> for banking organizations, established by an appropriate federal banking agency, and providing for consideration of the bill, h. R. 4607. To amend the Economic Growth<\/a> and regulatory paperwork reduction act of 1996, to ensure that federal financial regulators perform a comprehensive review of regulations, to identify outdated or otherwise unnecessary regulatory requirements imposed on covered persons and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This will be a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States<\/a> house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 227. The nays are 185. The previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. On that i ask recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore a recorded vote is requested. Those favoring a recorded vote will rise. A recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States<\/a> house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 230. The nays are 177. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on House Administration<\/a> be discharged from further consideration of house concurrent resolution 106, and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The eaker pro tempore clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. The clerk house concurrent resolution 106. Resolution authorizing the use of emancipation hall for a ceremony to present the congressional gold medal collectively to the members of the office of strategic services. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution . Without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider s laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentlelady from alabama seek recognition . Mrs. Roby mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks for what purpose does the and ie extraneous material to h. R. 1865. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Pursuant to House Resolution<\/a> 748, rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of 1865, the chair appoints the gentleman from california, mr. Denham, to preside over the 1865, the chair appoints the gentleman from california, r. The chair the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h. R. 1865, which the clerk will report by title. The clerk a bill to meand the Communications Act<\/a> of 1934 to clarify section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of Interactive Computer Services<\/a> of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to Sexual Exploitation<\/a> of children or sex trafficking, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. The gentleman from alabama, mrs. Roby, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Jackson lee, each will control 30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from alabama. Mrs. Roby thank you, mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, today this body will make tremendous progress towards ending online sex exploitation. This is a big deal. Im proud to stand here as an original o cosponsor of the important legislation were considering today, h. R. 1865, the allow states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act. I have been so pleased to work closely with my colleague, congresswoman ann wagner on this issue. I know im not the only person here who greatly appreciates her leadership on this. It has been sobering to say the least to hear some of the personal accounts of sex trafficking victims and several from my home state of alabama. It is our responsibility to provide justice for these victims and to do everything that we can to protect the most vulnerable members of our society from trafficking. This is modern day slavery. As it stands now the sad truth is that criminals can easily and anonymously purchase women and children on the internet using various websites. Thanks to broad interpretation of existing law, specifically section 230 in americas courts, these websites are essentially immune from state and local prosecutions. These websites make millions by enabling sex trafficking while we while facing very little risk of being punished for these crimes. The bill were considering today would change that by amending this law to ensure that websites that unlawfully contribute to the exploitation of sex trafficking victims are no longer immune to punishment. H. R. 1865 will finally hold bad for websites accountable these unspeakable wrong does. The bill also provides increased criminal liability and thus deters websites and individuals from selling human beings online. Websites will no longer be able to turn a blind eye or actively conceal this horrific practice without facing very real consequences. This legislation has been a work in progress for some time now and i am excited today to have the opportunity to cast my vote in favor of it here today. I urge my colleagues to join me. I reserve. The chair the gentlelady reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee mr. Speaker, i ask to speak for such time i might consume. The chair without objection. The gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee let me thank the gentlelady from alabama for managing this legislation. To thank congresswoman wagner for her leadership. And as someone said, continued determination. Joined by my friend and colleague from ohio, congresswoman beatty, and congresswoman maloney. We have all worked together over the years for the victims of Human Trafficking<\/a> and sex trafficking. And in the last couple of hours we heard in Judiciary Committee<\/a> the stories of the victims of rape. So we know that this is an important time. And important legislation. Throughout this time you will hear stories of victims who have been victimized and are in need of this legislation. Just to recount my statement in the rules committee, yesterday, monday a week ago, in houston, i sat down with victims who had been trafficked or who had been victimized through online sex traffic trafficking or other aspects of sex trafficking. And it was overwhelming to hear parents speak of a young girl, his daughter, that had been misled and driven away from their home or from her area and had been taken and abused for a long period of time until had he to rescue her himself. Spending 50,000 and then 60,000 to be able to rehabilitate herself, which is now an ongoing process. Hes grateful that shes alive. So i rise in support of h. R. 1865, that allows states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act of 2017. An important bill intended to address the reprehensible crime of online sex trafficking by prosecuting the violators and providing relief to the violated. First and foremost, h. R. 1865 makes clear that section 230 of the Communications Act<\/a>, which was altered or its interpretation was expanded in the First Circuit<\/a> court ruling of dough v. Backstage, this bill makes it clear that section 230 of the Communications Decency<\/a> act was never intended to protect the facilitation of online prostitution or sex trafficking and calls out those websites that have acted recklessly in allowing the sale of victims of sex trafficking online or stood idly by while young boys and girls, many as young as 13, or even younger, were coerced, threatened, tortured, bought and sold on the whims of their exploiters. Secondly, this legislation will provide federal prosecutors juan dagsal weapon to use against the immoral individuals who participate in the forced enslavement we know as sex trafficking. H. R. 1865 creates the new offense of intentional promotion or facilitation of prostitution while using or operating a facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce. This is will be punishable of a sentence upwards of 10 years. Websites have been hidden behind section 230 allowing them to sell minors and other vulnerable atrisk members of our society. Children, precious, precious children who are forced to perform unspeakable acts under the threat of violence, gun violence, starvation and physical and emotional abuse. This punishable by imprisonment occurs if a defendant such as backpage, promotes or facilitates the prostitution of five or more victims or acts in reckless disregard of the fact that the conduct in question contributed to sex trafficking as defined in federal criminal code, section 1591, title 18. Not only does h. R. 1865 create mandatory restitution for online sex traffickers and their enablers, this legislation goes even further. Victims harmed as a result of an aggregated violation of this new defense will have the new offense will have the ability to seek civil damages while judges will be required to impose restitution upon defendants convicted of either the general or aggravated violation. We appreciate Law Enforcement<\/a>, u. S. Attorneys. Yet, we know state Law Enforcement<\/a> agencies and prosecutors are vital in the fight as well, and theyve called on congress to act and to fight more effectively. There are state task forces across the country working to protect young girls and boys. And h. R. 1865 allows state legislators to enact laws prohibiting the conduct that reflects the offense created in this bill. Soon we will be discussing the walters amendment which is offered because of the victims groups that wants a stronger response to helping victims. We thank them for that. The jackson lee amendment, which i will offer, leads to to be able to help understand what the level of recovery is and the mandatory restitution. It will tell the story. It will provide the study to find out how this legislation is positively impacting, who is receiving the dollars, are they receiving the dollars. Today, this count has swelled to 99 billion a year with a considerable portion of that money being generated through online advertising, solicitation. Thats the account of dollars that are being used through sex trafficking. My amendment will determine and help to bring information to us as to the effectiveness of this particular legislation, and i think it will be very important. Let me conclude by saying that a letter to congress from the National Association<\/a> of attorneys generals indicated certain federal courts have broadly interpreted the Communications Decency<\/a> act which left victims, states, local Law Enforcement<\/a> agencies and prosecutors who regularly confront the cruel realities of sex trafficking feeling powerless against online ad services and websites that facilitate or allow sex trafficking. My heart goes out, and im grateful we have moved, and as we move forward, we will be able to build with more legislation that might include my Second Amendment<\/a> that would have allowed victims of sex trafficking to file civil actions in state courts. Th that, let me express my gratitude to the victims who have been courageous enough to tell their stories. I reserve my time. The chair the gentlelady reserves. The gentlelady from alabama is recognized. Mrs. Roby i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge poe. The chair the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Poe i thank the chair and i thank the gentlelady from alabama for the time and the work on this bill. I also want to thank mrs. Wagner from missouri for sponsoring this bill, along with the help of our friends on the other side. You notice, mr. Speaker, that everybody thats in line, mostly whos to speak, are women and i want to congratulate the women in congress because they have taken the lead for making sure that we stop this scourge of human sex trafficking. I also want to thank the different groups victims groups throughout the country who have continued to give us input on what we can do to make those laws better. I call those groups the victims posse because they are here all the time, rounding us up, telling us what is necessary and to make lives better for victims. Mr. Speaker, according to most, alexia was a welladjusted 15yearold girl, teenager. But like many young people she struggled with insecurity and loneliness. When a handsome and sympathetic man reached out to her on social media she was immediately taken in by his kind and comforting words. Many dont know the evils of Human Trafficking<\/a> are all around us. Traffickers lurk on the phones, on computers and on the internet. Constantly searching for vulnerable victims to lure into their traps. After months of manipulation, alexis agreed to meet her new friend online, and soon as she got into his car she realized that this person was a different person than she believed him to be. He chained her and forced her to have sex for money and he committed this evil numerous times. Technology has changed our world in countless positive ways, but its also given human sex traffickers a direct avenue to our children and their lives. We as a society must work harder to capture these criminals and shut down their online schemes. Only then we can protect others from alexis fate. This is our job, this is our duty. We must stop the trafficking network, not in our town, not in our city and not in our state. And thats just the way it is. Ill yield back. The chair the gentleladys time has expired. The lady from alabama. Mrs. Roby reserve. The chair the lady reserves. The gentlewoman from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee its my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. Costa. The chair the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Costa i thank the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Jackson lee, for her leadership on this important issue. Mr. Speaker, as a cochair of the victims rights caucus with my colleague, congressman ted poe, i am a proud cosponsor for victims in america who have suffered from these crimes. A free and open internet, we all believe, is essential to Economic Growth<\/a>, entrepreneurship, enterprise in the 21st century and america leads the way. This new Technology Age<\/a> has reshaped our lives, allowed for greater access to learning, greater ability to shape our futures as americans and with economic benefits we could not have imagined 15 years ago. Sadly, there are some people who look at these freedoms and the openness of the internet and see ways to exploit, abuse and prey on innocent children and teenagers in the name of profit. Its outrageous and its a crime. Im speaking of the scourge of sex trafficking which has impacted the lives of too many young people in the San Joaquin Valley<\/a> that i represent and throughout america. Today here in congress, we look squarely at traffickers, pimps and victimizers and say we must do a better job in protecting our citizens. As a result of this legislation, our laws will no longer be manipulated and used as a cover for their abuse. No longer will these people be able to hide behind the shield that the internet provides you when knowingly contributing to this horrible crime. The fresno bee, the local newspaper in the valley, recently ran a sixweek long series of trafficking in the valley. I ask for unanimous consent to include the fresno bee article in the record. The chair the request will be covered under general leave. Mr. Costa nearly every 16yearold girl in fresno has been approached at one time or another by sex traffickers. Imagine that, almost every nearly 16yearold girl in our county. Police have seen sex trafficking victims from every high school in Fresno County<\/a> and most of the junior high schools. Its horrible. This is a tragedy and it cannot and should not be allowed to continue. Today we say its time to make important changes. This legislation does that. It will protect our children and provide them the ability to confront their abusers. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Costa i ask for 10ekds. Ms. Jackson lee i will be happy to yield the gentleman for 30 seconds. Mr. Costa thank you. As i said, its time to make these important changes, and this Bipartisan Legislation<\/a> does that. It protects our children, providing them the ability to confront their abusers, including those who knowingly promote and advertise these crimes. I thank the gentlewoman, i thank the bipartisan leadership in this effort, and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields. The gentlelady from alabama is recognized. Mrs. Roby thank you, mr. Speaker. I now would like to yield six minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentlelady from missouri, mrs. Wagner. And let me just say, thank you to her for her tireless work on this effort, and so six minutes i yield to mrs. Wagner. The chair the gentlelady from missouri is recognized for six minutes. Mrs. Wagner i thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlelady from alabama, mrs. Roby, for her Fearless Leadership<\/a> and support on this issue. Today we bring, mr. Speaker, h. R. 1865, the allow states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act, or fosta, to the floor, finally. I want to thank my partners on the other side of the aisle, my dear friend, congresswoman joyce beatty, congresswoman Carolyn Maloney<\/a> for their tireless support on this effort. The sad truth is that sex trafficking is a crime as old as the nation itself. Over the past few years, congress has routinely taken bipartisan action to fight it. Yet, sex trafficking seems to continue unabated. This is largely because the methods of recruitment and sale of sex trafficking victims have evolved with technology and u. S. Laws have remained stagnant. But today when the house votes on fosta, we will be sending a clear message businesses that sell human beings online can no longer do so with impunity. Section 230 of the Communications Decency<\/a> act explicitly allows enforcement of federal criminal laws, but courts have mistakenly found it does not have robust enforcement of state criminal law. Last summer, 50 state attorneys general called on congress to untie their hands and to allow them to bring justice to the websites that sell our children and the victims. Empowering our states and local prosecutors is the best interest is of best interest to the American People<\/a>. Federal prosecution is discretionary and the vast majority of crimes are at the state and local level. Most websites engaging in the online sex trade are first identified at the local level and should be quickly addressed side they ever reach the of backpage. Com. There is no really criminal deterrent against businesses looking to enter the sex trade. Today, we will change that. Fosta will allow prosecutors across the country to protect their communities without fear of section 230 preemption. Fosta will produce more prosecutions of bad actor websites, more convictions and put more predators behind bars. It will provide a meaningful criminal deterrent so that fewer businesses will ever enter the sex trade and fewer victims will ever be sold and raped. Clarification of section 230 is desperately needed. In august, 2017, the Sacramento Superior Court<\/a> dismissed charges brought against backpage by the California Attorney<\/a> saying if Congress Sees<\/a> fit to amend the immunity law, section 230 even applies to those alleged to support the exploitation of others by Human Trafficking<\/a>. Today, mr. Speaker, Congress Sees<\/a> fit to amend the immunity law to hold accountable websites that support exploitation. Fosta also creates a new crime targeting websites that are intentionally promoting prostitution and it encourages states to use or adopt similar laws. Unfortunately, sex trafficking ads are written to evade Law Enforcement<\/a>. Looking at these ads, you usually cant tell that force, fraud, coercion were used against the victim or that the person depicted in the ad is a minor. Because indications of knowledge of sex trafficking are typically hidden, it is nearly impossible for prosecutors to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that the website operators knew that the ads involved sex trafficking. This is why prosecutors tell me that they would oftentimes prefer to use prostitution laws instead of sex trafficking laws when charging these websites. Sex trafficking laws are written to target pimps, johns, and businesses, but are not always the best tool against the online sex trade. Fosta gives prosecutors the freedom to use both, both state sex trafficking laws and the state prostitution laws, and lets prosecutors decide how best to do their jobs. Importantly, prosecutors will be able to seek a higher penalty for websites that promote prostitution and recklessly contribute to sex trafficking. Online sex trafficking is flourishing in america because there are no serious legal consequences for the websites that profit from the exploitation of our most vulnerable. Fosta, combined with the sesta walters amendment that adds back in victims centered provision from my original language, will finally create these serious legal consequences. Today we are voting to keep our commitment to trafficking survivors, both by empowering them to hold accountable the websites that sold them and by arming prosecutors with the tools they need to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society are never sold online in the first place. I trust my i trust my deletion mr. Join me in this. I thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlelady yields back. The gentlelady from alabama is recognized. Mrs. Roby i reserve. The chair the gentlelady reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee it is my clesh sure to yield to the democratic cosponsor of this legislation, the gentlelady from ohio, the lead democrat, for three minutes. And thank her. For her perseverance and determination. The chair the gentlelady from ohio is recognized for three minutes. Mrs. Beatty thank you. I would like to thank congresswoman jackson lee not only for yielding me time but scholarship and commitment to making a difference against sex trafficking. Mr. Y is a proud day for me, speaker. Im proud to stand here on this house floor to urge the support and passage to allow states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act, known as fosta. As well as mr. Speaker. Im proud to stand here on this house floor to urge the support amendment. Human trafficking and sex trafficking is happening in all areas. Big cities, little cities, rural, suburban areas. Districts. Republican districts. Districts republican districts. It happens in every Congressional District<\/a> in america. Regardless whether that district is red or blue. Trafficking, mr. Speaker, is a and that issue requires bipartisan solutions. If congressman poe was still here, i would still add, thats just the way it is. And that i am so honored to be joined today with so many colleagues. I also want to thank congresswoman roby for her leadership in managing the time. And what an honor it is for me to join the leadership of congresswoman ann wagner. Not only the sponsor of this bill, but a friend, a colleague, someone who is my classmate and early on she started talking about Human Trafficking<\/a> and we shared our mutual interests. We have been, so to say, joined at the it hip ever since. And i could not thank her enough for all of her leadership. Mr. Speaker, it tells you that we must Work Together<\/a>. Congresswoman wagner has done that with this legislation and more. So i am very honored to be the lead democrat. You have heard what fighting online sex trafficking act will do. So i wont go in great detail with that again. But i will tell you it will address a critical problem. Our laws have not kept pace with our technology has been used to exploit the innocent. The internet has changed how humans are trafficked. It is taking something that was once done in the streets and made it easier and more anonymous. Trafficking online is a well documented problem. Yet we have seen a few websites turn a blind eye, even as they profit on the buying and selling of children, women, and men. Fosta will help solve this in many ways as you have heard. On this last point, id like to say, fosta is targeted in a way that will not only affect websites engaged in online trafficking trade, it will recognize some of the concerns that some of the tech communities initially raised. But i think that the process that fosta has gone through in the Judiciary Committee<\/a> and now with the walters amendment shows how the legislative process can be used to the chair the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Jackson lee i yield an additional minute. Mrs. Beatty it shows how the legislative process can be ruse used to result in a better product. The bill now has the support not only of the trafficking victims advocates, but it also has Law Enforcement<\/a>, and many of the internet and Tech Companies<\/a>. So again i thank the hard work of congresswoman wagner and i want to say we wont solve the problem of Human Trafficking<\/a> overnight, but if we get this bill signed into law, we will make it harder for traffickers to exploit the innocent and keep countless children, women, and men out of the cycle of abuse. Thank you, again. I yield back. The chair the gentlelady yields back. The gentlelady from alabama is recognized. Mrs. Roby thank you, mr. Speaker. I now yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey. The chair the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Smith the internet was never meant to be a zone of impunity for traffickers and their accomplices. They turned a blind eye to or actively facilitate the profit from the sex trafficking of children. Yet were seeing the internet used as a virtual slave market. Today, because of ann wagners tenacity, her courage, her legislative skill and compassion, and bipartisan effort that again comes to the floor to make a major change in law, we begin taking back the internet from traffickers by passing h. R. 1865. This legislation will also allow those who have been hurt to it sue, empowers women, especially women, to it take their cases to court, and to get remedies there as well. We say no to the status quo that allows our children to be bought, abused, and sold again with impunity online. Today we say no to courts slamming the door on we say no quo that allows our trafficking victims who want to sue website owners complicit in sexual abuse and cruelty. Mr. Speaker, the National Center<\/a> for missing and exploited children, their statistics show that back page dotcom is the bject of the majority of the child trafficking tips that are received in the United States<\/a>. Documents obtained by subpoena that back page dotcom originally refused to share, i see mrs. Maloney will speak in a moment, she and i worked very hard on child trafficking tips that tha has found that back page dotcom was removing telltale words and signs of likely Human Trafficking<\/a> from advertisements on its website, but still posting the advertisement and making money. They made it harder to detect. They actively prevented u. S. Law enforcement from detecting children being trafficked. Backpage wasnt prted prosecuted. Judges across the country wouldnt allow civil suits by trafficking victims who were sold through backpage. Com as pointed out by ann wagner. All because of a law written before the internet or Human Trafficking<\/a> was really understood. Sex 230 of the Communications Decency<\/a> act. Today, congress will change that law. God willing it passes in the senate and will be signed by the president. Today we can protect our children and free speech, too. H. R. 1865 as amended will allow state prosecutors to prosecute and it empowers trafficked women victims to sue the middle man who facilitated and profited from their slavery. The status quo of rampant online child sex trafficking is more than unacceptable, it is absolutely abhorrent to anyone who believes in Human Dignity<\/a> and human rights. This is a tremendous bill. Again i thank ann wagner for her leadership and yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlelady from alabama reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee it gives me pleasure again to yield to representative Carolyn Maloney<\/a> of new york, who joined with representative joyce beatty of ohio and the lead sponsor, congresswoman wagner, to be strong supporters of this legislation. Minutes. Her two shes an original cosponsor of the bill. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. Mrs. Maloney i thank the congresswoman lee for yielding and for her extraordinary leadership on this issue and so many other areas. I rise in strong, strong support of h. R. 1865. It is transformative legislation. It is important and it will save lives. It is an historic legislative achievement. And i thank my colleague, ann wagner, for her selfless, dedicated, effective leadership andn bringing this bill to the floor. And my colleagues, joyce beatty and Sheila Jackson<\/a> lee, and congresswoman walters and everyone and the leadership of this body for bringing this bill to the floor. I hope we should all pass it. Its important. This bill clarifies that Internet Companies<\/a> that actively advertise the sale of trafficking victims, many of whom are children and minors, are not protected by the Communications Decency<\/a> act section 230. When congress enacted it 22 years ago, it never, never intend ited to make the internet into a red light zone and a protected area to shield sex traffics traffickers and corporations from selling our young people, many of whom are stolen, doped, forced into sex trafficking and then protect them from the appeals of their parents for some type of justification, some type of recognition of the harm that they have caused. This bill, like every other sex trafficking bill, has been a bipartisan effort between democrats and republicans. It is landmark. Its important. Must continue to fight this modern day form of slavery wherever it exists, and this crime has absolutely exploded online because it is so profitable. You can sell a gun once. You can sell illegal dope once. But they sell the human body over and over. The chair the gentlelady is cognized for an additional minute. Mrs. Maloney thank you. Im just warming up. This is an important issue. I must tell you we have a choice. This has gone to the minute. Mrs. Maloney thank courts. And the courts have said, Congress Must<\/a> decide whether Congress Wants<\/a> to shield corporations, profit makers, exploiters. I would say murderers of Young Children<\/a> online selling them for sex trafficking. So if you vote against this bill, you are shielding them. If you vote for it, you are protecting our children. This bill removes obstacles for attorney generals throughout the untry to enact state antitrafficking laws. Thats why 50 a. G. s have supported it. Victims and families will be given a pathway to justice through private civil action that they have been denied too long. Over 50 organizations have come out in support of it. Ome corporations like facebook have stood up and said, enough is enough. Protect our children. I ask permission to place their statements into the record. The chair under general leave. Mrs. Maloney i must tell you, today, 22 years after Congress Passed<\/a> the c. D. A. , we have the opportunity the chair additional mrs. Maloney it was never to protect traffickers and companies that actively sell and enable them to continue this incredible, horrible, life taking crime of promoting sex trafficking and selling our young people. I urge a strong no vote. Lets make it unanimous. Lets show the world, the courts, the families, the victims where we stand. I believe my time is up. The chair the gentleladys time has expired. The gentlelady from texas reserves. The gentlelady from alabama. Mrs. Roby thank you, mr. Speaker. Id now like to yield three minutes to our forless fearless leader, our chairman of our conference, kathy madam eaker kathy madam speaker Kathy Mcmorris<\/a> rodgers. Mrs. Mcmorris rodgers i thank the yeal for her leadership. I rise today to support the victims to ents and fight the online sex trafficking act of 201. There is no question that human sex trafficking is one of the most significant epidemics we face today. It often victims to fight the online sex trafficking takes place in our own back yards. In my district in Eastern Washington<\/a>, targets are children, our families, friends and neighbors. Fortunately theres so many organizations, im grateful for those in Eastern Washington<\/a> who have stepped up, the coalition to abolish Human Trafficking<\/a>, working to stop these horrific and heartbreaking crimes. This bill will help online websites like backpage. I rise in support of the amendment by my friend, any any walters of mimi walters of california. By strengthening section 230 of the Communications Decency<\/a> act, we can restore victims access to justice and hold accountable Tech Companies<\/a> and online websites who make Human Trafficking<\/a> easier and knowingly turn a blind eye. We know these websites have the ability to censor content, and we see it in the political world every day. So why cant they work harder to censor and remove posts related to sex trafficking and enslavement of other human beings . This isnt hard. It is common sense to hold websites accountable for the crimes committed on their sites. We all must Work Together<\/a> to put an end to human sex trafficking which is why i urge my colleagues to support the walters amendment and the underlying bill. I yield back. The chair the gentlelady yields back. Does the gentlelady reserve . Mrs. Roby reserve. The chair the gentlelady from texas. Ms. Jackson lee its my pleasure to yield to congresswoman lofgren who is the Ranking Member<\/a> on the subcommittee on immigration and knows about the violation of human beings. I yield to her three minutes. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. Ms. Lofgren section 230 has been an important element of the law. Its allowed the internet to flourish. We support that. But we never intended section 230 to protect people who are trafficking in human beings, who are abusing children, who are prostituting children, really modern slavery. Its an outrage. I think when we saw the court cases about backpage where they basically used the c. D. A. As a shield for action that was absolutely criminal, in my judgment. Those guys belong in prison as far as im concerned, and the good news is that the bill drafted by representative wagner goes a long way. Actually, it fixes this problem. We just got a letter from the u. S. Department of justice. I just received it. This is what they say. Every day trafficking victims in america appear in online advertisements that are used to sell them for sex. The Department Works<\/a> diligently to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes. It faces serious challenges. It goes on to say that the high evidentiary standard needed is a problem, but it also says that this bill, as drafted and reported from the Judiciary Committee<\/a>, addresses the issues that are preventing prosecution and that would take meaningful steps to end the industry of advertising trafficking victims through commercial sex. So i would just like to say thanks to the authors of the bill as well as the Judiciary Committee<\/a> on which i serve. We worked together on a bipartisan basis to make adjustments. We had hearings so that we could have this bill that department of justice says will allow them to successfully go after these guys that are trafficking these children and other victims. A word of caution, however and ill talk about this later when the amendment comes up on the walters amendment. The Justice Department<\/a> says in this letter that they believe any revision to define participation is unnecessary and in fact that the new language would impact prosecutions by effectively creating additional elements. In fact, they say the amendment will make it harder to prosecute. So theres a thing we get told in law school that bad cases make bad law. One of the ways to avoid that is to have the Committee Process<\/a> work through it. That did not happen in the case of the amendment that will be offered later. So based on the Justice Department<\/a>s admonition, im grateful for their celebration of the underlying bill and i am mindful of the warning that the amendment could undo all of the good work weve done on a bipartisan basis. And with that i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlelady yields back. The gentlelady from texas reserves. The gentlelady from alabama. Mrs. Roby i now like to yield to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee<\/a>, mr. Goodlatte, as much time as he may consume. The chair the gentleman from virginia is recognized for as much time as he may consume. Mr. Goodlatte i rise in strong support of h. R. 1865, the allow states and victims to fight online sex trafficking act of 2017, and urge my colleagues to do the same. This legislation will finally make a meaningful difference in combating online sex trafficking. For too long bad actor websites have operated with impunity in selling young women and girls forced into the commercial sale of sex. They have beyond any shadow of a doubt profited off the misery of others. They have convinced courts to misapply the Communications Decency<\/a> act, a federal law that was originally intended to encourage websites to police content and rid platforms of illegal content. They have misused the Communications Decency<\/a> act as a shield to avoid criminal liability in state courts. Given the number of local websites that are deliberately selling women and children for sex, we must now take steps to allow federal, state, and local prosecutors to hold these websites accountable and dismantle these illicit, heinous online markets. H. R. 1865 will ensure vigorous criminal enforcement against bad actor websites by creating a new federal law to prosecute these sites and explicitly permitting states the ability to enforce comparable laws. While the federal code does not criminalize the knowing advertisement of sex trafficking, this statute is, unfortunately, of limited utility. Nearly all websites responsible r rampant sex trafficking, advertisements, host ads if ever state that the victim being sold is underage or subject to forced, fraud, or coercion. Therefore, this bill takes measures to target websites that are deliberately promoting and facilitating prostitution. Additionally, h. R. 1865 provides for an aggravated violation that applies to websites that promote prostitution in reckless disregard of the fact that sex trafficking is occurring on their platform. I want to highlight, mr. Chairman, an amendment that will be offered to this legislation. Though i applaud my colleagues dedication to this issue and fully appreciate the suffering of victims, i have concerns about this amendment which states that the provisions of the bill apply regardless of whether the conduct alleged occurred or is alleged to have occurred before, on, or after such date of enactment. Had regular order been followed, mr. Chairman, the Judiciary Committee<\/a> would certainly have fixed this issue, which i believe could subject this legislation to a constitutional challenge under the ex post facto clause, a concern shared by the Justice Department<\/a>. I hope we have an opportunity to fix this problem as we move forward with the bill, and i ask unanimous consent to include in the record a letter from the department of justice highlighting these constitutional concerns. The chair that request will be covered under general leave. Mr. Goodlatte nevertheless, mr. Chairman, i will support this bill since its strong reforms will allow state and local prosecutors to vigorously enforce the laws against some of the worst criminals in society today. This bill will allow Law Enforcement<\/a> to effectively dismantle this lucrative, expansive, immoral, reprehensible market. Our children and Vulnerable Women<\/a> are not commodities to be sold. This legislation emphatically affirms that fact. It will truly make a difference. Id like to commend my colleague, mrs. Wagner of missouri, and her dedicated staff for their work on this legislation and for their continued dedication to combating sex trafficking and supporting victims. I encourage my colleagues to support this important legislation, and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from alabama reserves. The gentlelady from texas. Ms. Jackson lee im continuing to reserve. The chair the gentlelady from texas reserves. The gentlelady from alabama is ecognized. Mrs. Roby i now yield three minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. Crawford. The chair the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Crawford thank you, mr. Chairman. I thank the gentlelady for recognizing me today. Mr. Chairman, this bill is one of several we passed in the house today that aims to combat the horrific and disgusting act of sex trafficking of minors in our borders. Today i want to share the story of two stories, actly, of ashley and alyssa, both from my district, the First District<\/a> of arkansas, who were taken for the purpose of being trafficked but thankfully wereress compude before being lost in were rescued before being lost in this trade. These women were sought online. Their stories sadly mirror one another and thousands of countless minors across america. Both recorded online by older men and thought were engaging in harmless friendships. They took ashley and ariesa to Washington State<\/a> and nebraska, respectfully, for their horrific purposes. Its believe for one of her victims her eventual destination would be to the super bowl in minneapolis which draws increased in trafficking. In the other case, the victim was one of over 8,000 minors sought online by her predator. Mr. Chairman, these girls are not unlike our own children. They are kids we see in our schools, our churches, neighborhoods. We must take the necessary steps like h. R. 1865 to protect americas children from these reprugnant individuals. This will not be the end all for stamping out this segment of society. We must recognize this despicable act for what it is i ask my colleagues to support this bill and committed to fighting the ongoing practice of sex trafficking. With that i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from alabama reserves. The gentlelady from texas. Ms. Jackson lee does the gentlelady have any further speakers . Mrs. Roby we do not. We are prepared to close. Ms. Jackson lee is the gentlelady ready to close . Mrs. Roby yes. Ms. Jackson lee then, ill proceed. Thank you. The chair the gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee mr. Speaker, i will consume such time as i may consume. And the chair the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee and close this important legislation. Thank you. As indicated, i had offered an amendment that would have allowed victims of sex trafficking to file civil action in state courts under the same conditions set forth in the underlying bill for federal, civil actions. I believe, however, that we have laid a stupendous foundation for innocent victims and that well have an opportunity to work with all of my friends who fought so hard for this legislation. So, again, i want to take the opportunity to thank congresswoman wagner and her cosponsors and as well congresswoman maloney and congresswoman beatty and the work weve done in judiciary through a period of coming together, i believe, is extremely constructive. It is so constructive that we have any number of support letters, a statement by john f. Clark, president and c. E. O. Of the National Center<\/a> for missing and exploited children. I ask unanimous consent to place that into the record. The chair request will be covered under general leave. Ms. Jackson lee a letter from enough is enough, unanimous consent, place it into the record. The chair covered under general leave. Ms. Jackson lee and the national antitrafficking coalition with many, many signatures. The chair the request will be covered under general leave. Ms. Jackson lee thank you. What was it like before this legislation and simply j. S. , who is documented in the film jane doe, will tell you a bright young lady, 15 years old, ran on the track team here in this area and for her own enthusiasm went to seattle, washington. When she went to seattle, washington, it would have been nice if a kind soul had found her, but that was not the case. Within 15 days she met a man twice her age who seduced her with gifts and convinced her to stay with him. Once she trusted the 32yearold he quickly turned on her and raped her and he would post explicit pictures of her in an ad on backpage. Com, and she was forced to continue to have sex for money. One would think there was relief. When her family sought to file in court she lost. She lost. And only through the work of congress has her case been able to move forward on an appeal. So the work that we have done is vital to saving lives and to restoring lives. I have been inspired and energized by the countless survivors, many of whom i have seen today and many of whom i joined last monday in my district. As a leader in the fight against human and sex trafficking and Ranking Member<\/a> of the committee on crime, terrorism, homeland security, and investigations, i am painfully familiar with the pervasiveness of sex trafficking in my own state of texas, which has become a hotbed of Human Trafficking<\/a> in the city of houston. Among Law Enforcement<\/a> and Human Trafficking<\/a> authorities, houston is known as a hub of Human Trafficking<\/a>. Not because of the lack of concern and energy of Law Enforcement<\/a> and social service community, it is just an epicenter because of the ability for people to come because of the warm weather, for children who have aged out of foster care and others who are victims of Human Trafficking<\/a>. The highest number of calls to the national Human Trafficking<\/a> hotline in texas comes from houston and a study conducted by the university of texas stated that there are more than 300,000 victims of Human Trafficking<\/a> in texas, including almost 79,000 minors. A story of calingty kathy. I would like to share the story of a young woman named kathy who moved to houston in 1994 with her family. She was raised to be strong and independent. She was very involved in her church, community and rotc. Let me share the story of kathy. She graduated from high school with hopes of pursuing a career in journalism but she became a victim of sex trafficking. Like most girls she wanted to be loved. She met a charming young man who treated her like shed never been treated before. After a fairytale year, her prince charming proposed something kathy felt she could not refuse. A promising squob with his company a promising job with his company that would triple her income, provide Financial Security<\/a> for her future and which seemed like a dream come true. The job was in dallas. Despite her initial hesitation, she saw the offer as an opportunity to provide for her family. But shortly after she rived in dallas, kathy arrived in dallas, kathy found herself in the dark world of sex trafficking and prostitution, a life she never knew shed be involved in. Graphic images were taken of her and placed on the internet against her will. She was forced to perform sexual favors multiple times every day throughout dallas and the surrounding areas. Escape was not easy. Her boyfriend turned pimp limited her phone calls to johns and did not allow her to have money. Somehow she found an opportunity to get away. She never looked back. To many after many years of living in silence, she decided to journal her experience. The journal became a book which became a stage play. Kathy found her voice and is now an inspirational speaker who hopes to use her story to encourage others to join the fight. Images of kathys horrific past linger on. She says, sites like that page have chosen to revictimize survivors and keep us in bondage by refusing to remove images taken against our will. She hopes one day the voices of survivors will be heard. We hear you today, kathy. Congress hears you. We hear the voices of the victims. So in conclusion, let me say as we hear the voices of the survivors, we realize the importance of our first amendment. And the ability to free expression. But we know that the torment that these victims are going through, the ptsd that theyre suffering, really is a statement of importance for h. R. 1865, that allows states and victims to fight online sex trafficking. And to work with all of those who have worked so hard on this bill, from our Judiciary Committee<\/a>, to the senate Judiciary Committee<\/a>, to the sponsors. And to go forward, building on this legislation, with more legislation, more victims being able to work with us and finally, mr. Chairman, to be able to stomp out, extinguish Human Trafficking<\/a>, sasking, online trafficking sex trafficking, online trafficking. This is a powerful nation. Theres no reason why we cannot do. This i look forward to do this. I look forward to that effort and with that i ask for a vote of yes on this bill. And i want to say that mrs. Maloney when she said vote no, she meant to say she wants a resounding yes on this legislation as well. With that, i yield back my time. The chair the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The chair recognizes the. Ntlewoman from alabama mrs. Roby thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague, ann wagner, for all of her hard worken this very, very important piece of work on this very, very important piece of legislation. It is our job to provide the strongest, most effective tools possible to confront, punish and ultimately prevent the horrific nightmare that is human sex trafficking. For far too long weve seen a stark rise in the use of the internet to buy and sell trafficking victims and minors for sex. This sick industry has been allowed to prosper because, due to broad interpretation of existing law there have been no serious legal consequences for websites that turn a profit by selling human beings. Today it is incumbent upon us to stop this horrifying injustice by passing h. R. 1865. To finally give prosecutors the tools they need to crackdown on sites that promote and participate in the human sex trade. I call on all my colleagues to support this legislation today and to send a clear message that we will no longer tolerate this evil, atrocious behavior. And we will no longer be complicit in letting these bad actors get away with these hateful crimes against humanity. And with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The chair the gentlewoman yields. All time for general debate has expired. Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the fiveminute rule. It shall be in order to an original bill an amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on the judiciary, printed in the bill. The Committee Amendment<\/a> in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. No amendment to the Committee Amendment<\/a> in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in house 583. T 115 each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, by a member designated in the report, shall be considered read, shall be debated for the time specified in debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. Shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to a demand for ivision of the question. It is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in ouse report 115583. For what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition . Mr. Goodlatte mr. Chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment number 1 printed in house report 115583 offered by mr. Goodlatte of virginia. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution<\/a> 748, the gentleman from virginia, mr. Goodlatte, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Goodlatte thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Goodlatte this amendment makes small but important changes to the bill. More specifically, the bill narrows the class of defendants covered in the new section 2421 had been a which criminalizes 2421a, which criminalizes the facilitation of prostitution. As the creation of this law is designed to target bad actor websites, this amendment narrows defendants covered to those who own, manage or","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia801004.us.archive.org\/31\/items\/CSPAN_20180227_180700_U.S._House_of_Representatives_U.S._House_of_Representatives\/CSPAN_20180227_180700_U.S._House_of_Representatives_U.S._House_of_Representatives.thumbs\/CSPAN_20180227_180700_U.S._House_of_Representatives_U.S._House_of_Representatives_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240630T12:35:10+00:00"}