Comstock Joins Bipartisan Legislation to Fight Human Trafficking

Press Release

Today Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) joined Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) in introducing the Secure our Skies (SOS) Act, legislation requiring training for airline industry employees to recognize and report human trafficking. The legislation follows a national uptick in human trafficking and a groundswell of support from airline employees wanting to combat these crimes that often occur right in front of the public's eyes.

"It is critical that we are ever vigilant in the fight against the heinous crime of human trafficking," Rep. Comstock said. "Every day, flight attendants see and interact with children on the thousands of flights across our country and throughout the world. They are the eyes and ears in this constant battle, and this legislation will give them the tools to save the most vulnerable in our society and fight this terrible scourge. I want to thank Congresswoman Titus for working in a bipartisan manner on this important legislation."

"These crimes don't just happen on the ground and they are just as hard to spot in the sky," said Rep. Titus, a ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation. "The SOS Act will help to close off the nation's skies to perpetrators of these heinous crimes by providing training to airline professionals who are in the best position to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking. We all have a role to play in stopping human trafficking, and this legislation will ensure our airline personnel can spot the signs and stop the crimes."

"Many Flight Attendants have witnessed something that just didn't feel right on their flight, but without the proper tools to act," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA . "No more. As aviation's first responders, for a window of time, we can see it, report it and law enforcement can bring justice. The SOS Act will help us close the skies to human traffickers. Representatives Titus and Comstock have been an immediate and steadfast advocates to help ensure we can save lives with 100,000 trained eyes in the skies. We are proud to work with them."

The SOS Act builds on the work of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation campaign called Blue Lightning. This voluntary training program for airlines personnel was established in 2013. Under the SOS Act, airlines and contractors must develop training materials for their employees that includes common indicator of human trafficking and best practices for reporting suspected cases to law enforcement.

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