Cramer: House Approves International Megan's Law

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer announced today the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Senate Amendment to H.R. 515. The International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders requires notice whenever a registered child sex offender travels outside the United States, and requests the same information from foreign governments for anyone seeking to enter our country. Cramer is a co-sponsor of the bill.

"North Dakotans have seen first-hand the scourge of human trafficking and its negative impacts on local communities," said Cramer. "Passing an International Megan's Law gives authorities another tool to track and monitor registered child sex offenders around the globe so they cannot travel to another country and victimize new children."

In addition, the House passed H.R. 400, the Trafficking Prevention in Foreign Affairs Contracting Act . It requires the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to submit reports to Congress on recruitment and placement fees charged by contractors, and would require the agencies to modify their policies to combat human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a $32 billion-a-year illegal activity and second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of international crime. The Department of Homeland Security estimates more than 20 million victims exist worldwide. A January 2015 white paper which discusses this epidemic, along with legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, is available here.

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