Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2015
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for
yielding this time and for his efforts in this most noble fight.
I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in support of H.R. 469, the Strengthening
Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2015, which directs the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and publish
guidelines to assist State child welfare agencies in efforts to serve
youth who are victims or who are, perhaps, most importantly, at risk of
becoming victims of human trafficking. In addition, this bill amends
the Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Act to require a State plan for
foster care and adoption assistance to identify children who are
victims of human trafficking.
Mr. Speaker, as the father of three sons and as the grandfather of
precious, precious twin granddaughters, nothing terrifies me more than
the thought of a loved one's falling victim to human sex trafficking.
However, families all across our country suffer this horrific situation
every day. I believe all of my colleagues would agree that protecting
every child in this country is our number one priority; yet children in
State welfare systems slip through the cracks and go unnoticed every
day.
In the Georgia General Assembly, where I had the honor and privilege
of serving for the past 10 years, I worked alongside my friend, State
Senator Renee Unterman, to enact one of the Nation's toughest
crackdowns on human trafficking by strengthening protections for the
victims of these crimes and by increasing penalties for those who
commit them. In fact, last year, we went a step further by requiring
businesses to post information on a 24-hour, toll-free hotline for
victims of human trafficking so that they could call for help.
I hope the guidelines that have been established under this law will
encourage other States to follow Georgia's lead. Our utmost priority
should be providing to these children, who have suffered at the hands
of evil, access to care and support. I urge my colleagues to support
this bill.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source