Providing for Congressional Disapproval of a Rule Submitted by the National Labor Relations Board

Floor Speech

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Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, I would like to thank the Senator from
Hawaii. This is such an incredibly important issue. It is an honor to
see my colleague from North Dakota as well. This is a great example of
an incredibly important issue that is a bipartisan issue.

Unfortunately, human trafficking, sex trafficking--this is something
that impacts everyone. This is something that the women of the Senate
have been very focused on, but it crosses all party lines. We want to
work together to end this modern day slavery. Unfortunately, the
funding for this is really supporting criminal syndicates and so many
other crimes. It is also supporting terrorism.

So working together, we hope to make meaningful progress to end this
slavery that is happening for too many young people in this country who
are vulnerable. But let's make no mistake. This happens in every single
community in this country. I had the opportunity to testify before the
Senate Judiciary Committee last week, along with Senators Mikulski,
Collins, and Gillibrand, regarding the importance of legislation to
fight sex trafficking and ensure, most of all, that we understand that
the victims of these horrific, horrific crimes need our support.

We need to ensure that we can get them back on their feet, help them
get the support they need and make sure they can lead productive lives--and
hold the traffickers accountable. Those who are participating in
trafficking need to understand that we are going to work together to
ensure they are held fully accountable and the victims do not get
blamed for these crimes.

The Judiciary Committee heard from experts who are dedicated to
changing lives and helping victims. Their work is incredibly important.
In my State of New Hampshire, the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual
Violence, which I had the privilege of working with as attorney
general, has done some tremendous work in supporting victims and also
in bringing attention to the trafficking in New Hampshire and across
this country.

What we know is that sex trafficking is something that is
devastating. This is something where we need to work with local, State,
and Federal agencies, working together to prevent trafficking, to
provide support for those who are vulnerable in the community and are
often targeted, whether they are runaways or people who are homeless.
But also there are people who come from communities where it is not the
homeless who are targeted. Children and women and also boys are
targeted for trafficking.

Last week I was encouraged to see that the Senate Judiciary Committee
passed two bipartisan pieces of legislation of which I was honored to
be a cosponsor: Senator Cornyn's Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act
and Senator Klobuchar's Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. I am
pleased to be a cosponsor. I cannot wait for these bills to come to the
floor. I hope our leadership makes this a priority because this is such
a strong bipartisan issue.

Also last week the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed Senator
Corker's End Modern Slavery Initiative Act, which aims to eliminate
modern slavery throughout the world. It is totally unacceptable in this
day and age that people are trafficked the way they are. But to mention
it again, modern slavery is being used to support terrorism. It is
being used to endanger the world as well. So we have to work to end it.

I also recently helped reintroduce the bipartisan Runaway and
Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, which helps prevent sex
trafficking. This has been a very useful program in the State of New
Hampshire. I see my colleague here from North Dakota. I know she shares
with me--having been an attorney general of her State--that we
understand that these are horrible crimes that happen in every single
community, from my home State of New Hampshire to her home State of
North Dakota. We are going to work together to make sure that we can
end human trafficking, that we can hold those accountable who are
traffickers, and, most of all, that we can support the victims of these
horrible crimes.

So with that I would like to turn the floor over for the Senator from
North Dakota.

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