Rokita: We Must "End Scourge of Human Trafficking"

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita today took a stand to protect the victims of human trafficking by supporting a series of measures aimed at cracking down on this awful crime. Rokita released the following statement following the passage of the legislation.

"The deplorable act of human trafficking must stop and we must do everything we can to support victims and prevent these crimes from occurring. These bills are a significant step in ending the scourge of human trafficking," said Rokita.

A summary and listing of the legislation passed today:

H.R. 3530 - Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, co-sponsored by Rokita, increases and streamlines law enforcement resources, enhances victims' services, and strengthens our laws to ensure that both buyers and sellers engaged in sex trafficking are held accountable. It authorizes the appropriation of $25 million annually over the 2015-2019 period for DOJ to provide grants to states and other recipients aimed at improving the enforcement of laws against human trafficking and to assist victims of such crimes.

H.R. 3610 - Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act makes several changes to laws related to human trafficking. It allows the Attorney General to apply preferential treatment when making some public safety grants to states that have adopted certain laws related to trafficking victims, but does not change the funding level for the grants. It requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to expand its reporting on certain trafficking-related crimes. It requires HHS to provide funding for a national hotline for trafficking victims. It also makes trafficking victims eligible to participate in the Jobs Corps if they meet the age and income requirements.

H.R. 4225 - Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation (SAVE) Act would clarify the current laws against sex trafficking with regard to the advertising of such acts. The goal is that the government might be able to increase the number of successful prosecutions.

H.R. 4058 - Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act makes several changes to the Title IV-E foster care program within HHS. It would require states to identify child victims of sex trafficking in the foster care system and put in place a plan to help them.

H.R. 4573 - International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking establishes a model framework for international law enforcement notifications when convicted child sex offenders pose a danger to children in a destination country. It would require providing advance notice of intended travel by registered child-sex offenders outside the U.S. to the government of the country of destination and requesting foreign governments to notify the U.S. when a known child-sex offender is seeking to enter the U.S.

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