Press Release
Smith, House Members Highlight Bipartisan Human Trafficking BillsU.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) spoke at a press conference today highlighting House legislation taken up on the House floor Monday and Tuesday, including two bills authored by Smith to step up the fight against modern day slavery. Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights and a longtime anti-human trafficking advocate, Smith authored the landmark law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, Public Law 106-386). On Monday, two other Smith measures were debated by the House and unanimously passed in voice votes. The House passed HR 514, “Human Trafficking Prioritization Act” and HR 515 , “International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking,” both sponsored by Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. HR 515 seeks to protect children from sexual predators seeking victims in other countries. Smith, cofounder and co-chair of the House Trafficking Caucus, gave the following remarks at the press conference hosted by Conference Chair Kathy McMorris Rodgers:"This is an historic week in the House of Representatives as we seek to pass 12 bills to fight human trafficking. "As the prime author of the first anti-trafficking law, the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000—as well as reauthorizations of that law in 2003 and 2005—I believe the 12 anti-human trafficking bills considered by the House yesterday and today will further prevent the horrific crimes of human trafficking, protect and assist victims and aid the prosecution those who exploit and abuse. "A special thanks to our Republican leadership, especially Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy who have made this a priority for the House. "Yesterday marked the third time in 8 years that the House has passed—with strong bipartisan support—my bill, The International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking. This legislation, will protect children from child sex tourism by notifying destination countries when convicted pedophiles plan to travel. "A deeply disturbing 2010 report by the GAO, found that at least 4,500 U.S. passports were issued to registered sex offenders in fiscal year 2008 alone. "To protect American children, the International Megan’s Law encourages the President to use bilateral agreements and assistance to establish reciprocal notification so we will know when convicted child sex offenders are coming here. Notification and reciprocity are the twin goals here—reciprocal notice to protect children at home and abroad. "There is no higher duty or responsibility of government than to protect children from violence and predatory behavior. "Tragically, we know that child sex predators thrive on secrecy, a secrecy that allows them to commit heinous crimes against children. In 1994, seven-year old, Megan Kanka, from my district, was lured into the home of an unknown convicted pedophile living across the street. Megan was raped and brutally murdered. The outrage over this tragedy led to the enactment of Megan's Laws—public sex offender registries (i.e. notification) in every State in the country. "It is imperative that we take the lessons we have learned on how to protect our children from known child sex predators within our borders and expand those protections globally."
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