View From the Capitol - Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler's Newsletter for the Week of January 26-30, 2015

This week, the House took aim at the horrific crime of human trafficking, passing a number of bills aimed at preventing, increasing awareness of, and protecting victims of this tragedy.

Human trafficking is nothing more than modern-day slavery. It is a heinous crime and more needs to be done to stop it worldwide and here in the United States. Many overlook the fact that this crime is not confined to foreign countries and that many cases are right here in our own backyard. In fact, it is estimated that child sex trafficking is a $32 billion dollar industry worldwide and a $9.8 billion industry here in the U.S. It is the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world, putting over 293,000 young Americans at risk of becoming trafficking victims each year.

I am proud to have co-sponsored a number of the measures in this package. These bills, along with the others, will help to bring this terrible crime to light, uproot traffickers, and ensure that trafficking victims are treated as victims, not like criminals. This is a good step towards eliminating trafficking, but much more needs to be done.

Highlights of the bills I co-sponsored are:

• H.R. 159 - Stop Exploitation through Trafficking Act of 2015 – helps victims of trafficking by encouraging states to treat them as victims, not criminals, and provide them with avenues to leave their situations with access to protective services, counseling and skill building rather than entering the legal system;
• H.R. 285 - Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2015 – makes it a federal crime to knowingly advertise for the commercial sex exploitation of minors and trafficking victims;
• H.R. 460 - Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015 – requires that certain DHS personnel be appropriately trained on how to identify suspected cases of human trafficking and receive updated training as necessary;
• H.R. 469 - Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2015 – ensures that child welfare agencies have the systems and trained personnel in place to properly identify and assess child victims of trafficking;
• H.R. 515 - International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking – ensures that a foreign country is aware when an American sex offender who has previously abused a child is traveling to that country and encourages the same type of notification from foreign countries to protect American children from foreign sex offenders.

We must do everything we can to protect our youth, ensure victims of human trafficking have the support they need to rebuild their lives, and boost law enforcement resources to target this crime. I look forward to this common sense legislation receiving speedy attention in the Senate.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its annual budget outlook this week. While the CBO sees the deficit holding steady, it projects the gap between spending and revenues will continue to grow. I had an opportunity to hear directly from CBO Director Doug Elmendorf as he appeared before the House Budget Committee, on which I serve. One thing was perfectly clear from what he had to say – our government is still on an unsustainable path due to spending more money than it takes in! House Republicans are prepared to offer a balanced budget this spring. American taxpayers must live within their means and the federal government must do the same.

On another matter, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman, Mac Thornberry, recently put forward an agenda for this new session of Congress. It acknowledges the fact that America needs a strong military coupled with a process that leads to a leaner more efficient military.

I agree completely with Chairman Thornberry that the first and foremost job of the federal government is to defend our country and our people, and that Congress has an irreplaceable role in carrying out that duty. The United States must have the military capability and the strength to deal with the threats that exist. To be capable and strong, we must stop the slide in defense budgets. The fact is that sequestration has harmed our military and its capability to do what the nation needs it to do. We must make our national security a priority again in Washington.

While it is imperative that defense cuts be halted, it is also important to decrease costs and speed the progress in Department of Defense acquisition. In short, we must use tax dollars more efficiently. This is going to require greater cost analysis with an eye toward return on investment. Congressional oversight is essential. I look forward to working on these issues as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and making sure our armed forces remain the best in the world.

Have a good week.

Vicky