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Tonight, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) spoke on the House floor in support of H.R. 4058 the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act. This legislation along with four other bipartisan anti-trafficking bills passed the House today. Below is a link to Congressman Huizenga's floor speech as well as a transcript of his remarks.

​Rep. Huizenga: 

We know a lack of normalcy and barriers to participation in age-appropriate activities increases vulnerability of trafficking, homelessness, and other negative outcomes that kids that are in foster care experience. This bill would ensure that youth in foster care can participate in more age-appropriate activities. They are going to be better connected with their communities and their friends and less vulnerable to becoming victims of sex trafficking. In all this is negativity and ugliness, I can talk about a ray of hope.

Bethany Christian Services, based in West Michigan and has operations in my district, is an example of effective child welfare organization that dramatically improves outcomes children in foster care. Bethany comes along side the families who will walk with these children in this time of crisis and welcome them unconditionally into their loving and caring homes.

Bethany is also an organizational model that has proven successful. Foster parents work with staff from community agencies toward identified goals for children in their care, empowering these parents to dramatically improve outcomes for those children that are in their care.

I thank the authors of this bill who are going to give the same opportunities to all foster children.

The five pieces of anti-trafficking legislation passed by the House today are listed below:

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (H.R. 3530, Rep. Poe) a comprehensive domestic anti-human trafficking bill that reallocates existing grants for human trafficking deterrence and victims’ support and provides additional law enforcement tools to enable authorities to prosecute all those involved in human trafficking.

The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act (H.R. 3610, Rep. Paulsen) encourages states to adopt safe harbor laws that treat trafficked minors as victims and provide an avenue for victims to leave their situations with access to protective services, counseling, and skill building rather than entering the legal system and being incarcerated.

The Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act (H.R. 4058, Rep. Reichert) would require states to take steps to identify, prevent, and address sex trafficking of youth in foster care. It also would improve the lives of youth in foster care by ensuring they have more normal opportunities and experiences, while also providing them with tools they need to become successful adults.

The Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation (SAVE) Act (H.R. 4225, Rep. Wagner) makes it a federal crime to knowingly advertise for the commercial sex exploitation of minors and trafficking victims.

International Megan’s Law (H.R. 4573, Rep. C. Smith) ensures that a destination country is aware when an American sex offender who has previously abused a child is traveling to that country and encourages reciprocal notification to protect American children from abuse by foreign sex offenders.