Vern Buchanan: House Leadership Needs to Move Quickly on Dealing With Human Trafficking

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called on the U.S. House leadership to move quickly on a bill targeting human trafficking. 

Buchanan is one of the six co-sponsors of U.S. Rep. Ted Poe’s, R-Texas, “Abolish Human Trafficking Act” which raises penalties on criminals who engage in that form of crime and creates new protocols for screening suspects and helping victims. The proposal also extends the Justice Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund to ensure convicted traffickers will be fined to help pay for services their victims need. 

With a similar proposal from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, passing without opposition last month, Buchanan said the House should fast track the bill for passage. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was one of more than a dozen original co-sponsors of Cornyn’s bill in the Senate. 

“Human trafficking victims suffer unspeakable acts of violence and exploitation,” Buchanan said on Monday. “This bill will help curb this monstrous crime in my home state and across the country. The House needs to move swiftly and get this measure to the president’s desk.”
 
As of right now, the bill has plenty of committee stops set up in the House. Back in June, the bill was sent to the U.S. House Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, Energy and Commerce and Homeland Security Committees. Those committees sent it to some of their subcommittees including the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations; the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations; and the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. 

Buchanan insists the bill can’t wait. He noted on Monday that Florida ranks only behind California and Texas when it comes to trafficking cases and noted that things are only getting worse, including reported cases increasing 54 percent last year in the Sunshine State.