Sam Brownback

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. For the information of all Senators, the Senate will begin consideration of the sex trafficking conference report tomorrow morning. Under the order, there will be up to 7 hours of debate, with Senator Thompson raising a point of order against the report in regard to Aimee's law. A vote in relation to the point of order is expected during tomorrow's session, as well as a vote on adoption of the conference report itself. Senators should also be prepared to vote on the VA-HUD appropriations bill and the conference report to accompany the Agriculture appropriations bill. Senators will be notified as votes are scheduled.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendments be agreed to, the bill be read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business be extended until 4:30 under the same terms as previously ordered.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 11. I further ask consent that on Wednesday, immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then begin consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 3244, the Sexual Trafficking Victims Protection Act, as under the order.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday the Senate proceed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 3244, the trafficking victims conference report and the conference report which has just passed the House, and be considered as having been read and considered under the following agreement for debate only: 2 hours equally divided between Senators Brownback and Wellstone, or their designees; 3 hours under the control of the ranking member of the Judiciary committee; 1 hour under the control of Senator Biden; and 1 hour under the control of Senator Hatch. I further ask consent that following the conclusion or yielding back of time, Senator Thompson be recognized to make a point of order against the conference report that the conference text, section 2001, regarding Aimee's law is not in the jurisdiction of the Foreign Relations committee and following the ruling by the Chair, Senator Thompson would appeal the Chair's ruling and that appeal be limited to the following: 1 hour under the control of Senator Thompson. I further ask consent that following the use or yielding back of time, the vote relative to the appeal occur immediately on Wednesday, and if the Chair is not overturned, no other action occur and the Senate proceed to vote on adoption of the conference report, immediately, without any intervening action or debate.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. At most to proffer a unanimous consent. Could we do that first? I understand Senator Domenici seeks 20 minutes.

Mr. BROWNBACK. This is a unanimous consent agreed to and worked out ad nauseam on both sides.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I want to speak for a few minutes on a conference report, a bill we have been working on all year, including a couple of other provisions that have now been added. We are ready to move forward with it. That is what the vote will address tomorrow. I have put forward this bill on sex trafficking with Senator Wellstone. He and I don't get together on too many bills, so when we do, it is a bit noteworthy. We come from different perspectives, different viewpoints. I think we both have good hearts but our heads take us in different directions. But on this subject of stopping sex trafficking, we don't disagree. We have worked together all year to get this bill through which challenges this practice known as sex trafficking. Throughout the world, globalization has a dark side. We are seeing increasing numbers of young women, even girls, being trafficked from poorer countries to richer countries into the prostitution business. They have been tricked, forced, coerced and defrauded into working as prostitutes against their will. There are about 700,000 women and girls, according to our Government's estimates, being moved each year from poorer countries to richer countries into the prostitution business. Our Government estimates that approximately 50,000 women and children are trafficked annually into the United States, primarily from Asia and Central America. This is clearly a terrible practice. Many of these are young girls who are tricked and deceived into forced prostitution believe they are going to a different country for another purpose. For example, those trafficked to the United States are promised a job as a dish washer, or a factory worker. Something that pays better than the job opportunities available in their own, typically poorer, countries. However, once the victims get here, there is no decent job waiting for them. Instead, the trafficker will take their papers and passport so that they have no legal identification. Then they are given false papers, if any. This begins to prepare them for their new life of forced prostitution, making it very difficult to track down and rescue the young woman or girl who has been trapped. There is a point very early in this process where the trafficker says something like the following to his victim, ``You are mine and you will do what I say. You will work in this brothel as a prostitute and you have no choice.'' At this point, she had become a slave in one of the most degrading fashions imaginable. Senator Wellstone and I heard testimony to this effect. We have had two hearings in the Foreign Relations Committee on this subject of trafficking. At both hearings, we had victims testify to such experiences. At one hearing, we had three women who had been trafficked--all had been tricked into traveling to another country believing a good job was waiting on the other side, and once they got there, they were forced into prostitution. This is what they were subjected to. One young woman said that once she was moved into the United States, she was subjected to 30 clients a day, six days a week. If she refused, she was beaten without mercy. It is a dark, dark business. In January of this year I was in Nepal. I met with a number of girls who had returned from India, where they were forced to work in the brothels in Bombay. These were young girls, frequently from villages, not particularly knowledgeable in the ways of the world. They were young and very innocent when the trafficker had taken them away. The trafficker had told one girl's parents, ``I can get her a job in a rug factory in Bombay.'' The family was poor, they needed income, and they believed him. So they agreed, and gave their daughter away to the trader who forced her into prostitution against her will. And she had no choice. I met girls who had been trafficked at age 11, 12, and 13. The girls I saw in Nepal, in Katmandu, had returned from this devastating life. Some had escaped by running away, though many cannot since they are in chains or are locked away. Others were thrown out by the brothel because they had contracted AIDS or TB. When they returned at the age of 16, 17, or 18, two-thirds of them had AIDS and were waiting to die, having no proper medicine. As I stood there with the woman who runs this place of restoration for these young women, she pointed around the room whispering: She is dying, she is dying, she is dying. These were girls of 17 years old, 16 years old, or younger. They were people who had had their youth stolen from them, were deceived or forced into this practice, and then, finally, received a death sentence of AIDS. I saw that. I talked with these survivors of trafficking. Once you see that, you know you have to try to help to stop this. This is wrong, and this terrible practice is increasing. It is happening to 700,000 women and children, girls, each year worldwide. Paul Wellstone and I worked very hard together. We have a bill that has gone through the Senate by unanimous consent which is the most comprehensive bill to combat this practice of sex trafficking. Among other provisions, this bill substantially increases the penalty for trafficking, while protecting those victims who have been forced into this awful practice. Presently, the victims of trafficking are treated almost as badly as their enslaver, but this bill changes that. Instead, this bill promotes the cooperation of the victims to testify against those who have forced them into trafficking. This will help to bust open the trafficking rings, which we are going very little of these day. It also promotes awareness programs so that people can protect their children and themselves from being tricked into forced prostitution. I support the increasing globalization of the trade community, but we also have to recognize the problems associated with globalization. Trafficking may be among the worst of those problems. The United States can be a leader in starting to combat this practice, thus giving back to young girls all over the world their childhood instead of a death sentence. Associated with this trafficking bill is a bill that Senator Biden has worked very aggressively on, the Violence Against Women Act. This is a reauthorization of that bill. These two bills are being paired, along with other measures. Senator Biden has spoken passionately and frequently on the need to deal with domestic violence in the United States, a very dark and pervasive tragedy in America. It recently passed in the House of Representatives as a stand alone bill, with only 3 dissenting votes. It is up for reauthorization. VAWA will help those women who are suffering from some form of domestic violence. It is a good piece of legislation and these two bills belong together. Also associated with this bill is an Internet Alcohol provision, as well as a provision dealing with terrorism, put forward by Senator Mack. It is noncontroversial. Also, in includes a bill entitled, Amy's Law, sponsored by Congressman Salmon in the House, and by Senator Santorum here in the Senate. It ultimately promotes tougher prison sentences for people who have been convicted of sex crimes such as rape. In summary, the two lead bills in this package separately address sex trafficking and violence against women and children. I plead with my colleagues to vote for this package. It will be up tomorrow morning. This package challenges brutal practices suffered by some of the most defenseless and battered in our society and worldwide. It will assist people in some of the most violent and crushing situations, both here and abroad. It will help so many. I plead with my colleagues in these last hours when people can put up roadblocks to bills. I plead with my colleagues to say that they will not block this bill which will help so many people who are brutalized, including by sex trafficking. I plead with my colleagues, let's move this package on through. This will clear through the House by a large vote. It is something we can do for the women and children in this country as well as worldwide. It is a sensible package. It has been worked out by both sides of the political spectrum, through both parties. So, please, let's do this. This is something we can all be very proud of passing as we go home. We can proudly say that we tried to do something, as we read increasing stories of forced sex trafficking worldwide. We can say we didn't look away by passing this bill. Everybody is not going to like everything in these bills. But these two lead issues are so critical and important, and time is so short for us to get these through. Let's not wait until next session as increasingly more and more girls are being tricked into this practice of forced sex trafficking. The United States can step up awareness and advocacy, and as we do, governments around the world will do the same. The U.S. has to speak first, however, and this is the bill to do the speaking. Let's do it now. As we vote on this tomorrow morning, I ask my colleagues to vote yes on these very important pieces of legislation to help children, to help women. These are vital pieces of legislation of which we can all be proud. Mr. President, I understand there may be some more items, so I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. I ask unanimous consent the bill be read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2641, which is at the desk.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. I ask unanimous consent the Senate agree to the amendments of the House of Representatives.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Chair lay before the Senate a message from the House of Representatives to accompany S. 2311.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I stand in support of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (S. 2045) which I have co-sponsored with Senators Orrin Hatch and Spencer Abraham. This legislation would increase the number of H-1B visas for skilled labor available to U.S. employers from 115,000 to 195,000 slots, starting next fiscal year, among other measures. This is direly needed legislation. Alarmingly, this year's allotment of H-1B visas ran out very early this year, in March. As a result, hundreds of thousands of highly skilled positions have gone unfilled throughout America. America is currently riding a very high wave of record economic growth, unmatched in our generation. With that expansion, the number of available jobs which have gone unfilled has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, we have begun to place a cap on this extraordinary economic expansion by limiting the pool of skilled laborers that companies can draw upon by the present limited visa allotment. The hardest hit sector is the computer industry. This industry functions in six months cycles, with new products being developed and marketed within this short period of time. The computer industry suffers a severe lack of qualified information technicians. Less workers means a longer development period which means a loss of competitive edge. This ultimately results in a loss of market, business and jobs. In this scenario, everyone loses, including the economy, American consumers, companies and workers. To avoid this wasteful and unnecessary result, we must adopt this legislation and expand the visa slots so that American companies can continue to grow. This is an urgent problem which cannot wait until next year. If we fail to pass this legislation, we could significantly jeopardize our notable competitive edge in a fierce global market. Some falsely charge that this legislation gives away our most lucrative jobs, while skipping over American workers. This is not true. Clearly, American employers would rather select American workers first over foreign guest workers who must be processed through a burdensome immigration bureaucracy involving significant time delays and complications. This visa process is costly and cumbersome for employers, and can easily be avoided by hiring American workers. However, American businesses cannot fill these positions with only American workers anymore and are forced to search overseas for badly needed talent. Our economy has expanded that significantly and these workers are needed that badly. If we do not allow American-based businesses to meet this skilled labor need, some may move their operations to other countries which will gladly accommodate them. Why would we encourage this unfortunate result when we can attain just the opposite, that of attracting new and vibrant businesses, by expanding our labor pool? In addition to the new visa allotments, this legislation creates 20,000 new college scholarships to train American workers in greater numbers. This encourages more degrees among Americans in math, computer science, and engineering--all areas of expertise presently suffering a shortage. Thus, this bill addresses both present and future worker needs. On October 1st the new fiscal year began, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that we will use up the entire allotment of H-1B visas before the end of this December. In other words, the H-1B visa allotment will be used up in three months. That leaves the balance of nine months of no additional visas for desperate American computer companies, among other businesses, which will suffer this serious lack of workers. That's bad business and bad politics, which can be corrected with this bill. Americans continue to dream bigger and create greater innovations, generating an unmatched prosperity which we should encourage, not discourage. That's why we should support the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. I object.

Mr. BROWNBACK. I will object to this proposal.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Yes.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Absolutely. He has been stating that for a long period of time. The administration, each step along the way, has continued to thwart, stall, and say things that were positive but with no action. That is what I have seen taking place in pushing for marginal well tax credits for small oil well production such as we have in Kansas. We need to encourage this domestic production. Let's have a tax credit for these marginal oil wells that produce less than 10 barrels a day. You get positive comments from the administration, but then nothing happens. On biofuels or Central Asia, there is enormous capacity in that region for oil and gas. Yes, this takes place, but what are you going to do to cause this to happen? What is your strategy? Nothing is put forward. Here we are with high gas prices and high heating oil. My parents burn propane to heat their home. They are paying a significant premium price now. All of these things are taking place, and then their answer is to tap this 1\1/2\ day supply, instead of dealing with fundamentals which they have failed to do over a period of time. So we have been warned. I hope we can press the administration, and I hope this is something to which people pay attention.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, there is a substitute amendment at the desk submitted by Senators Specter and Rockefeller.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and passed, as amended, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. BROWNBACK

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess under the previous order.