Ways and Means Committee Acts to Prevent Child Sex Trafficking and Improve the Lives of Youth in Foster Care

September 29, 2014

“Over the past year, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources has reviewed one of the most serious concerns about the nation’s foster care system — that it doesn’t do enough to protect young people in its care from becoming victims of sex trafficking.

On Monday, September 29, the President signed into law H.R. 4980, the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act. This bill reflects months of bipartisan, bicameral work to prevent sex trafficking of children in foster care, increase adoptions from foster care, and increase child support collections for families, among other purposes. This legislation is the result of an open and transparent legislative process that included multiple congressional hearings, committee markups, and other public events. In addition, as a result of the open comment period announced in December of 2013 by the Committee on Ways and Means, the bill incorporates many improvements suggested by the public. Finally, H.R. 4980 implements these improvements without increasing spending, actually reducing the deficit by $19 million over 10 years according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.”

See the full committee report by clicking on the link above.