On Tuesday, May 20, 2014, the House will consider H.R. 4225, the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014, under suspension of the rules. H.R. 4225 was introduced on March 13, 2014 by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) and was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. The bill was marked up by the Judiciary Committee on April 30, 2014 and was ordered reported, as amended, by a vote of 24-3.[1]
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[1] Committee Report 113-447 at 5.
H.R. 4225 clarifies that 18 U.S.C. § 1591 can be violated when a defendant knowingly advertises a victim for a commercial sex act, or knowingly benefits from such an advertisement. Under current law, 18 U.S.C. § 1591 criminalizes the knowing sex trafficking of minors and others through force, fraud, or coercion.
The growth of the internet has unfortunately provided commercial sex traffickers a convenient way to market their victims to potential purchasers. Individuals are currently able to use websites to advertise and purchase sexual encounters with minors. In 2012 alone, online advertisements of prostitution collected nearly $45 million in revenue.[1] This legislation would attempt to address the problem by criminalizing the advertisement of minors for commercial sex acts.
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[1] http://aimgroup.com/2013/07/10/online-prostitution-ad-revenue-crosses-craigslist-benchmark/
According to the CBO, implementing H.R. 4225 would have no significant effect on discretionary spending and would not affect direct spending or revenues.
For questions or further information contact the GOP Conference at 5-5107.
