{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/beatty-anti-human-trafficking-amendment-earns-strong-bipartisan-support", "Beatty Anti-Human Trafficking Amendment Earns Strong Bipartisan Support", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Joyce Beatty", "B001281", "beatty.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Beatty Anti-Human Trafficking Amendment Earns Strong Bipartisan Support \nBeatty-authored amendment included in the End Banking for Human Traffickers Act\nWASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Today, the House Financial Services Committee passed the bipartisan End Banking for Human Traffickers Act, H.R. 2219, which included language from an amendment authored by U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03). \u00a0\nBeatty\u2019s amendment would require the President\u2019s Interagency Taskforce to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to include in its report to Congress recommended changes to existing law to more effectively detect and deter the use of emerging technologies and virtual currencies to launder money gained from human trafficking.\n\u201cHuman trafficking represents an estimated multi-billion dollar a year international enterprise and, according to the U.S. State Department, it is among the world\u2019s top three criminal enterprises,\u201d Beatty said during the Committee markup. \u201cBack in 2013, Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman testified before a Senate Committee on the challenges the use of virtual currencies present to law enforcement when used for illicit purposes like human trafficking.\u201d She concluded, \u201cTechnology evolves by the hour in today\u2019s world, and the rise in popularity of virtual and digital currencies makes it paramount that Congress and regulators ensure that these innovations are not being used to launder money gained through the travesty of human trafficking.\u201d\nThe bill, of which Beatty is a cosponsor, would add the Secretary of Treasury as a member of the President\u2019s Taskforce. As a member of the Taskforce, the Secretary would help submit to Congress recommendations to better identify money-laundering activities related to human trafficking.\nH.R. 2219 was unanimously approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 59-0 and is now awaiting further consideration by the full U.S. House of Representatives. A companion piece of legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/beatty-anti-human-trafficking-amendment-earns-strong-bipartisan-support"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4119651168584824, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}