Portman, Walters, GOP backers praise new law crushing online sex trafficking enablers

Bipartisan legislation cracking down on websites that facilitate online sex trafficking and establishing new rights for victims became law on April 11 and includes key contributions from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA).

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) of 2017, H.R. 1865, resulted from a two-year investigation led by Sen. Portman, chairman of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, during the 114th Congress in 2015-2016 when lawmakers determined the wide-ranging extent of online classified ads website Backpage.com’s knowing facilitation of human sex trafficking.

“This is a momentous day in the fight to help stop online sex trafficking, and a big victory for trafficking victims and survivors who for too long have been denied the opportunity to get the justice they deserve,” said Sen. Portman in a joint statement with colleagues released after President Donald Trump signed the bill into law.

“We wouldn’t have gotten to this point without the bravery of the sex trafficking victims and their families who shared their stories, the work of anti-trafficking advocates who helped us craft a narrowly tailored solution, and a broad coalition of support that was unwavering in its commitment to getting this done,” Portman said.

FOSTA, originally introduced on April 3, 2017 by U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), amends the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to end legal protections for websites that allow prostitution and sex trafficking to take place. The measure also amends federal criminal code to establish penalties, including up to 10 years in prison, for anyone who knowingly uses a computer service to promote or enable prostitution. The bipartisan measure had 174 cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Martha Roby (R-AL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), who signed on as original cosponsors.

Sen. Portman on Aug. 1, 2017 introduced the related and bipartisan Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) of 2017, S. 1693, which had 70 cosponsors. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Walters incorporated language from Sen. Portman’s bill to craft an amendment for H.R. 1865 that permits sex-trafficking victims to file civil claims against websites that allow or assist sex trafficking. The newly signed law includes Walters’ amendment.

“Today was a historic moment in the fight against human trafficking and the websites that knowingly facilitate this evil industry,” said Rep. Walters, who attended Trump’s signing of FOSTA at the White House. “Thanks to FOSTA and my SESTA amendment, we can start dismantling websites that can possibly provide safe havens for sex trafficking.”

In fact, since Congress passed the legislation, several companies ahead of it being signed into law decided to remove websites and message boards and suspend accounts that potentially could have been cited for promoting online sex trafficking, according to Walters’ staff.

“Importantly, trafficking survivors can now seek legal recourse against those that knowingly promoted their abuse and sale,” the congresswoman said. “The days of legal loopholes for online sex traffickers are over. It is my hope that this new law will mark the beginning of the end of online human trafficking.”

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), who cosponsored SESTA, applauded President Trump and Sen. Portman for their efforts to enact the law. With his home state of Nevada ranking among America’s top tier of states counting large numbers of human trafficking cases, the senator has been focused on finding solutions for the problem.

“Unfortunately, Nevada has the nation’s ninth-highest number of reported cases of human trafficking, an unconscionable crime that often involves vulnerable women and children,” Sen. Heller said. “The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act will help deliver justice to victims and make sure that sites are held responsible for their criminal actions.”

Likewise, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) applauded the newly signed FOSTA law, which she noted followed the April 6 federal government raid on the homes of Backpage.com’s owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin in Sedona and Paradise Valley, Ariz. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with several other U.S. agencies, also seized control of the website and shut it down. Federal charges have been filed against Lacey, a website co-founder, who is accused of facilitating prostitution by running ads for sexual services and laundering the revenues.

“No one should be able to sell children and hide behind the law to do it — but that’s exactly what Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin did while running Backpage.com out of Arizona. No longer. Thanks to this legislation, websites that facilitate illegal prostitution and sexually exploit minors will be held accountable for their actions by law,” said Rep. McSally.

“Only twisted, dark people harm children or associate with those who do, and in Congress, I am determined to crack down on this exploitation and ensure that each and every human is treated with the dignity that they deserve,” McSally added. “I applaud President Trump for signing this bill, which has my resounding support.”