* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Children at Risk / Anti-Human Trafficking"] [00:00:19] WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN TEXAS AND IN AMERICA, THEY'RE ALL OUT. A LOT OF MYTHS OUT THERE. ONE OF THEM IS THAT THIS IS A BORDER PROBLEM, AND THE REALITY IS THAT MOST OF THE VICTIMS THAT WE FIND IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARE INDEED AMERICAN CITIZENS. AND THAT IT'S REALLY THE PRODUCT OF A FAILED FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IN OUR STATE, UH, OF A SAFETY NET THAT IS NO LONGER THERE FOR YOUNG KIDS. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE A LOT OF CHILD TRAFFICKING, UH, IN TEXAS AND IN AMERICA. ANOTHER MYTH IS THAT IT'S, WE HAVE MAJOR HIGHWAYS COMING THROUGH OUR CITY, AND WE DO, AND THAT CAUSES A LOT OF TRAFFICK, BUT TRAFFICKING IS REALLY A PRODUCT OF REALLY BASICALLY MONEYED OLD GUYS THAT GO TO A LOT OF PLACES AND BUY YOUNG GIRLS, YOUNG BOYS, AND YOUNG WOMEN. AND, UH, WHAT WE FIND IS THAT, UH, DEMAND IS ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES HERE. UH, AND SO WE ARE ALL ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS FIGHT AGAINST TRAFFICKING. AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT ALL OF US NEED TO BE ENGAGED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TRAFFICKING. AND SO WE'RE REAL EXCITED, UH, THAT DURING THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WE PASSED A PIECE OF LEGISLATION, UH, WITH, UH, UH, ROIA TOM, UH, THOMPSON TO MAKE SURE THAT RIDESHARE, UH, COMPANIES ARE PART OF THE FIGHT, UH, AGAINST TRAFFICKING, TO MAKE SURE THAT RIDESHARE COMPANIES LIKE UBER AND LYFT AND OTHERS ARE TRAINING THEIR DRIVERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THIS UNIQUE ABILITY. THESE DRIVERS HAVE THIS UNIQUE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING, UH, IN THEIR CAR, TO SEE WHO'S BEING TRANSPORTED. AND UBER HAS REALLY STEPPED UP. AND UBER, WE'RE SO HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE OUR PARTNERSHIP, CHILDREN AT RISK AND UBER, UH, TO BE HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, IN THE WORK, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT DRIVERS ARE TRAINED, UH, AND THAT WE END TRAFFICKING. UH, HERE IN OUR CITY. ALL OF US ARE PART OF THE FIGHT TO END TRAFFICKING. AND UBER RECOGNIZES THAT, UH, THE MAYOR RECOGNIZES THAT, UH, SYMPHONIA THOMPSON RECOGNIZES THAT. AND SO WE'RE REAL EXCITED TO HAVE A, A RANGE OF EXPERTS TODAY. AND SO I WANNA FIRST BRING UP TO THE STAGE, UH, THE GREAT MAYOR OF HOUSTON, UH, SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR TURNER, COME ON UP, HAVE A FEW WORDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, UH, DR. SANDBURN. AND CERTAINLY I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS, UM, DISTRICT F AND THE A LEAVE WEST SIDE OF HOUSTON. AND TO ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE STANDING HERE, UH, UH, WITH US AS WELL. UM, I DO WANT TO, UH, TO THANK, UH, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE SAFRONIA THOMPSON, THE DEAN OF THE TEXAS HOUSE, AND, UM, ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF THIS BILL AND DR. SANBORN FOR SPEARHEADING THIS IMPORTANT BILL. IT LEVERAGES THE EYES AND EARS OF DRIVERS WITH TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES, UH, TO SPOT SIZE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND TO REPORT WHEN WE COMBINE POLICY SOLUTIONS WITH EFFORTS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING SYSTEMATICALLY AND AT SCALE, WE CAN MAKE REAL INROADS INTO ADDRESSING THIS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION. UM, WHEN I CAME IN, WE MADE HUMAN RIGHTS, UH, TRAFFICKING A MAJOR PRIORITY, AND TODAY THE CITY OF HOUSTON CONTINUES TO HAVE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MUNICIPAL RESPONSE IN THE UNITED STATES WITH OTHER MAJOR CITIES. FOLLOWING HOUSTON'S LEAD UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MANI, UH, MANINO PATEL DAVIS, UH, MY DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, HOUSTON BUILT A GOVERNMENT RESPONSE THAT RISES TO THE CHALLENGE. HUMAN TRAFFICKING IMPOSES TO THE MOST VULNERABLE LIVING AMONGST US. AND SINCE 2016, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED POLICY SOLUTIONS AND MOBILIZED CITY DEPARTMENTS, ELEVATED AWARENESS AT ALL FORMS OF, OF TRAFFICKING, INCLUDING LABOR TRAFFICKING AND ADDRESS GAPS IN THE SYSTEM AS WELL. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AT THE HEART OF THIS LEGISLATION AND THEIR EFFORTS CONTINUED TO WORK. UH, WE BEGAN THROUGH OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING STRATEGIC PLAN AS ONE COMPONENT OF HOUSTON'S WATCH FOR TRAFFIC MULTIMODAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN. WE PARTNERED WITH THE TAXI CAB COMPANY TO NOT ONLY DISPLAY AWARENESS SIGNAGE ON CABS AT NO COST, BUT ALSO COORDINATE EMAIL AND TEXT MESSAGES TO DRIVERS IN ENGLISH, AS WELL AS SPANISH MESSAGES, INCLUDING NOT ONLY INDICATORS OF TRAFFICKING, BUT ALSO REPORTED HOTSPOT INDIC LOCATIONS AND FEATURED THE NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE NUMBER. TODAY'S BILL TAKES THIS WORK FURTHER BY REQUIRING THAT TNCS PROVIDE AWARENESS MATERIALS TO DRIVERS. I WANT TO THANK UBER FOR RECOGNIZING THIS NEED. UBER [00:05:01] IS NO STRANGER IN THIS FIGHT OR TO MY OFFICE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF COVID-19, WE SAW VULNERABILITIES, EXACERBATED, AND SURVIVORS OF BOTH HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ENCOUNTERED CHALLENGES IN RELYING ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS, INCLUDING GROCERY SHOPPING AND ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE. AND OUR TASK DIRECTED DAVIS WITH CREATING A SHORT AND LONG-TERM RESPONSE TO ADDRESS THESE FORMS OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE. AT THIS TIME, UBER STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE AND OFFERED THE CITY OF HOUSTON A $50,000 RIDE SHIP GRANT THAT WE THEN SUB GRANTED TO 12 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ANTI-TRAFFICKING NON-PROFITS BECAUSE OF THESE DOLLARS, VICTIMS IN NEED COULD ACCESS THE SERVICES THEY NEEDED AT ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING TIMES OF OUR CITY. TODAY IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF UBER HARNESSING ITS POSITION TO ADDRESS HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE AWARENESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING SPREAD TO THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOU ARE A DRIVER WITH A TNC OR NOT, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS THAT MAY BE HUMAN TRAFFICKING CALLED THE NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HIGHLINE TO REPORT. AND THAT NUMBER IS 1 8 8 8 3 7 3 7 8 8 8, ALL BY TEXT AT 2 3 3 7 3 3. SO LET ME THANK, UM, UH, THE DEAN OF THE TEXAS HOUSE, UH, SAFRONIA THOMPSON. UH, THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT IF YOU NEED A CHAMPION IN YOUR FIGHT, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE SAFRON AND THOMPSON, IT'S THE PERSON TO GO TO. SO, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST AN HONOR TO BE COME ON UP, UH, DEAN. UH, BUT, UH, SO I WANT TO THANK HER. I WANNA THANK CHILDREN AT RISK, DR. SANDBURN, UH, YOU'VE BEEN ON THE FRONTLINE AND THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF, AND THEN ALL OF THE PARTNERS THAT ARE STANDING BEHIND US, I WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. SO, UM, THIS WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF A LOT OF PEOPLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I'D LOVE TO BRING, UH, THE DEAN OF THE HOUSE UP, UH, REPRESENTATIVE NIA THOMPSON. AND I'VE MADE THIS JOKE MAYBE TOO MANY TIMES, UH, PEOPLE GET TIRED, BUT, UH, AND IT'S REALLY ONLY RELEVANT TO OLD PEOPLE. BUT IF ANYONE GETS IN THE WAY OF, UH, MRS. T, RIGHT, I PITY THE FOOL WHO GETS IN THE WAY OF MRS. T. SO, UH, COME ON UP, MS. T AND TALK ABOUT THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. I WANNA THANK ALL, UH, THE PERSON WHO HAD A BIG HAND IN GETTING THIS LEGISLATION PASSED. CHILDREN AT RISK, AND ALL THE ACTIVISTS. AND WOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, TEXAS WOULD BE THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION, THE VERY FIRST STATE OF THE NATION THAT GETS THE JOB DONE. YOU AND I KNOW A LOT OF THE TRAFFICKING IS DONE THROUGH TRANSPORTATION. AND WHEN WE TALKED TO UBER, THEY WERE SO WONDERFUL AND GREAT TO WORK WITH, AND THEY UNDERSTOOD THE ISSUE. THEY KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE FOOLED, ABDUCTED, SWEET, TALKED, ABUSED, RETALIATED AGAINST, AND SOMETIME GET INVOLVED IN THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS THAT THEY'RE UNABLE TO GET THEMSELVES OUT OF. RIGHT. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT PERSONS WHO ARE DRIVING MAY NOT KNOW ALL OF THE SIGNS THAT THEY NEED TO KNOW, THAT WILL GIVE THEM A CLUE THAT THEY MAY BE TRANSPORTING A PERSON WHO IS BEING TRAFFICKED, AND THEY'RE WILLING TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE, EDUCATE THEIR DRIVERS, GIVE 'EM AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO BE AWARE OF, AND TO BE ABLE TO CALL THE OFFICIALS TO HELP PERSONS WHO HAPPEN TO BE ENTRAPPED IN THIS VERY HORRIBLE SITUATION. BEAR NEW EYES, NEW EARS, AND NEW PARTNERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AND WHAT I GOT TO TELL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE UTILIZING AND MISTREATING THESE PEOPLE, WE GOT MORE EYES, MORE EARS MM-HMM . AND MORE OPPORTUNITY. AND BY AND LAST, WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU MM-HMM . BECAUSE WE GOT A PLACE FOR YOU. AND WE GOT SOME LAWS THAT'S GOING TO HANDLE YOU WHEN YOU ARE CAUGHT, AND YOU WILL BE CAUGHT. I'M SO DELIGHTED THAT WE HAVE PERSONS WHO ARE STILL INTERESTED IN TRYING TO TAKE THIS BIG BITE OUT OF THIS VERY HORRIFIC PROBLEM. IT LEAVES SOCIETY WITH SO MANY OBLIGATIONS TO PICK UP THE PIECES, AND SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT ABLE TO REALLY RESTORE THE PERSON TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. BUT THE COST INVOLVED AND THE COST OF HUMAN LOSS, MANPOWER, OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY IS TREMENDOUS. [00:10:01] AND YOU AND I CONTINUOUSLY WORKING TOGETHER CAN REALLY PUT AN END TO THIS. SO AGAIN, CHILDREN AT RISK, THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER. THANK YOU. ALL OF THE ADVOCATES WHO WERE SO SUCCESSFUL IN THIS. THANK YOU. BUT MOST OF ALL, UBER, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WITHOUT YOU, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS JOB COMPLETED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, CONGRESSMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEAVES IN THE HOUSE, AND SO SHE WANTED TO MAKE A FEW REMARKS. CONGRESSMAN, COME ON UP. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. LET ME, UM, LET ME ECHO, UM, THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE BY THANKING OUR MAYOR FOR, UH, REALLY CONSISTENTLY BEING INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SEX TRAFFICKING. THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER. THIS IS, UH, NOT NEW TO YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR, UH, BEING THE COMPONENT. I KNOW THAT YOUR DISTRICT, UM, HAS, UH, UH, GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF SOME OF THESE ISSUES, UH, AND YOU'RE OUT FRONT, AND THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. LET ME THANK ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CERTAINLY, WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT THE DEAN? SHE IS MS. T, BUT I LOVE TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW SHE IS THE DEAN AS WELL. MM-HMM . AND WHEN SHE SPEAKS ON THE FLOOR, LEGISLATION PASSES, I'M GRATEFUL TO YOU AS WELL AS TO ARRAY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, CRIME STAFFERS, AND MANY, MANY OTHERS. UH, LET ME BE VERY CLEAR. HOUSTON IS NOT IMMUNE. UH, TEXAS IS NOT IMMUNE. THE NATION'S NOT IMMUNE. UH, AND I THINK, UH, DR. YOU REALIZE THAT, UH, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SEX TRAFFICKING REALLY IS ON THE RISE. WE ARE FIGHTING IT, BUT IT'S ON THE RISE. UH, AND THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION, FOR EXAMPLE, SAYS THAT 40.3 MILLION VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING WORLDWIDE AND 79,000, UH, ARE YOUTH AND MINOR VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING IN TEXAS. 313,000 ARE HUMAN TRAFFICKED VICTIMS, BUT 79,000 ARE YOUNG PEOPLE. AND SO THE IDEA OF, UH, GETTING PEOPLE MORE SOPHISTICATED ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS CRUCIAL. AND HUBA, UH, YUBA HAS BEEN UBER. UBER HAS BEEN, UH, A LOT OF HUBRIS. BUT ANYHOW, UH, UBER HAS BEEN, UH, CERTAINLY THE NEW MODE OF TRANSPORTATION. UH, AND TO SENSITIZE, UH, THOSE DRIVERS TO KNOW WHO'S IN YOUR CAR AND WHO'S BEING TAKEN AROUND IN YOUR CAR IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT I'VE INTRODUCED THE STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING AT SCHOOLS, THANK YOU, DOCTOR AND CHILDREN AT RISK. AND WHEN WE COMBINE THESE KINDS OF ELEMENTS, UM, WITH THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IN TRAINING, UH, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO RECOGNIZE HUMAN TRAFFICKING ON THEIR PLANES, THE MORE WE CAN LAYER THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING, WHICH ENDS IN SEX TRAFFICKING, UH, THE MORE EFFECTIVELY WE'LL BE IN HELPING OUT CHILDREN. I THINK THE LAST, UH, WORD THAT I WANT TO, TO OFFER IS THAT IN WASHINGTON AND ACROSS THE NATION, WE WORK WITH THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN. UM, AND THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED, UH, THE NUMBERS OF CHILDREN THAT ARE HUMAN TRAFFICKED AND SEX TRAFFICK, UH, AND IDENTIFY THIS CONTINUING TO GO. CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING IS A FORM OF CHILD ABUSE THAT OCCURS WHEN A CHILD IS UNDER 18, IS ADVERTISED, SOLICITED, OR EXPLOITED THROUGH A COMMERCIAL SEX ACT. BUT SEX TRAFFICKING IS THE KIND OF PRODUCT THAT IS USED, HORRIBLE WORD TO USE OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO DRUGS GET USED, SEX TRAFFICKING GETS USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND I JUST BELIEVE THAT THIS LEGISLATION, STATE LEGISLATION IS PUTTING, UH, HOUSTON ON THE MAP FOR BEING A VITAL PARTICIPANT, BUT A VITAL STOP SIGN, STOP SEX TRAFFICKING NOW. AND I CAN'T THANK ALL OF YOU ENOUGH FOR PARTNERING AND LEADING ON THIS IMPORTANT WORK. THANK YOU REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON FOR THE, UH, LEADERSHIP ON THE LEGISLATION. AND THANK YOU TO UBER, UH, FOR RECOGNIZING ITS VITAL PARTICIPATION AS A, UH, TRANSPORTATION MODE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO BE THE EYES AND EARS OF SAVING OUR CHILDREN. THAT IS AN IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL OF US. UH, THANK YOU AGAIN, AND THANK YOU, THE GENTLEMAN FOR YIELDING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. SEE YOU AGAIN. ALRIGHT, LET'S BRING UP, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS, ANOTHER CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU MUCH. YOU CAN CLAP. IT'S OKAY, . UH, SO, UH, THERE'S MUCH THAT HAVE HAS BEEN SAID, UH, RELATED TO HOUSE BILL 2313, AND SO I, I, I WILL NOT REPEAT IT. UM, HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, MAYOR TURNER, UM, IF YOU WANT SOME THINGS TO, TO GET [00:15:01] DONE, YOU GOTTA CALL ON SOME DELTAS. SO I GOTTA SHOUT OUT A COUPLE OF DELTAS. UH, UH, NO OFFENSE TO MY, MY PINK AND GREEN, UH, SISTERS. UH, I KNOW, NO, NO OFFENSE TO MY, TO, UM, MY ELDERS. UM, HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO RAISE UP A JERRY BROOKS WITH ONE WORLD STRATEGY AND SHARON WATKINS JONES, UM, FOR THEIR WORK, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT THIS CAN ALL COME TO FRUITION. UH, YOU KNOW, THE DEAN, YOU KNOW, SHE DOESN'T PLAY ANY GAMES, AND SHE IS SERIOUS ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE PRESENT HER WITH OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THAT IT HAS TO BE MEANINGFUL. AND SO I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS FOR OPENING UP YOUR OFFICE AND BEING WILLING TO HEAR THEM. UM, AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE UBER, BECAUSE IT'S NOT EASY TO TAKE UP HARD TOPICS AS A A, A PRIVATE BUSINESS. IT'S NOT EASY TO DO HARD THINGS, BUT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE DO HARD THINGS. AND MAYOR TURNER, YOU DIDN'T MENTION THIS IN YOUR REMARK, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF HOUSTON LEADS IN A VARIETY OF THINGS. AND SO IN 2020, WE PASSED AN ORDINANCE, SIMILARLY FOR HOTEL OWNERS TO HAVE THEIR EMPLOYEES TRAINED ON THIS VERY SAME THING. SO AS WE CONTINUE TO MODEL WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NATION, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS ON THE LOCAL, ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, UH, IN DISTRICT F ON THE WEST SIDE, THE BEST SIDE, UH, OF HOUSTON. UH, I DO SHARE A PORTION OF THE BISSONNET TRACK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD, AND I SEE THE LANDING IN THE HOUSE. UM, WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS PARTNERSHIP WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ON THE GROUND. UM, JUST EARLIER TODAY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD MENTIONED BECAUSE OF THE DIRECT INVESTMENT, UM, FROM OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT, FROM THE MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, THAT THE ENTIRE OPTICS OF BISSONNET IS, IS SLOWLY CHANGING. AND WE'RE, AND WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THAT WORK. I ALSO WANNA AMPLIFY COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE JOINED WITH US FROM DAY ONE TO TACKLE SUCH A HARD GROUP. THE HOUSTON AREA, CHAPTERS OF ALPHA KAPPA, ALPHA DELTA SIGMA THETA, THE LINKS INCORPORATED AND SO FORTH, THAT HAVE BEEN SLOWLY BUILDING A PORTFOLIO AROUND THIS EDUCATING, UM, THEMSELVES AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY SERVE. UH, BUT CLEARLY THE WORK IS NOT DONE. UM, CLEARLY THERE'S MORE FOR US TO DO. AND WHEN YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALS, UH, THAT I AM HONORED, UM, TO STAND NEXT AND NEAR, UM, CHAMPIONING THIS ON A LOCAL ESTATE AND A FEDERAL LEVEL, HOUSTON IS IN THE VERY BEST POSITION TO CONTINUE THIS WORK. UM, THANK YOU CHILDREN AT RISK TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UH, TO THE STAFF, UH, TO THE PARTNERS COMMUNITY BASED TO THE MEDIA FOR, UH, TAKING ISSUE WITH THIS AND GETTING THIS INFORMATION OUT. BECAUSE IF WE CAN JUST, UM, INVEST IN ONE AND INTERRUPT TRAFFICKING WITH ONE FAMILY, YOUNG, ONE YOUNG WOMAN, ONE YOUNG MAN, UM, WE DEFINITELY WILL START TR UH, TRANSFORMING, UM, HOW WE, UH, VIEW OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER VERY MUCH. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED OUR LIVES, UH, IN OUR WORLD. YOU KNOW, GOOGLE CHANGED OUR LIVES. UH, IPHONE CHANGED OUR LIVES, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS CHANGED MANY OF OUR LIVES IS UBER. AND, UH, SOME OF US HAVE, I HAVE ONE FEWER CAR IN OUR HOUSEHOLD. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ONE CAR HOUSE BECAUSE WE KNOW WE CAN UBER ANY EVERYWHERE. AND SO WE'RE SO APPRECIATIVE OF UBER BEING HERE TODAY AND BEING PART OF THIS LEGISLATION. HARRY HARTFIELD IS HERE FROM UBER, SO, UH, PLEASE GIVE HIM A VERY WARM WELCOME. HARRY, COME ON IN. THANK YOU. I, I THINK MOST OF WHAT I WAS PLANNING TO SAY WAS, WAS ALREADY SAID MUCH MORE ELOQUENTLY THAN, THAN I COULD HAVE. UM, BUT, BUT I'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, WHILE IT'S RARE FOR TRAFFICKING TO OCCUR ON OUR PLATFORM, EVEN ONE INSTANCE IS, IS TOO MANY, AND WE ARE SO PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PARTNER WITH REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON, UH, ON A BILL THAT WILL FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE NATION, PROVIDE DRIVERS WITH TRAINING TO SPOT THE SIGNS OF POTENTIAL TRAFFICKING AND REPORT IT TO THE CORRECT OFFICIALS. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S WHAT STARTS IN TEXAS FOLLOWS TO THE REST OF THE NATION. SO WE'RE, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN SEE THIS DONE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, AND WE WANNA GIVE A HUGE THANK TO CHILDREN AT RISK WHO'S BEEN SUCH AN INCREDIBLE ADVOCATE ON THIS ISSUE. MAYOR TURNER, WHO'S, WHO'S WORKED HARD IN IN HOUSTON AND, AND PARTNERED WITH US ON THIS TOPIC ELSEWHERE. UH, AND, AND THE REST OF THE FOLKS BEHIND ME, TDLR AND, AND DPS AS WELL, WHO'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY HELPFUL AND IN WORKING ON THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HARRY. AND THANK YOU TO UBER, UH, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING AND REGULATION HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF THIS. RICK FIGUEROA, THE CHAIRMAN IS HERE. RICK, WHEN YOU'RE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, THERE'S A THREE B RULE. BE BRIEF, BE BRIGHT, AND BE GONE. . SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA DO RIGHT QUICK. FIRST, I WANNA RECOGNIZE MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS. THERE'S FOUR OF 'EM OUTTA THE SEVEN THAT CAME HERE. NICE. THAT CAME HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND OUR STAFF WHO ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB IN THE GOLD STANDARD THERE. UM, AS A STATEWIDE REGULATORY OF 17 TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES IN TEXAS, WE AT TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSE REGULATION ARE PROUD THAT TEXAS IS LEADING THE WAY ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. HOUSE BILL 2313 IS A LANDMARK BILL THAT WILL EMPOWER DRIVERS TO HELP MAKE THEIR COMMUNITIES SAFER BY IDENTIFYING REPORTING SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKING. INCIDENTS LIKE THIS MIGHT NOT HAPPEN FREQUENTLY, BUT THE RIDE SHARE LICENSEES PROVIDE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF TRIPS A YEAR. IT'S INEVITABLE THAT THE DRIVERS MAY COME IN CONTACT [00:20:01] WITH SOMEBODY IN A HUMAN TRAFFICKING SITUATION. THIS EMPOWERS THEM TO HELP THE MOST VULNERABLE RIDERS. AND I WILL TELL YOU, WITH UTMOST CONFIDENCE, EVERY ONE OF US AT TDR UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, AND WE WILL TAKE THE BATON THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS GIVEN TO US, WE WILL TAKE IT, WE'LL PROTECT IT. AND I WANNA TELL YOU, THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR BRINGING US UP. AND BOB, THANK YOU FOR BEING A QUIET GIANT HERE IN HOUSTON. IT'S RARE THAT COME, THEY CALL ME A QUIET GIANT, BUT , THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M HAPPY TO BE A QUIET GIANT. UH, LET'S BRING UP, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT FROM, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. WE HAVE LIEUTENANT CRAIG CUMMINGS. CRAIG, THANK YOU. UM, ON BEHALF OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM, UH, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO SPEAK THIS MORNING. HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES IN THE WORLD TODAY. IT HAS MADE EVEN WORSE WHEN CHILDREN ARE FORCED TO ENGAGE IN SEX ACTS FOR THE GRATIFICATION OF ADULTS. THIS CRIME EXPLOITS ITS VICTIMS IN COUNTLESS WAYS, FURTHER PRESSING THEM INTO THE FIRM GRIP OF THEIR TRAFFICKERS UNTIL WE HOPE THEY BREAK FREE. THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND OUR FELLOW STATE, LOCAL AND FEDERAL PARTNERS WORK TIRELESSLY TO IDENTIFY TRAFFICKERS AND VICTIMS BREAKING THE BONDS THAT HOLD THEM TOGETHER. AT ITS CORE, TRAFFICKERS USE SEVERAL TACTICS TO MANIPULATE THEIR VICTIMS. WE KNOW THAT IN SOME CASES, AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON CAN GO FROM WALKING AROUND A MALL TO ENGAGING IN PROSTITUTION IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS. SHOCKINGLY, TRAFFICKERS ARE VERY SKILLED AT IDENTIFYING THEIR TARGETS AND USING THEIR MANIPULATIVE TACTICS. EVEN MORE WORRISOME IS THAT TRAFFICKERS CAN REACH THEIR VICTIMS THROUGH INTERNET CONNECTION. THE UNSUSPECTING VICTIM MAY HAVE NO IDEA THAT THE PERSON THEY'RE COMMUNICATING WITH IS LURING THEM INTO A NEW LIFE THAT WILL INDELIBLY CHANGE THEIR TOMORROWS. THIS IS WHY LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER USING PRIVATE COMPANIES LIKE UBER TO ASSIST IN INVESTIGATIONS. WE KNOW TRAFFICKERS USE THESE COMPANIES TO MOVE THEIR VICTIMS TO LOCATIONS WHERE THEY'RE FORCED TO ENGAGE IN SEX ACTS. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIPS, WE GATHER DATA THAT HELPS US RESCUE VICTIMS AND SAVE LIVES TOGETHER. WE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE THAT PULLS VICTIMS AWAY FROM THEIR TRAFFICKERS, REIGNITING A ZEAL FOR LIFE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN DAMPENED, AND GIVING THEM A NEW CHANCE TO BRIGHTEN THE WORLD AND ONLY WAYS THAT THEY CAN. BUT WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE. WE NEED THE PUBLIC'S HELP TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM THIS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. SO IN 2018, THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY LAUNCHED THE IWATCH TEXAS PROGRAM, A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, USING CITIZEN SOURCE TIPS ON SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO THWART POTENTIAL CRIMINAL ACTS LIKE HUMAN TRAFFICKING, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN SUBMIT THE INFORMATION TO IWATCH TEXAS ANONYMOUSLY. MY SINCERE HOPE IS THAT SOMEONE TODAY WILL HELP US RESCUE A VICTIM. THAT ONE PERSON MAY BE THE ONLY HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TRAFFICKING IS FOR MANY PEOPLE TO BE ENGAGED. AND SO IT'S REALLY GREAT THAT KATHERINE ROGERS IS HERE. SHE'S THE CHIEF MIS MISSION OFFICER WITH A SECOND CUP, ONE OF THE MANY GROUPS THAT'S FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING, BUT WITH THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EVENTS. CATHERINE, COME ON UP. GOOD MORNING. I'M HERE THIS MORNING WITH MY PARTNER, CHASTITY MOSLEY, REPRESENTING A SECOND CUP. AND WE ARE A COFFEE SHOP THAT WAS FOUNDED EXPRESSLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF GENERATING AWARENESS, CULTIVATING PARTNERSHIP, AND EMPOWERING THOSE WHO'VE BEEN AFFECTED BY HUMAN TRAFFICKING. OUR BUSINESS WAS FOUNDED MORE THAN 10 YEARS AGO TO BRIDGE COMMUNITY GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF TRAFFICKING. AND ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM KNOW HOW PERVASIVE THOSE ROOTS OF TRAFFICKING ARE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. PARTICULARLY THOSE DEEP SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES THAT REALLY PERPETUATE THESE CIRCUMSTANCES OF VULNERABILITY. BUSINESSES, LARGE AND SMALL, HAVE SO MUCH INFLUENCE IN THE COMMUNITY AND A VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT AND BOLSTER THE WORK, UM, THAT SERVICE PROVIDERS AND NONPROFITS HAVE BEEN DOING FOR A VERY LONG TIME. THANKS, IN PART, TO THE WORK OF SOME VERY INCREDIBLE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE CHILDREN AT RISK, UNITED AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE LANDING, HOUSTON HAS LED THE NATION, AS SOME FOLKS HAVE ALLUDED TO, AND ITS COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO DISMANTLING THE STRUCTURES THAT ALLOW TRAFFICKING TO OCCUR. AND THIS PASSAGE OF HB 2313 IS ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS IN [00:25:01] BRIDGING THOSE GAPS WITHIN COMMUNITIES AND COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIES. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS WORK CANNOT BE DONE ALONE, AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE PASSION AND COLLABORATION THAT EXISTS WITHIN THIS MOVEMENT. WE'RE HONORED TO BE PARTNERS IN THIS FIGHT, AND WE WILL URGE EVERYONE, PARTICULARLY BUSINESS LEADERS, TO CONSIDER HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CATHERINE. UM, UM, FIRST OFF, UBER IN SPANISH, UBER, JUST SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS, RIGHT? SO, THANK YOU. UM, LOS S UM, SO WE, I REALLY WANNA END THIS BY SAYING THAT, UH, WE REALLY WANT TO THANK UBER AS A PART OF THIS. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP. HARRY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE. UH, AND MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN. UH, AS ALL OF US KNOW, THIS IS ONE OF, UH, MANY THINGS THAT CHILDREN AT RISK WORKS ON. WE HAVE SOME BIG ISSUES LIKE PUBLIC EDUCATION IN OUR CITY, IN OUR STATE, AND CHILDREN AT RISK IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT. WE HAVE ISSUES LIKE BETTER HEALTH, UH, FOR OUR CHILDREN, AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT. BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HORRENDOUS LITTLE PIECES, RIGHT? AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE CHAMPIONS LIKE THE MAYOR, WHEN YOU HAVE CHAMPIONS LIKE, UH, SYMIA THOMPSON, I MEAN, WHO'S BEEN FANTASTIC WITH US FROM THE BEGINNING IN THIS FIGHT AGAINST TRAFFICKING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, TIFFANY THOMAS, AND THE CONGRESSWOMAN, SHEILA JACKSON LEE, I MEAN, THIS IS HOW YOU GET AHEAD IS BY BRINGING THESE LARGE COALITIONS OF PEOPLE TOGETHER, UH, AND WORKING REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS TOGETHER ON THIS ISSUE TO END, UH, HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN OUR STATE, IN OUR CITY. SO, UH, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE IN THE STATE, UH, FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FROM, UH, ANY OF YOU GUYS IN THE ESTEEMED PRESS? IT'S NOT AN INTELLECTUALLY CURIOUS GROUP UP THERE WITH MAYOR, SO IT'S, UM, I UNDERSTAND. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.