Published
October 21, 2026
The business community is concerned that there has been an increase in human trafficking offenses, and additional resources are needed to combat this heinous crime. On October 20, President Trump signed into law, “The Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act.”
This legislation will aid prevention and awareness by ensuring staff at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) receive the appropriate training and continuing education to recognize instances of human trafficking and refer these cases to law enforcement agencies.
DOL will be required to implement a program to train and periodically retrain relevant agency personnel to detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their primary responsibilities and ensure that such personnel regularly receive current information on matters regarding the detection of human trafficking. This type of training can be conducted in-person or virtually and includes methods for identifying suspected victims and perpetrators of human trafficking and location- or environment-specific training.
The U.S. Chamber supported this legislation and applauds President Trump for signing this bill into law.
About the author
Michael Billet
Michael Billet, director of policy research for Employment Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, keeps members and internal Chamber policy staff abreast of pending labor, immigration, and health care legislation, as well as federal regulatory and subregulatory activities. He is also responsible for planning the Chamber’s annual workplace and community wellness forum.
