Human Trafficking Legislation Tracker

Human Trafficking Legislation Tracker

116^th Congress

Sampling of Anti-Human Trafficking Bills

U.S. House of Representatives

H.R. 295, End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, (R-PA)
Summary: This bill

Adds the Secretary of the Treasury as a member of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking;
Requires the Task Force to submit recommendations to Congress for the revision of anti-money laundering programs to specifically target money laundering related to human trafficking;
Requires the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to review and enhance procedures improving the ability of anti-money laundering programs to target human trafficking operations; and
Updates the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report to require a country-by-country assessment of whether foreign governments have established a functioning legal framework to prevent financial transactions involving the proceeds of severe forms of human trafficking.

Status: 01/8/2019– Introduced.

H.R. 467, Reducing the Demand for Human Trafficking Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. Adam Kinzinger, (R-IL)
Summary: This legislation would amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to allow the Attorney General to make grants to state and local law enforcement that are prioritizing their own efforts to reduce demand for human trafficking through the investigation and prosecution of persons who solicit or patronize these illicit services. Essentially, this bill would incentivize law enforcement to go after the buyers in the human trafficking industry as well as the suppliers.
Status: 1/10/2019 – Introduced.

H.R. 502, Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act or the FIND Trafficking Act
Sponsor: Rep. Juan Vargas, (D-CA)
Summary: This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the use of virtual currencies and online marketplaces in sex and drug trafficking. The GAO must study topics including how illicit proceeds are transferred into the U.S. banking system, state and non-state actors that participate in such activity, preventative efforts from federal and state agencies, and the extent to which the unique characteristics of virtual currencies can contribute to the tracking and prosecution of illicit funding.
Status: 01/28/2019–Passed/agreed to in House. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 412-3 (Roll no. 53).

H.R. 507, Put Trafficking Victims First Act of 2019
Sponsor: Rep. Karen Bass, (D-CA)
Summary: This bill

Expresses the sense of Congress that law enforcement set aside a portion of the funds they receive for combatting human trafficking to ensure that victims receive support that is trauma-informed and victim-centered;
Directs the Attorney General to form a broadly-representative working group to assess the status of the collection of data on human trafficking and recommend best practices, conduct a survey of survivors regarding the provision of services to them, as well as prepare a report to Congress on Federal efforts to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking, the effectiveness of current policies addressing victim needs, and analyzing the demographic characteristics of trafficking victims and recommendations on how to address their unique vulnerabilities;
Directs the Attorney General to implement a pilot project testing the methodologies identified by the working group and requires the Attorney General to report on efforts to increase restitution to victims of human trafficking; and
Expresses the sense of Congress that States should implement trauma-informed, victim-centered care for all trafficking victims

Status: 2/7/2019– Passed/agreed to in House. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 414-1 (Roll no. 71).

H.R. 509, Human Trafficking Accountability Act
Sponsor: Rep. Joyce Beatty, (D-OH)
Summary: This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to designate at least one Human Trafficking Coordinator in each federal judicial district to implement the National Strategy for Combatting Human Trafficking and to prosecute cases, conduct outreach, and enforce laws related to human trafficking; and a National Human Trafficking Coordinator within DOJ to coordinate, promote, and support DOJ's work related to human trafficking.
Status: 1/11/2019 – Introduced.

H.R. 836, Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act
Sponsor: Rep. Michael McCaul, (R-TX)
Summary: This bill establishes the Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Program to train law enforcement officers to identify and assist victims of child exploitation and human trafficking.
Status: 1/29/2019 – Introduced.

116^th Congress

U.S. Senate

S. 169, Human Trafficking Survivor Tax Relief Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Description: This bill modifies the requirements for calculating taxable income to exclude from gross income civil damages, restitution, or other monetary awards (including compensatory or statutory damages and restitution imposed in a criminal matter) awarded to victims of peonage, slavery, or human trafficking.
Status: 1/16/2019 – Introduced.

S. 251, Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act
Sponsor: Sen. Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-NV)
Summary: This bill establishes the Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Program to train law enforcement officers to identify and assist victims of child exploitation and human trafficking.
Status: 1/29/2019 – Introduced.

S. 410, Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act or the FIND Trafficking Act
Sponsor: Sen. Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-NV)
Summary: To require the Comptroller General of the United States to carry out a study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to buy, sell, or facilitate the financing of goods or services associated with sex trafficking or drug trafficking, and for other purposes.
Status: 2/7/2019 – Introduced.

115^th Congress

U.S. House of Representatives

Bills Passed Out of the House

H.R. 1625, Targeted Rewards for the Global Eradication of Human Trafficking (TARGET) Act

Sponsor: Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)

Summary: Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State's rewards program is a powerful tool in combating sophisticated international crime and that the department and federal law enforcement should work in concert to offer rewards that target human traffickers who threaten U.S. national security and humanitarian interests by preying on the most vulnerable people.

Amends the The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include severe forms of human trafficking in the definition of "transnational organized crime" for purposes of such program.

Status: 03/23/2018– Signed by President Trump; Public Law No. 115-1

H.R. 1808, Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017

Sponsor: Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

Summary: Amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to revise the definition of "missing child" to mean an individual under 18 years of age whose whereabouts are unknown to the individual's parent (currently, legal custodian); to specify that a parent includes a legal guardian or an individual who functions as a parent (e.g., a grandparent); to revise the functions and duties of the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC); and to require the NCMEC to make publicly available the annual report on missing children and the incidence of attempted child abductions.

Status: 05/23/2017– Passed/agreed to in the House. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 2473, Put Trafficking Victims First Act of 2017

Sponsor: Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO)

Summary: Requires the Department of Justice, within three years of enactment, to undertake several activities to assist victims of trafficking. The deparment would have to initiate pilot programs to test methods of collecting data on sex and labor trafficking, survey trafficking victims who have used services available to them, and report to Congress on certain issues related to human trafficking.

Status: 05/23/2017–Passed/agreed to in the House. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 2200, Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017

Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ)

Summary: Reauthorizes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, providing $520 million over four years. Programs include educating children on how to avoid traffickers and training certain employers such as airlines on how to identify potential victims of trafficking. The bill also calls for both domestic and international efforts to combat trafficking and prevent the sale in the U.S. of goods made by forced labor.

Status:1/8/2019: Public Law No. 115-425.

01/08/2019

Became Public Law No: 115-425.

H.R. 2664, Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act

Sponsor: Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI)

Summary: Directs the Department of Labor to implement a program to (1) train and periodically retrain relevant Labor personnel to detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities, and (2) ensure that such personnel regularly receive current information on matters related to the detection of human trafficking.

Such training may be conducted through in-class or virtual learning capabilities and include the following:

Methods for identifying suspected victims and perpetrators of human trafficking.
Location- or environment-specific training.
Other topics that reflect current trends and best practices for particular locations or professional environments.
A course of action for referring human trafficking cases to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities.
Post-training evaluation.

The Department of Labor shall report to Congress annually on the following:

Effectiveness of the training,
Number of Labor employees who have completed such training,
Number of human trafficking cases referred to Labor personnel.
Metrics used to measure and track responses.

Status: 7/12/2017– Passed/agreed to in House. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill. Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 2480, Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act

Sponsor: Rep. Vicki Hartzler (R-MO)

Summary: Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to be used for programs to combat human trafficking.

Status: 7/12/2017 – Passed/agreed to in the House. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill. Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 4708, Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act

Sponsor: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX)

Description: This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) to require the secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign to combat human trafficking.

Status: 2/14/2018 – Signed into law by President Trump; Public Law No: 115-125.

115^th Congress

U.S. Senate

(See side-by-side comparison of bills, S. 1311 and S. 1312)

S. 1103, Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act

Sponsor: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)

Status: 10/15/2017 – Passed Senate by unanimous consent.

S. 1311, Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017

Sponsor: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Status: 12/21/2018: Public Law 115-392.

S. 1312, Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017
Sponsor: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)

Status: 12/21/2018: Public Law 115-393.

S. 1862, Trafficking Victims Protection (TVPA) Reauthorization Act of 2017

Sponsor: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Summary: On September 19, 2017, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Trafficking Victims Protection (TVPA) Reauthorization Act of 2017, S.1862, aimed at strengthening U.S. global leadership in the fight to combat modern slavery. Introduced by Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), this bill would authorize critical U.S. programs to combat trafficking internationally for the next six years.

A key component of this legislation would ensure continued U.S. leadership through the State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. This annual report determines if countries across the globe are meeting minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking, as defined by the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act passed in 2000. The report encourages countries to improve their efforts to combat trafficking through a public accountability ranking system.

To maintain the integrity of the TIP report, the reauthorization bill would ensure that only concrete actions taken by governments could be considered for reporting. Commitments and promises of future programs would no longer be taken into account. When a country's ranking changes, the TIP office would provide a detailed explanation of that change to Congress.

The legislation would modify criteria for determining whether countries are meeting minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and would emphasize the importance of foreign governments taking "concrete actions" to abolish trafficking.

Last, the bill also would extend authorizations for U.S. programs to combat trafficking, including the U.S. Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Status: 1/9/2019: Public Law 115-427.

Issues:

Immigration

Labor

Human Trafficking Legislation Tracker