Human Trafficking Bills in Congress

Below are the current bills in congress right now related to Human Trafficking.  I have not had time to vet these bills so I want to be clear that I'm not saying you should or shouldn't vote for them, but just wanted everyone to know what was in the works.  You can find pending state legislation here..

• Human Trafficking Prioritization Act (HR 514): — Bipartisan — To prioritize the fight against human trafficking within the Department of State according to congressional intent in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 without increasing the size of the Federal Government. 

• International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking(HR 515): — Bipartisan — “A serious attempt to mitigate child sex tourism by noticing countries of destination concerning the travel plans of convicted pedophiles. And to protect American children, the bill encourages the President to use bilateral agreements and assistance to establish reciprocal notification so that we will know when convicted child-sex offenders are coming here,” according a floor statement by the sponsor in 2014. 

• Human Trafficking Prevention Act (HR 357): — Bipartisan — “Requires additional training for Department of State officials related to human trafficking,” according to the bill sponsor.

• Improving Response to Child Sex Trafficking (HR 246): — Bipartisan —  To improve the response to victims of child sex trafficking.

• Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act (HR 398): — Bipartisan —  “Trains healthcare workers to recognize the hallmark signs of human trafficking, thus allowing professionals to intervene on a patients’ behalf. This legislation trains healthcare workers to recognize the hallmark signs of human trafficking, thus allowing professionals to intervene. This legislation requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a grant to a medical or nursing school within each of the 10 administrative regions to develop best practices for health care professionals. These best practices will allow for them to recognize, respond, and intervene on behalf of human trafficking victims,” according to the bill sponsor. 

• Human Trafficking Detection Act (HR 460): — Bipartisan — To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to train Department of Homeland Security personnel how to effectively deter, detect, disrupt, and prevent human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities.

• Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act (HR 350): — Bipartisan — “Launches a review that will look into federal and state trafficking prevention activities in order to identify best practices to stop human trafficking; requires an inventory of existing federal anti-trafficking efforts to make sure all federal agencies and programs work together and that federal resources are being targeted where needed; and improves existing Department of Justice grants, ensuring that the grants also support shelters for survivors, according to the House Judiciary Committee. 

• Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act (HR 159): — Bipartisan — “Provides incentives to states to adopt safe harbor laws that treat trafficked children as victims, rather than as criminals or delinquents. The bill also provides an avenue for victims to access job skills training so that they can begin to rebuild their lives,” according to the House Judiciary Committee. 

• Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (HR 181): — Bipartisan — “Boosts support and protection for domestic human trafficking victims by increasing and streamlining law enforcement resources, enhancing victims’ services, and strengthening our laws to ensure that both buyers and sellers engaged in sex trafficking are held accountable for their crimes,” according to the House Judiciary Committee. 

• Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act (HR 285): — Bipartisan — “To criminalize those who knowingly advertise or profit from advertisements that offer the commercial exploitation of children and trafficking victims,” according to the House Judiciary Committee. 

• Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims for Youth Trafficking Act (HR 468): — Bipartisan — Would “improve support provided specifically to runaway and homeless youth who are victims of sex trafficking,” according to the House Education and Workforce Committee. Enable the Secretary of Health and Human Services to apply existing grant resources to train relevant staff on the effects of human trafficking in runaway and homeless youth victims, and for developing state-wide strategies to serve such youth. Allow the secretary to utilize the Street Outreach Program to provide street-based services for runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking. 

• Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act (HR 469): — Bipartisan — Would “improve practices within state child welfare systems to identify and document sex trafficking victims,” according to the House Education and Workforce Committee. Direct states to have procedures to identify and assess reports involving children who are victims of sex trafficking, and train child protective services workers on how to do so. Require states to identify services that address the needs of children who are victims of sex trafficking. 

Bills in Congress Related to Human Trafficking

I would never tell someone how to vote, and just because a bill is about traffricking doesn't mean it's a good one (a bad bill can be worse than a good bill sometimes)...but I thought with the focus here on of Human Trafficking this month I'd like to let you know about some bills going through congress:



H.R. 2982: Human Trafficking Reporting Act
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include human trafficking as a part 1 violent crime for purposes of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2982


S. 1259: Trafficking Victims Enhanced Protection Act of 2011
A bill to amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to prohibit the provision of peacekeeping operations assistance to governments of countries that recruit and use child soldiers.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1259

Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act (HR 2730)
Improves the child welfare response to trafficking by strengthening the child welfare system to identify, document, and counsel children at risk of exploitation.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2730

E-SAFETI Task Force Act (HR 2801)
Establishes a task force for the purpose of studying and making recommendations to prevent and combat internet-facilitated human trafficking.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2801

Human Trafficking Reporting Act (HR 2982)
Includes human trafficking as a "part 1 violent crime" for purposes of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2982

HRes 508
Supporting the goals and ideals of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and recognizing the 10th anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hres508

Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act (HR 915) Establishes a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal, State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect U.S border cities and communities from trans-national crime, including illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across the international borders of the U.S.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr915

International Megan's Law (HR 3253)
Protects children from sexual exploitation by mandating reporting requirements for convicted sex traffickers and other registered sex offenders against minors intending to engage in international travel, providing advance notice of intended travel by high interest registered sex offenders outside the U.S. to the government of the country of destination, requesting foreign governments to notify the U.S. when a known child sex offender is seeking to enter the U.S.
Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr3253

Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S 1301 and HR 2830)
Authorizes appropriations for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and enhances measures to combat trafficking in persons.Weigh in at https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1301 and https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2830

I don't think I have any problems with these bills (though I haven't read all of them completely yet), except that I think that the E-SAFETI Task Force Act should include more  people technically proficient in computer programming (like at least one specifically delegated who has those stilll and who will have the ability to assign at least two more...so as to avoid the type of fiasco that SOPA and PIPA was and to better take advantage of technology in fighting this problem.  That's one of the things I wrote my congressman about.