119-hr2796

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2796 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2796

To reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 9, 2025

 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Mfume, Mr. McCaul, Ms. 
 Salazar, Mr. Jack, Mr. Cuellar, Mrs. Wagner, Mrs. Radewagen, and Mr. 
 Krishnamoorthi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
 the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on 
 Foreign Affairs, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
 of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and for 
 other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Frederick Douglass Trafficking 
Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

 The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.

Sec. 2. Table of contents.
 TITLE I--COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Sec. 101. Modifications to grants to assist in the recognition of 
 trafficking.

Sec. 102. Human Trafficking Survivors Employment and Education Program.
 TITLE II--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

Sec. 201. Extension of authorizations under the Victims of Trafficking 
 and Violence Protection Act of 2000.

Sec. 202. Extension of authorizations under the International Megan's 
 Law.

 TITLE I--COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES

SEC. 101. MODIFICATIONS TO GRANTS TO ASSIST IN THE RECOGNITION OF 
 TRAFFICKING.

    (a) Amendments to Authorities To Prevent Trafficking.--

Section 106

    (b)

    (2) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 
2000 (22 U.S.C. 7104

    (b) ) is amended--

    (1) in the heading, by striking ``Grants to assist in the 
 recognition of trafficking'' and inserting ``Frederick douglass 
 human trafficking prevention education grants'';

    (2) in subparagraph
        (B) in the matter preceding clause
            (i) , 
 by inserting ``under a program named `Frederick Douglass Human 
 Trafficking Prevention Education Grants''' after ``may award 
 grants'';

    (3) in the heading of subparagraph
            (C) , by inserting ``for 
 frederick douglass human trafficking prevention education 
 grants'' after ``program requirements'';

    (4) by amending subparagraph
            (D) to read as follows:
 ``
            (D) Priority.--In awarding Frederick Douglass 
 Human Trafficking Prevention Education Grants under 
 this paragraph, the Secretary shall--
 ``
            (i) give priority to local educational 
 agencies serving a high-intensity child sex 
 trafficking area or an area with significant 
 child labor trafficking;
 ``
            (ii) give additional priority to local 
 educational agencies that partner with non-
 profit organizations specializing in human 
 trafficking prevention education, which partner 
 with law enforcement and technology or social 
 media companies, to assist in training efforts 
 to protect children from labor trafficking and 
 sexual exploitation and abuse including 
 grooming, materials depicting the sexual abuse 
 of children, and human trafficking transmitted 
 through technology; and
 ``
            (iii) consult, as appropriate, with the 
 Secretary of Education, the Secretary of 
 Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of 
 the Interior, the Secretary of Labor, and the 
 Attorney General, to identify the geographic 
 areas in the United States with the highest 
 prevalence of at-risk populations for child 
 trafficking, including children who are 
 homeless youth, foster youth, youth involved in 
 the child welfare system, and children and 
 youth who run away from home or an out-of-home 
 placement.''; and

    (5) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
        (E) Criteria for selection.--Grantees should be 
 selected based on their demonstrated ability to--
 ``
            (i) engage stakeholders, including 
 survivors of human trafficking, and Federal, 
 State, local, or Tribal partners, to develop 
 the programs;
 ``
            (ii) train the trainers, guardians, K-12 
 students, teachers, and other school personnel 
 in an age-appropriate and trauma-informed 
 fashion; and
 ``
            (iii) create a scalable, repeatable 
 program or model, to be publicly available for 
 distribution online, that can be adapted to 
 address the needs of any school to prevent 
 child labor trafficking, child sex trafficking, 
 and child sexual exploitation and abuse 
 including grooming, child sexual abuse 
 materials, and trafficking transmitted through 
 technology that--
 ``
            (I) uses evidence-based (as such 
 term is defined in 

section 8101

    (21)
        (A) of the Elementary and Secondary 
 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
 7801

    (21)
        (A) )) best practices; and
 ``
            (II) employs appropriate 
 technological tools and methodologies, 
 including age-appropriate and trauma-
 informed approaches for trainers, 
 guardians, educators, and K-12 
 students.
 ``
        (F) Train the trainers.--For purposes of 
 subparagraph
        (E) , the term `train the trainers' means 
 having experienced or master trainers coach new 
 trainers who are less experienced with a particular 
 topic or skill, or with training overall, who can then 
 teach the material to others, creating a broader reach, 
 sustainability, and making efforts cost- and time-
 efficient (commonly referred to as `training of 
 trainers').
 ``
        (G) Target beneficiaries.--The Secretary shall 
 consult with the Secretary of Education, the Secretary 
 of Housing and Urban Development, and the Secretary of 
 the Interior to determine the appropriate recipients or 
 students at risk of being trafficked or exploited, to 
 be reported with respect to grants under this 
 paragraph, which shall include, at a minimum, homeless 
 youth, foster youth, youth involved in the child 
 welfare system, and children and youth who run away 
 from home or an out-of-home placement.
 ``
        (H) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the 
 date of the enactment of this subparagraph, and 
 annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services shall submit to the Committees on Education 
 and Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and the Judiciary 
 of the House of Representatives and the Committees on 
 the Judiciary and Health, Education, Labor, and 
 Pensions of the Senate and make available to the public 
 a report, including data on the following:
 ``
            (i) The total number of entities that 
 received a Frederick Douglass Human Trafficking 
 Prevention Education Grant over the past year.
 ``
            (ii) The total number of partnerships or 
 consultants that included survivors, non-profit 
 organizations specialized in human trafficking 
 prevention education, law enforcement, and 
 technology or social media companies.
 ``
            (iii) The total number of elementary and 
 secondary schools that established and 
 implemented evidence-based (as such term is 
 defined in 

section 8101

    (21)
        (A) of the 
 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
 (20 U.S.C. 7801

    (21)
        (A) )) best practices through 
 programs developed using such grants.
 ``
            (iv) The total number and geographic 
 distribution of trainers, guardians, students, 
 teachers, and other school personnel trained 
 using such grants pursuant to this paragraph.
 ``
            (v) The results of pre-training and post-
 training surveys to gauge trainees' increased 
 understanding of the scope and signs of child 
 trafficking and child sexual exploitation and 
 abuse; how to interact with potential victims 
 and survivors of child trafficking and child 
 sexual exploitation and abuse using age-
 appropriate and trauma-informed approach; and 
 the manner in which to respond to potential 
 child trafficking and child sexual exploitation 
 and abuse.
 ``
            (vi) The number of potential victims and 
 survivors of child trafficking and child sexual 
 exploitation and abuse identified and served by 
 grantees, excluding any individually 
 identifiable information about such children 
 and acting in full compliance with all 
 applicable privacy laws and regulations.
 ``
            (vii) The number of students in 
 elementary or secondary school identified by 
 grantees as being at risk of being trafficked 
 or sexually exploited and abused, excluding any 
 individually identifiable information about 
 such children.
 ``
            (viii) The demographic characteristics of 
 child trafficking survivors and victims, 
 sexually exploited and abused children, and 
 students at risk of being trafficked or 
 sexually exploited and abused described in 
 clauses
            (vi) and
            (vii) , excluding any 
 individually identifiable information about 
 such children.
 ``
            (ix) Any service gaps and best practices 
 identified by grantees.''.

SEC. 102. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may 
carry out a Frederick Douglass Human Trafficking Survivors Employment 
and Education Program to prevent the re-exploitation of eligible 
individuals who have been victims of trafficking, by assisting such 
individuals to integrate or reintegrate into society through social 
services support for the attainment of life-skills, employment, and 
education necessary to achieve self-sufficiency.

    (b) Services Provided.--Services offered, provided, and funded by 
the Program shall include (as relevant to the victim of trafficking)--

    (1) enrollment and participation in--
        (A) basic education, including literacy education;
        (B) job-related skills training;
            (C) vocational and certificate programs; and
            (D) programs for attaining a regular high school 
 diploma or its recognized equivalent;

    (2) life-skill training programs, including management of 
 personal finances, self-care, and parenting classes;

    (3) resume creation and review;

    (4) interview coaching and counseling;

    (5) assistance with expungement of criminal records when 
 such records are for nonviolent crimes that were committed as a 
 consequence of the eligible individual's victimization, 
 including assistance with credit repair;

    (6) assistance with enrollment in college or technical 
 school;

    (7) scholarship assistance for attending college or 
 technical school;

    (8) professional coaching or professional development 
 classes;

    (9) case management to develop an individualized plan with 
 each victim of trafficking, based on each person's needs and 
 goals; and

    (10) assistance with obtaining victim compensation, direct 
 victim assistance, or other funds for mental health care.
            (c) Service Period.--Eligible individuals may receive services 
through the Program for a cumulative period of 5 years.
            (d) Cooperative Agreements.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, the Secretary shall enter into cooperative agreements 
with one or more eligible organizations to carry out this section.

    (e) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Eligible individual.--The term ``eligible individual'' 
 means a victim of trafficking who--
        (A) has attained the age of 18 years; and
        (B) is eligible to receive services under 

section 107

    (b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105

    (b) ).

    (2) Eligible organization.--The ``eligible organization'' 
 may include a nongovernmental organization and means a service 
 provider that meets the following criteria:
        (A) Experience in using national or local anti-
 trafficking networks to serve victims of trafficking.
        (B) Experience qualifying, providing, and 
 coordinating services for victims of trafficking, as 
 described in subsection

    (b) , that is trauma-informed.
            (C) A provider that has experience identifying and 
 assisting victims of trafficking, as such term is 
 defined in 

section 103 of the Trafficking Victims 
 Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).

    (3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Frederick 
 Douglass Human Trafficking Survivors Employment and Education 
 Program established under this section.

    (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Health and Human Services.

 TITLE II--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 201. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATIONS UNDER THE VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING 
 AND VIOLENCE PROTECTION ACT OF 2000.

 

Section 113 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 
U.S.C. 7110) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (b)

    (1) --
        (A) by striking ``To carry out the purposes of 
 sections 106

    (b) and 107

    (b) ,'' and inserting ``To carry 
 out the purposes of sections 106

    (b) and 107

    (b) of this 
 Act and sections 101 and 102 of the Frederick Douglass 
 Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection 
 Reauthorization Act of 2023,''; and
        (B) by striking ``$19,500,000'' and all that 
 follows, and inserting ``$30,755,000 for each of the 
 fiscal years 2025 through 2029, of which $5,000,000 is 
 authorized to be appropriated in each fiscal year for 
 the National Human Trafficking Hotline and for 
 cybersecurity and public education campaigns, in 
 consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
 for identifying and responding as needed to cases of 
 human trafficking.''; and

    (2) in subsection
            (d) (1) , by striking ``2018 through 2021'' 
 and inserting ``2025 through 2029, of which $35,000,000 is 
 authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year for the 
 Office of Victims of Crime Housing Assistance Grants for 
 Victims of Human Trafficking''.

SEC. 202. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATIONS UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL MEGAN'S 
 LAW.

 

Section 11 of the International Megan's Law to Prevent Child 
Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of 
Traveling Sex Offenders (34 U.S.C. 21509) is amended by striking ``2018 
through 2021'' and inserting ``2025 through 2029''.
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