On July 12, the House passed several human trafficking bills by voice vote: H.R. 2200, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017; H.R. 2480, the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act; and H.R. 2664, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act.
H.R. 2200
Sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the legislation would reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386) through 2021, and extend programs to support victims of trafficking. The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the bill on May 3 (see The Source, 5/5/17).
H.R. 2480
Sponsored by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), the legislation would broaden the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program in order to combat sex trafficking. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on June 28 (see The Source, 6/30/17).
H.R. 2664
Sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), the legislation would direct the Department of Labor to implement programs to train its employees to detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking. The training would include methods for identifying potential victims and perpetrators of trafficking. In addition, the department would be required to provide an annual report to Congress on the effectiveness of the training programs.
