Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act
Public Law 115-125 · H.R. 4708 · 115th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Feb 14, 2018 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX-10)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. John Katko,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a program to be known as the Blue Campaign, the purpose of which shall be to unify and coordinate DHS efforts to address human trafficking.
The campaign director shall issue DHS-wide guidance to and develop training programs for appropriate DHS personnel, coordinate departmental efforts, and provide guidance and training on trauma-informed practices to ensure that human trafficking victims are afforded prompt access to victim support service providers and assistance to address their immediate and long-term needs.
Such campaign shall provide guidance and training to DHS personnel and other federal, state, tribal, and law enforcement personnel regarding:
• programs to help identify instances of human trafficking;
• the types of information that should be collected and recorded in DHS information technology systems to identify individuals suspected or convicted of human trafficking;
• systematic and routine information sharing within DHS and among federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies regarding such individuals and patterns and practices of human trafficking;
• techniques to identify suspected victims of trafficking along the U.S. border and at airport security checkpoints;
• methods to be used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and personnel from other appropriate agencies to train TSA employees to identify suspected trafficking victims and to serve as a liaison and resource regarding human trafficking prevention to appropriate state, local, and private sector aviation workers and the traveling public;
• utilizing resources to educate partners and stakeholders and increase public awareness of human trafficking; and
• leveraging partnerships with state and local governmental, non-governmental, and private sector organizations to raise public awareness of human trafficking.
(Sec. 3) DHS shall: (1) ensure the integration of information technology systems utilized within DHS to record and track information regarding individuals suspected or convicted of human trafficking; and (2) report to Congress on the status and effectiveness of, and providing a recommendation regarding the appropriate office within DHS for, the Blue Campaign.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Judiciary Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1370 · became Public Law 115-96Related bill
An Act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 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, and for other purposes.
S. 1103Related bill
Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act of 2017
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Feb 14, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-125.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Feb 6, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jan 30, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jan 16, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Jan 11, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. McCaul asked unanimous consent to discharge from the Committees on Homeland Security and the Judiciary and consider.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security discharged.
- Dec 21, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.