Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017
Public Law 115-393 · S. 1312 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 21, 2018 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Cosponsors (26): Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. John Cornyn,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
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.
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017
TITLE I--FREDERICK DOUGLASS TRAFFICKING PREVENTION ACT OF 2017
(Sec. 101) This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to specify that Community Oriented Policing Services program grants to hire school resource officers may also be used to train such officers to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking.
(Sec. 102) It amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize through FY2022 the Creating Hope Through Outreach, Options, Services, and Education for Children and Youth (i.e., CHOOSE Children & Youth) grant program.
TITLE II--JUSTICE FOR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
(Sec. 201) The bill amends the federal criminal code to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring a civil action to stop or prevent criminal offenses related to: (1) peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, forced labor, and trafficking; (2) sexual exploitation and other abuse of children; or (3) sexual abuse.
(Sec. 202) This section 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.
(Sec. 203) The bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the authority of the U.S. Secret Service to provide forensic and investigative assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies by allowing assistance in support of any investigation—not just an investigation involving missing or exploited children.
TITLE III--SERVICES FOR TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS
(Sec. 301) The bill amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 to reauthorize through FY2021: (1) the Human Trafficking and Smuggling Center, and (2) grants for trafficking victims inside the United States.
It amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to reauthorize through FY2021: (1) the annual human trafficking conference, and (2) grants to local law enforcement agencies for anti-trafficking programs.
The bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to reauthorize through FY2021 the authority of HHS to appoint independent child advocates for trafficking victims and other vulnerable unaccompanied alien children.
It reinstates and reauthorizes through FY2021 grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to combat sex trafficking of minors.
(Sec. 302) It authorizes DOJ, with respect to trafficking victim services grants, to give priority to an applicant who: (1) uses grant funds to prevent, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking; and (2) provides dedicated resources to law enforcement officers for a period longer than the grant.
(Sec. 303) DOJ must: (1) compile and disseminate, to recipients of grants to provide victims' services, information about reliable and effective tools to identify victims of human trafficking; and (2) recommend, to recipients of grants to provide victim services to youth, practices for screening youth victims of human trafficking.
TITLE IV--IMPROVED DATA COLLECTION AND INTERAGENCY COORDINATION
(Sec. 401) DOJ must submit to Congress and publish a report on efforts by the National Institute of Justice to develop a methodology to assess the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) must submit to Congress and publish a status report on the Innocence Lost National Initiative.
(Sec. 402) This section amends the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1988: (1) to direct the FBI to coordinate with federal agencies and departments to implement required reports of crime statistics, and (2) to direct the FBI to report annually to Congress on the efforts of federal agencies and departments to comply.
(Sec. 403) This section requires ICE HSI to report to Congress on human trafficking investigations.
TITLE V--TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
(Sec. 501) The bill directs DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Labor to periodically improve the human trafficking training programs for their employees.
DOJ and DHS must: (1) develop an advanced training curriculum to supplement the basic curriculum, and (2) provide the advanced training to employees and task force members who investigate human trafficking offenses.
(Sec. 502) The bill amends the Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015 to require DOJ to include, in each anti-trafficking program, technical training on: (1) determining whether individuals suspected of engaging in commercial sex acts, illegal child labor, or forced labor are trafficking victims; and (2) limiting arrests or prosecutions of trafficking victims for crimes they commit as a direct result of their victimization.
DOJ must establish a victim screening protocol for use during anti-trafficking law enforcement operations.
(Sec. 503) It amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to direct the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention, with respect to grants to juvenile and family courts, to give priority to programs that improve the judicial response to children who are vulnerable to human trafficking.
(Sec. 504) DOJ, in consultation with the Office of Tribal Justice, must implement a program for tribal law enforcement officials to receive technical training and assistance on victim-centered approaches to investigating and prosecuting severe forms of trafficking.
TITLE VI--ACCOUNTABILITY
(Sec. 601) The bill amends the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 to specify that accountability provisions apply to grants: (1) to develop model technical assistance and training programs to improve the judicial system's handling of child abuse and neglect cases, and (2) to state courts or judicial administrators for programs that provide or contract for the implementation of training and technical assistance to judicial personnel and attorneys in juvenile and family courts and administrative reform in juvenile and family courts.
TITLE VII--PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ADVISORY COUNCIL TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act
(Sec. 703) This bill establishes the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking to provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking.
It sets forth functions of the council, including to review federal policy and programs to combat human trafficking.
(Sec. 704) The council must report on its review of federal policy and programs to combat human trafficking.
(Sec. 705) The council terminates on September 30, 2020.
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
6 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1808Related bill
Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017
H.R. 4601Related bill
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017
H.R. 6223Related bill
Child Advocate Program Reauthorization Act
H.R. 7271Related bill
Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act
S. 1392Related bill
Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act
S. 3354 · became Public Law 115-267Related bill
Missing Children's Assistance Act of 2018
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. 26 actions.
- Dec 21, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-393.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 20, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 18, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 17, 2018Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment to S. 1312 by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendment to S. 1312 by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 1, 2018FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Sep 28, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Marino asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Affairs discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Education and the Workforce discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary discharged.
- Sep 21, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Sep 12, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Foreign Affairs, 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 …
- Sep 11, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Aug 1, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 189.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Jun 29, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jun 7, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3335-3336)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
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
2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
H.Amdt. 976HouseRep. Tom MarinoR-PA-10· offered Sep 28, 2018Agreed to
Amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert a complete new text.
Sep 28, 2018: On agreeing to the Marino amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 937SenateSen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA· offered Sep 11, 2017Agreed to
To improve the bill.
Sep 11, 2017: Amendment SA 937 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
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.