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Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017

Public Law 115-427 · S. 1862 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 9, 2019 · International Affairs

Sponsor: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Cosponsors (4): Sen. Bob Menendez,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 370 yea, 0 nay370–0
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017

This bill modifies the criteria for evaluating whether countries are meeting the minimum standards for combatting human trafficking.

The President shall ensure that federal agencies limit grants and contracts to entities that do not engage in various activities related to human trafficking. Under the bill, one prohibited activity is charging employees for placement or recruitment fees. Previously, entities could charge such fees as long as they were reasonable.

The bill modifies requirements related to the Department of State's annual report to Congress on its anti-human trafficking efforts, which ranks countries on their compliance with the minimum standards laid out in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. For each country that received a different rank from the previous year, the State Department shall explain the reason for the change, including any concrete actions that country took or failed to take to address human trafficking concerns.

The State Department shall prepare an action plan for each country upgraded to tier 2 on the report's watch list, and how such a country can further improve (tier 2 countries do not meet minimum standards for combatting human trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so).

When the State Department downgrades a country to tier 2, it shall give the country's foreign minister a copy of the report and information including the reasons for the change. The State Department shall also explain the implications of the tier 2 designation and of any further downgrades.

The Department of the Treasury shall instruct its U.S. Executive Directors in each multilateral development bank to initiate discussions to further promote anti-human trafficking policies, including development strategies that reduce the prevalence of trafficking.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 370 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

370 yea0 nay62 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(173)

Republicans who voted yea(197)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1198 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 1848Related bill

    Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.

  1. Jan 9, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-427.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jan 2, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 21, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 370 - 0 (Roll no. 491).House roll call 491
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1862.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. Royce (CA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. Dec 19, 2018FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. Dec 18, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. Dec 17, 2018FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  15. FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
  16. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  17. Oct 5, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 623.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Corker with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  19. Sep 26, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  20. Sep 26, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  21. 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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 4106SenateSen. Bob MenendezD-NJ· offered Dec 13, 2018Agreed to

    Of a perfecting nature.

    Dec 17, 2018: Amendment SA 4106 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.