Current status is Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 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.

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2961

1. Short title
2. Table of contents
101. Modifications to grants to assist in the recognition of trafficking
102. Human Trafficking Survivors Employment and Education Program
201. Extension of authorizations under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000
202. Extension of authorizations under the International Megan’s Law

1. Short title

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

2. Table of contents

The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

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)(2)) 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) Priority - 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.

(5) Criteria for selection - 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.

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;

(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) - résumé 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.

(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.

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".

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".

119-HR2961

Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025