ATEST Applauds House Passage of Trafficking Act Renewal
In a resounding bipartisan vote Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives passed the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act (H.R. 5856). The vote was 414 to 11.
The U.S. has the world’s most comprehensive governmental effort to fight human trafficking, and this law is the reason why. It’s the blueprint for comprehensive action at home and abroad. Updating and reauthorizing the act is essential to maintaining America’s leadership.
The reauthorized bill includes more than $1 billion in spending authorizations for federal programs and grants to nonprofit organizations over the next five years, representing no cuts in spending. It also includes key provisions championed by ATEST:
- Requiring the U.S. Agency for International Development to integrate anti-trafficking strategies and activities into foreign assistance programs
- Employment and education programs for trafficking survivors
- Grants to schools to teach children about the risks they face of human trafficking
ATEST thanks the bill’s primary Republican author, Rep. Chris Smith, (R-NJ), along with its primary Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), as well as the many other representatives who signed on as co-sponsors.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where a companion reauthorization measure (S. 920) is also up for consideration.