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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H9AD3892267AF4AF98D2D57A9BCEACE7A" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>118 HR 9681 IH: Halting Of Trafficking and Exploitation in Lodging Act of 2024</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2024-09-19</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">118th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 9681</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20240919">September 19, 2024</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S000522">Mr. Smith of New Jersey</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="K000391">Mr. Krishnamoorthi</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HGO00">Committee on Oversight and Accountability</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend title 5, United States Code, to establish a priority for accommodation in places with policies relating to severe forms of human trafficking, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H3F5561355CA042BCAAF60192C1390EF7" style="OLC"><section id="H91C9360B96AB4E61ABFBE11892709ED8" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Halting Of Trafficking and Exploitation in Lodging Act of 2024</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>HOTEL Act of 2024</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="H7B8A8B7DA7514ED6AE3576AEAC97FACB" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>2.</enum><header>Priority for accommodation in places with anti-trafficking policies</header><subsection id="H5A8EB4044F724E908D2C0D069408F884"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Subchapter I of <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/5/57">chapter 57</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="USC" id="H6ECCD50E9BEF44AD90B6CEDD27AA352D" display-inline="no-display-inline"><section id="H6390EF43464745B28DDE3CBEA1065724"><enum>5712.</enum><header>Priority for accommodation in places with anti-trafficking policies</header><subsection id="H5E3B40A46714477FB6AA7E52806B73D6"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section—</text><paragraph id="HFB9A2D13434D4AC9BF33661362EFAB23"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the term <quote>place of accommodation</quote> means a hotel, motel, or other place of public accommodation that is listed by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as meeting the requirements of the fire prevention and control guidelines described in section 29 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/15/2225">15 U.S.C. 2225</external-xref>); and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HECFC7CB5A10946DAB6DCB150074EA254"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the term <quote>severe forms of trafficking in persons</quote> has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/7102">22 U.S.C. 7102</external-xref>).</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HC8889327236947268D816854503F5026"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Requirement</header><text>For the purpose of making payments under this subchapter for lodging expenses, each agency shall ensure that, to the greatest extent practicable, commercial-lodging room nights in the United States for employees of that agency are booked in a preferred place of accommodation.</text></subsection><subsection id="H46C011A34C264721B2D99A046C40AA6F"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Eligibility as a preferred place of accommodation</header><text>To be considered a preferred place of accommodation for the purposes of this section, a place of accommodation shall—</text><paragraph id="H777B5977AC3A4097B922CCA1E8891E2C"><enum>(1)</enum><text>enforce the zero-tolerance policy regarding severe forms of trafficking in persons made available by the Administrator of General Services under subsection (d)(1), or a similar zero-tolerance policy developed by the place of accommodation, which shall be demonstrated by—</text><subparagraph id="H5AB0593179064732A61A2F193C2CC44B"><enum>(A)</enum><text>posting that policy in a nonpublic space within the place of accommodation that is accessible by all employees of the place of accommodation; or</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H6690978ED951429684C3D6D263605C17"><enum>(B)</enum><text>including that policy in the employee handbook for the place of accommodation;</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H5E5844B567374496A8AAC953CF75B20E"><enum>(2)</enum><text>have procedures in place, not later than 180 days after the effective date of this section, for employees of the place of accommodation to—</text><subparagraph id="H486F35887F4A4C51B035E86ABD3A4BD6"><enum>(A)</enum><text>identify any severe form of trafficking in persons according to protocol identified in the employee training based on training materials developed under subsection (d)(3); and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HA723A30BF41444CF926C9FEA3744C6A4"><enum>(B)</enum><text>with respect to any severe form of trafficking in persons identified under subparagraph (A)—</text><clause id="H4A5DD8F9DBB04E3FA2AEAF410A4B4378"><enum>(i)</enum><text>report that activity to—</text><subclause id="H80FC8B7325A641209AAD86D9FD009FDB"><enum>(I)</enum><text>the appropriate law enforcement authorities;</text></subclause><subclause id="H9B7E0B8CB2824C61AD69775AB4A13BE2"><enum>(II)</enum><text>management of the place of accommodation; or</text></subclause><subclause id="H95C57AFF1027411AB30BE22375FAE306"><enum>(III)</enum><text>the national human trafficking hotline described in section 107(b)(1)(B)(ii) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/7105">22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(B)(ii)</external-xref>); or</text></subclause></clause><clause id="H7BA44D4E83BA4CE7B0D7E7E5A6951CC6"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>provide information and resources to the potential victims of that activity, including—</text><subclause id="H2C69254E2860480B96BA5645B9F81F07"><enum>(I)</enum><text>contact information for the appropriate law enforcement authorities;</text></subclause><subclause id="H526D0BB4C3B84E09A47A6056BFB33D3D"><enum>(II)</enum><text>information regarding the hotline described in clause (i)(III); or</text></subclause><subclause id="H37AB67D231C544D49E4D7F0CF6CB6324"><enum>(III)</enum><text>information regarding appropriate local organizations;</text></subclause></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H2D70171CFA734BEE9CE5D77913B5758C"><enum>(3)</enum><text>post the informational materials made available under subsection (d)(3) in an appropriate nonpublic space within the place of accommodation that is accessible by all employees of the place of accommodation;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HF6F2EBEF11C845998D252D5BB76785ED"><enum>(4)</enum><text>require each employee of the place of accommodation who is physically located at the place of accommodation and who is likely to interact with guests (including, but not limited to security, front desk, housekeeping, room service, and bell staff), or who is responsible for hiring, to complete the training developed under subsection (d)(2), or a training developed pursuant to subsection (e), which shall—</text><subparagraph id="HE6F9FCC9FAC341168D89532441F09ADD"><enum>(A)</enum><text>take place not later than 90 days after the starting date of the employee, or, in the case of an employee hired before the effective date of this section, not later than 90 days after the effective date of this section; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HE62945FCA7CF43228D0FFD74662124FB"><enum>(B)</enum><text>include training on the identification of all possible cases of severe forms of trafficking in persons;</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H5BBEED8D6EBA4C0BBBEEF17E2F534E24"><enum>(5)</enum><text>ensure that the place of accommodation does not retaliate against an employee of the place of accommodation for reporting suspected cases of severe forms of trafficking in persons if reported according to protocol identified in the training for the employee; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H830AB5CE21A344489AC0CE956117867A"><enum>(6)</enum><text>maintain a current record of every employee who has completed the training program in subsection (e)—</text><subparagraph id="HDC2D203D0029444E84744CB8249A22B9"><enum>(A)</enum><text>if the training is updated in accordance with subsection (e)(3), the place of accommodation must update the records of the employees who retake the training; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HEAAF54A213C14938904F59BB27A31CB8"><enum>(B)</enum><text>records for past employees only need to be maintained for two years past the end of employment or longer at the discretion of the place of accommodation.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HE9EF05DEF0E64766B4928221D72199C1"><enum>(d)</enum><header>GSA requirements</header><text>The Administrator of General Services shall—</text><paragraph id="H5EA02BC0FEB04110BBB09ECC9A200F70"><enum>(1)</enum><text>make available on the website of the General Services Administration a model zero-tolerance policy for places of accommodation regarding severe forms of trafficking in persons, including informational materials regarding that policy to be posted within nonpublic spaces;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HDF6A11AFECA642A393E7D1BBD447569D"><enum>(2)</enum><text>make available on the website of the General Services Administration a list of Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Department of State, and privately produced training programs that address the identification of severe forms of trafficking in persons and submit reports to appropriate law enforcement authorities or the National Human Trafficking Hotline;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HAF3A28DD06764457B09362FA81E80C59"><enum>(3)</enum><text>in coordination with the Blue Campaign of the Secretary of Homeland Security, make available on the website of the General Services Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services training and outreach materials on preventing severe forms of trafficking in persons, informational materials to be posted in nonpublic spaces in places of accommodation on identifying the signs of severe forms of trafficking in persons and reporting possible incidences of such exploitation, and informational materials to be posted in public or nonpublic spaces in places of accommodation on self-identifying as a potential victim of severe forms of trafficking in persons and how to access services and support as such a victim, except that the Administrator shall permit the use of substantially similar training materials or informational materials required by State or local law on identifying the signs of severe forms of trafficking in persons and reporting possible incidences of severe forms of trafficking in persons in lieu of materials developed under this paragraph; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H751FE1F8725A4F59A183102F464A45E9"><enum>(4)</enum><text>maintain a list of each preferred place of accommodation that—</text><subparagraph id="H806E24F10859456F9CD44987AB0A3006"><enum>(A)</enum><text>meets the requirements of subsection (c); and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H99714BD703A641828B918DA46FA08B14"><enum>(B)</enum><text>is—</text><clause id="H2B3AA04BFE7843D4B2518A6E85ACB750"><enum>(i)</enum><text>participating in governmental lodging programs, such as FedRooms (or any successor system);</text></clause><clause id="H85FE07052CC542588AE3CDF94FA27547"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>included on the list maintained by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency pursuant to section 28 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/15/2224">15 U.S.C. 2224</external-xref>); or</text></clause><clause id="H15855E6558CA497C9DE219B56CD6B627"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>otherwise known to have received governmental travel business during the 2-year period preceding the effective date of this section.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HF41B8804A5D440EC978D88572A0E18DE"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Training programs</header><paragraph id="H8A37DCCFB12B40FC873F18D87E3D8AA8"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>A place of accommodation may use a training program developed or acquired by that place of accommodation or company to satisfy the requirements of subsection (c)(4) if that training program—</text><subparagraph id="H0B38EE5B014141B18632BAB91A1D2412"><enum>(A)</enum><text>focuses on identifying and reporting suspected cases of severe forms of trafficking in persons; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HD26B47244DBA4083AADD308405C63208"><enum>(B)</enum><text>was developed in consultation with—</text><clause id="HC78C4E8507F34E478F8FFDDE366ECC3F"><enum>(i)</enum><text>a State government;</text></clause><clause id="HF42CD31E62DB4294845CA1450495076E"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">survivors or lived experience experts of human trafficking;</text></clause><clause id="H7FD40A06F98D49329EB506557AB33F06"><enum>(iii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">survivor-led anti-trafficking organization; or</text></clause><clause id="HFC0A6ABE09B041C6BE47F94C4C6B8749"><enum>(iv)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any organization nationally recognized for its expertise in anti-trafficking initiatives and which actively involves survivor-leaders in consultations.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HD6250AD3F7B547EBBC293DA275C3174B"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Review</header><text>Training program materials described in paragraph (1) shall be—</text><subparagraph id="H11839BBB2C6C4A30A6938716D4C81735"><enum>(A)</enum><text>not less frequently than once every 2 years, reviewed by the applicable place of accommodation and, if necessary, updated based on that review; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HDDA4DD130C4F4995BE383D8755D6123D"><enum>(B)</enum><text>delivered to employees of the place of accommodation after any update under subparagraph (A).</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H05096BCCDC694564A34917E7EE513D49"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Previously trained employees</header><paragraph id="H12C2A21EF0574B1BB9AD6E3C25F33287"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Training prior to effective date</header><text>Any employee of a place of accommodation who has been trained to identify and report potential cases of severe forms of trafficking in persons before the effective date of this section shall be considered to have satisfied the training requirement under subsection (c)(4) with respect to any employment at that place of accommodation or at any another place of accommodation managed by the same entity.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HA6041F39CDAC44CABFCBD6DCC8B6E04B"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Training prior to a transfer of employment</header><text>Any employee of a place of accommodation who has met the training requirements under subsection (c)(4) shall be considered to have satisfied those requirements with respect to any employment at a place of accommodation managed by the same entity.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H8A786A7F769745CEA1D973E0DC558B63"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Property-by-Property implementation</header><paragraph id="HE226062EB26B4BA088D800A2E8060740"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Self-certification</header><subparagraph id="H59D859001B1A41A9AC6C7A9C6DBFFFDC"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Not later than 1 year after the effective date of this section, and biennially thereafter, each preferred place of accommodation shall submit to the Administrator of General Services a written self-certification that the place of accommodation is in compliance with the requirements of this section.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HFFA38B35427344EB96364DBB5014A5C9"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Notice; reporting</header><text>The Administrator of General Services shall—</text><clause id="H3A91AAC02AE14A31B149DFE8D5299F56"><enum>(i)</enum><text>provide notice to each place of accommodation regarding any self-certification that the place of accommodation is required to submit under this subsection not later than the date that is 60 days before the date on which that such self-certification is required; and</text></clause><clause id="H56DD99E70DC84C5AB7460B82AA738A91"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>not later than 1 year after the effective date of this section, and biennially thereafter, submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives a report regarding each preferred places of accommodation that, for the period covered by the report, submitted and did not submit the self-certifications required under this subsection.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H6D23CE77376744CFBD39D5E700F136B8"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Group certification</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">A person or entity that manages or franchises multiple places of accommodation may provide a single notice with respect to self-certification under paragraph (1) that each such place of accommodation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. The notice must list all the places of accommodation that are in compliance with the requirements in subsection (c).</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HF3C3B9FAA37F480AB6E3ADC90393C5EF"><enum>(h)</enum><header>Statutory construction</header><text>No provision in this section that applies to an employee of a place of accommodation may be construed to apply to an individual who is an independent contractor of, or is otherwise not directly employed by, that place of accommodation, unless the applicable contract is for housekeeping, catering, concierge, or security services, in which case the applicable service provider shall ensure compliance with the requirements of this section.</text></subsection><subsection id="H7575CDCBBB02439AAF4086C89B646BB2"><enum>(i)</enum><header>Regulations required</header><text>The Administrator of General Services shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this section.</text></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection><subsection id="H7F2BB73E5C0242CDB47552EFE31AF9D4"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text>The table of sections for subchapter I of <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/5/57">chapter 57</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block id="H20BA4E2408D846428FC0FE250FA725E7" style="USC"><toc regeneration="no-regeneration"><toc-entry level="section">5712. Priority for accommodation in places with anti-trafficking policies.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection><subsection id="H67BA7E2E2BA140299D04EB20259C0869"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text>The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.</text></subsection></section></legis-body></bill> 

