[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3597 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3597

  To strengthen protections for child trafficking victims testifying 
                       against human traffickers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 11, 2018

  Mr. Heller introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To strengthen protections for child trafficking victims testifying 
                       against human traffickers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Child Trafficking Victim 
Witnesses Act''.

SEC. 2. VICTIM-CENTERED PROTOCOLS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Attorney General shall issue guidance directing Federal 
prosecutors to institute victim-centered protocols to strengthen 
protections for child trafficking victims testifying against human 
traffickers.

SEC. 3. TRAINING FOR FEDERAL PROSECUTORS.

    Subsection (c)(1)(B) of the Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015 
(42 U.S.C. 14044g(c)(1)(B)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``training on seeking restitution'' and 
        inserting the following: ``training on--
                            ``(i) seeking restitution'';
            (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
        and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(ii) specific, victim-centered protocols 
                        to strengthen protections for child trafficking 
                        victims testifying against human traffickers, 
                        including training to minimize the need for 
                        child trafficking victim witnesses.''.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL USES FOR VICTIM-CENTERED CHILD HUMAN TRAFFICKING 
              DETERRENCE BLOCK GRANT.

    Section 203(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (34 U.S.C. 20703(b)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (E), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(F) strengthen protections for child trafficking 
                victims testifying against human traffickers, including 
                training to minimize the need for child trafficking 
                victim witnesses.''.
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