[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 836 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 836
To establish the Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of
Exploitation and Human Trafficking Program to train law enforcement
officers to identify and assist victims of child exploitation and human
trafficking.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 29, 2019
Mr. McCaul (for himself and Mr. Cuellar) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of
Exploitation and Human Trafficking Program to train law enforcement
officers to identify and assist victims of child exploitation and human
trafficking.
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 ``Interdiction for the Protection of
Child Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act''.
SEC. 2. INTERDICTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILD VICTIMS OF
EXPLOITATION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
(a) Amendment.--Title II of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (34 U.S.C. 20701 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 208. INTERDICTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILD VICTIMS OF
EXPLOITATION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `human trafficking' has the meaning given
the term `severe forms of trafficking in persons' in section
103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7102); and
``(2) the term `pilot program' means the Interdiction for
the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human
Trafficking Program required to be established under subsection
(b).
``(b) Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of
Exploitation and Human Trafficking Program.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Attorney General shall establish
a pilot program, which shall be known as the `Interdiction for
the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human
Trafficking Program' to provide training to Federal, State,
Tribal, territorial, and local law enforcement officers and
other relevant professionals on child exploitation and human
trafficking in accordance with the purposes described in
paragraph (2).
``(2) Purposes.--The pilot program shall provide training
for law enforcement officers and other relevant professionals,
including first responders and child welfare professionals,
on--
``(A) identifying potential child victims of human
trafficking;
``(B) identifying children who are missing;
``(C) identifying children who are at risk of being
trafficked, exploited, or sexually abused;
``(D) identifying individuals who are likely to
engage in trafficking, exploitation, or sexual abuse of
child victims;
``(E) implementing proper protocols and procedures
for--
``(i) communicating with potential child
victims; and
``(ii) encouraging their cooperation with
law enforcement investigations and any
resulting prosecutions when appropriate;
``(F) implementing proper protocols and procedures
for referring such victims to appropriate social or
victims service agencies or organizations;
``(G) implementing proper protocols and procedures
for interacting with victims in a manner that are
trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically
relevant, gender responsive, and age appropriate; and
``(H) establishing a train-the-trainer program in
which law enforcement officers who complete the pilot
program training described in this subsection are given
further instruction on how to train other law
enforcement officers in order to increase the
availability of the training program.
``(3) Functions.--
``(A) In general.--The pilot program--
``(i) shall incorporate the functions of
the Interdiction for the Protection of Children
Program funded through the Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services of the Department of
Justice that was operating on the day before
the date of enactment of the Interdiction for
the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation
and Human Trafficking Act;
``(ii) shall incorporate the functions of
the initiatives authorized under subparagraphs
(B) and (C);
``(iii) may engage stakeholders, including
victims of child exploitation and any Federal,
State, Tribal, territorial, or local partners,
to develop a flexible training module--
``(I) for achieving the purposes
described in paragraph (2); and
``(II) that adapts to various needs
and settings of law enforcement
officers and other relevant
professionals;
``(iv) may engage with, and continue the
data collection, analysis, and sharing of
criminal incidents and reports conducted by,
Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, and local
partners, including fusion centers and the
Behavioral Analysis Unit of the United States
Marshals Service related to the Interdiction
for the Protection of Children Program that was
operating on the day before the date of
enactment of the Interdiction for the
Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and
Human Trafficking Act;
``(v) may provide technical assistance for
law enforcement education programs, in
furtherance of the purposes described in
paragraph (2)--
``(I) to implement nationwide law
enforcement protocols; or
``(II) to develop and distribute
continuing education training
materials;
``(vi) may develop a strategy, as the
Attorney General considers appropriate, to
incentivize--
``(I) the implementation of
nationwide law enforcement officer
protocols referred to in clause (v)(I);
and
``(II) the utilization of the
training materials developed under
clause (v)(II);
``(vii) may develop a reliable methodology
for collecting, sharing, and reporting data
among Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, and
local law enforcement partners, including
fusion centers, on the number of missing, at-
risk, or exploited children identified and
served by law enforcement officers or other
relevant professionals; and
``(viii) may conduct an independent
evaluation of the effectiveness of training
provided under the pilot program.
``(B) Grants authorized.--
``(i) In general.--The Attorney General,
acting through the Director of Community
Oriented Policing Services, shall award grants,
on a competitive basis, to Federal, State,
Tribal, territorial, and local law enforcement
agencies that represent diversity in geography,
the demographics of the population served, and
the predominant types of cases encountered,
including missing children, at-risk children,
and victims of child exploitation and
trafficking.
``(ii) Use of funds.--A law enforcement
agency that receives a grant under this
subparagraph shall--
``(I) provide training activities
designed to achieve the purposes
described in paragraph (2);
``(II) include relevant
professionals from State partner
agencies in training to ensure multi-
disciplinary understanding of issues
and resources;
``(III) carry out the data
collection and reporting activities
described in subparagraph (A)(iv) and
subsection (c); and
``(IV) share data and information
related to incidents where trained
officers successfully identified a
missing, at-risk, or exploited child
with appropriate Federal, State,
Tribal, territorial, and local law
enforcement partners, as specified by
the Attorney General under subparagraph
(A)(iv).
``(C) Duties.--The Attorney General shall support--
``(i) the training activities described in
paragraph (2); and
``(ii) the data collection, analysis, and
sharing of criminal incidents and reports
conducted by Federal, State, Tribal,
territorial, and local law enforcement partners
that provide ongoing support for the pilot
program and the Interdiction for the Protection
of Children Program that was operating on the
day before the date of enactment of the
Interdiction for the Protection of Child
Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking
Act.
``(4) Termination.--The pilot program shall terminate on
October 1, 2023.
``(c) Data Collection and Reporting Requirements.--
``(1) Data collection.--
``(A) In general.--During each of fiscal years 2020
through 2023, the Attorney General shall collect data
regarding--
``(i) the total number of grants awarded
under the pilot program--
``(I) during the previous fiscal
year; and
``(II) before the previous fiscal
year;
``(ii) the total number of law enforcement
agencies, law enforcement officers, and other
relevant professionals trained through the
pilot program during each of the periods
described in subclauses (I) and (II) of clause
(i); and
``(iii) the number of children, and the
demographic data of the children when
available, who are successfully identified as
missing, at-risk, or victims of exploitation by
law enforcement officers who received training
through the pilot program.
``(B) Initial report.--In addition to the data
required to be collected under subparagraph (A), the
Attorney General shall collect data, for purposes of
the initial report to be submitted under paragraph (3),
regarding--
``(i) the total number of trainings
conducted under the Interdiction for the
Protection of Children Program referred to in
subsection (b)(3)(A)(i); and
``(ii) the total number of law enforcement
agencies, law enforcement officers, and other
relevant professionals trained through such
program.
``(2) Reporting.--Not later than December 31, 2019, and
annually thereafter through December 31, 2023, the Attorney
General shall submit a report to Congress that contains the
data collected pursuant to paragraph (1).
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amount authorized to
be appropriated under section 113(d) of the Trafficking Victims
Prevention Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7110(d)), the Attorney General may
use such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for each of
fiscal years 2020 through 2023.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents in
section 1(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
of 2004 (Public Law 109-164; 119 Stat. 3558) is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 207 the following:
``Sec. 208. Interdiction for the protection of child victims of
exploitation and human trafficking.''.
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