[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 519 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 519

To prohibit individuals charged with or convicted of human trafficking 
 or drug trafficking offenses committed near the border of the United 
                States from receiving Federal benefits.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 16, 2023

 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Braun, 
and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit individuals charged with or convicted of human trafficking 
 or drug trafficking offenses committed near the border of the United 
                States from receiving Federal benefits.

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

SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKERS AND 
              DRUG TRAFFICKERS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``covered trafficking offense'' means a human 
        trafficking offense or a drug trafficking offense for which any 
        portion of the course of conduct constituting the human 
        trafficking offense or drug trafficking offense occurred at an 
        international border of the United States or within the 
        territorial waters of the United States;
            (2) the term ``drug trafficking offense'' means any Federal 
        offense that includes as an element of the offense the 
        distribution of a controlled substance (as defined in section 
        102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802));
            (3) the term ``Federal benefit''--
                    (A) means the issuance of any grant, contract, 
                loan, professional license, or commercial license 
                provided by an agency of the United States or by 
                appropriated funds of the United States; and
                    (B) includes any retirement, welfare, Social 
                Security, health, disability, veterans, public housing, 
                or other similar benefit; and
            (4) the term ``human trafficking offense'' means an offense 
        under--
                    (A) section 1581, 1583, 1584, 1589, 1590, 1591, 
                2251A, 2421, 2422, or 2423 of title 18, United States 
                Code; or
                    (B) section 274(a) of the Immigration and 
                Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324(a)).
    (b) Prohibition on Benefits.--An individual who is indicted for, 
charged in an information with, or convicted of a covered trafficking 
offense shall be ineligible for any Federal benefit.
    (c) Termination of Prohibition for Individuals Not Convicted.--If, 
for each covered trafficking offense with which an individual is 
charged, the charge is dismissed or the individual is found not guilty 
of the covered trafficking offense--
            (1) the ineligibility of the individual for any Federal 
        benefit under subsection (b) shall terminate; and
            (2) the Federal Government shall pay to the individual any 
        pecuniary Federal benefit that was not paid to the individual 
        because the individual was ineligible for the Federal benefit 
        under subsection (b).
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