[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7949-S7950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   STOP, OBSERVE, ASK, AND RESPOND TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS ACT OF 2018

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee be discharged and the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 767.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 767) to establish the Stop, Observe, Ask, and 
     Respond to Health and Wellness Training pilot program to 
     address human trafficking in the health care system.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Alexander amendment at 
the desk be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be considered read 
a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4173) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to, 
as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Stop, Observe, Ask, and 
     Respond to Health and Wellness Act of 2018'' or the ``SOAR to 
     Health and Wellness Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.

       Part E of title XII of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 300d-51 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 1254. STOP, OBSERVE, ASK, AND RESPOND TO HEALTH AND 
                   WELLNESS TRAINING PROGRAM.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program 
     to be known as the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health 
     and Wellness Training Program or the SOAR to Health and 
     Wellness Training Program (in this section referred to as the 
     `Program') to provide training to health care and social 
     service providers on human trafficking in accordance with 
     this section.
       ``(b) Activities.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Program shall include the Stop, 
     Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training 
     Program's activities existing on the day before the date of 
     enactment of this section and the authorized initiatives 
     described in paragraph (2).
       ``(2) Authorized initiatives.--The authorized initiatives 
     of the Program shall include--
       ``(A) engaging stakeholders, including victims of human 
     trafficking and Federal, State, local, and tribal partners, 
     to develop a flexible training module--
       ``(i) for supporting activities under subsection (c); and
       ``(ii) that adapts to changing needs, settings, health care 
     providers, and social service providers;
       ``(B) providing technical assistance to grantees related to 
     implementing activities described in subsection (c) and 
     reporting on any best practices identified by the grantees;
       ``(C) developing a reliable methodology for collecting 
     data, and reporting such data, on the number of human 
     trafficking victims identified and served by grantees in a 
     manner that, at a minimum, prevents disclosure of 
     individually identifiable information consistent with all 
     applicable privacy laws and regulations; and
       ``(D) integrating, as appropriate, the training described 
     in paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection (c) with training 
     programs, in effect on the date of enactment of this section, 
     for health care and social service providers for victims of 
     intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, child 
     abuse, child neglect, child maltreatment, and child sexual 
     exploitation.
       ``(c) Grants.--The Secretary may award grants to 
     appropriate entities to train health care and social service 
     providers to--
       ``(1) identify potential human trafficking victims;
       ``(2) implement best practices for working with law 
     enforcement to report and facilitate communication with human 
     trafficking victims, in accordance with all applicable 
     Federal, State, local, and tribal laws, including legal 
     confidentiality requirements for patients and health care and 
     social service providers;
       ``(3) implement best practices for referring such victims 
     to appropriate health care, social, or victims service 
     agencies or organizations; and
       ``(4) provide such victims with coordinated, age-
     appropriate, culturally relevant, trauma-informed, patient-
     centered, and evidence-based care.
       ``(d) Consideration in Awarding Grants.--The Secretary, in 
     making awards under this section, shall give consideration 
     to--
       ``(1) geography;
       ``(2) the demographics of the population to be served;
       ``(3) the predominant types of human trafficking cases 
     involved; and
       ``(4) health care and social service provider profiles.
       ``(e) Data Collection and Reporting.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall collect data and 
     report on the following:
       ``(A) The total number of entities that received a grant 
     under this section.
       ``(B) The total number and geographic distribution of 
     health care and social service providers trained through the 
     Program.
       ``(2) Initial report.--In addition to the data required to 
     be collected under paragraph (1), for purposes of the initial 
     report to be submitted under paragraph (3), the Secretary 
     shall collect data on the total number of facilities and 
     health care professional organizations that were operating 
     under, and the total number of health care and social service 
     providers trained through, the Stop, Observe, Ask, and 
     Respond to Health and Wellness Training Program existing 
     prior to the establishment of the Program under this section.
       ``(3) Annual report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
     of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary shall submit an annual report to Congress on the 
     data collected under this subsection in a manner that, at a 
     minimum, prevents the disclosure of individually identifiable 
     information consistent with all applicable privacy laws and 
     regulations.
       ``(f) Sharing Best Practices.--The Secretary shall make 
     available, on the Internet website of the Department of 
     Health and Human Services, a description of the best 
     practices and procedures used by entities that receive a 
     grant for carrying out activities under this section.
       ``(g) Definition.--In this section, the term `human 
     trafficking' has the meaning given the term `severe forms of 
     trafficking in persons' as defined in section 103 of the 
     Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
       ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this Act, $4,000,000 for each 
     of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.''.

[[Page S7950]]

  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the bill?
  Hearing none, the bill having been read the third time, the question 
is, Shall the bill pass?
  The bill (H.R. 767), as amended, was passed.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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