[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10458-10461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              ENHANCING DETECTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ACT

  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2664) to direct the Secretary of Labor to train certain 
Department of Labor personnel how to effectively detect and assist law 
enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their 
primary roles and responsibilities, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2664

       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 ``Enhancing Detection of Human 
     Trafficking Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

       In this Act the term ``human trafficking'' means an act or 
     practice described in paragraph (9) or (10) of section 103 of 
     the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7102).

     SEC. 3. TRAINING FOR DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL TO IDENTIFY HUMAN 
                   TRAFFICKING.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall implement 
     a program to--
       (1) train and periodically retrain relevant personnel 
     across the Department of Labor that the Secretary considers 
     appropriate, how to effectively detect and assist law 
     enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course 
     of their primary roles and responsibilities; and
       (2) ensure that such personnel regularly receive current 
     information on matters related to the detection of human 
     trafficking, including information that becomes available 
     outside of the Department's initial or periodic retraining 
     schedule, to the extent relevant to their official duties and 
     consistent with applicable information and privacy laws.
       (b) Training Described.--The training referred to in 
     subsection (a) may be conducted through in-class or virtual 
     learning capabilities, and shall include--
       (1) methods for identifying suspected victims of human 
     trafficking and, where appropriate, perpetrators of human 
     trafficking;
       (2) training that is most appropriate for a particular 
     location or environment in which the personnel receiving such 
     training perform their official duties;
       (3) other topics determined by the Secretary to be 
     appropriate reflecting current trends and best practices for 
     personnel in their particular location or professional 
     environment;
       (4) a clear course of action for referring potential cases 
     of human trafficking to the Department of Justice and other 
     appropriate authorities; and
       (5) a post-training evaluation for personnel receiving the 
     training.

     SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, and each year thereafter, the Secretary of Labor 
     shall report to the appropriate congressional committees on 
     the training provided to the personnel referred to in section 
     3(a), including--

[[Page 10459]]

       (1) an evaluation of such training and the overall 
     effectiveness of the program required by this Act;
       (2) the number of cases referred by Department of Labor 
     personnel in which human trafficking was suspected and the 
     metrics used by the Department to accurately measure and 
     track its response to instances of suspected human 
     trafficking; and
       (3) the number of Department of Labor employees who have 
     completed such training as required by this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana 
Islands (Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 2664.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2664, the Enhancing 
Detection of Human Trafficking Act.
  Labor trafficking is the illegal exploitation of an individual for 
commercial gain. It knows no geological limits. It happens across our 
country and around the globe, including in my home State of Michigan.
  Victims of labor trafficking are not a uniform group of people. 
Victims are young children, teenagers, men, and women.
  In my home State of Michigan, the National Human Trafficking Hotline 
reported over 38 cases in 2016 involving labor trafficking. This is a 
52 percent increase in the number of reported cases since 2015.
  Globally, the International Labor Organization estimates there are 21 
million people trapped in forced labor.
  The growing number of human trafficking cases is alarming and more 
needs to be done to identify victims, catch traffickers, and end this 
form of modern-day slavery.
  In the course of inspecting workplace safety and labor law compliance 
within the United States, Department of Labor employees often have a 
front line to view and to identify patterns of labor exploitation. 
Providing these employees with the proper training to detect and 
respond to the signs of human trafficking is an important part of the 
larger comprehensive effort to eradicate this unthinkable crime.
  The Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act would ensure the 
Department has a formal framework in place to detect trafficking and 
refer cases to law enforcement for prosecution.
  Specifically, H.R. 2664 would:
  Direct the Department of Labor to train appropriate staff on how to 
effectively detect instances of human trafficking;
  Ensure personnel regularly receive information on current trends and 
best practices;
  Allow flexible training options, including in-class and virtual 
learning options;
  Establish a clear course of action for referring suspected instances 
of human trafficking to law enforcement; and
  Require an evaluation and report to Congress on the implementation of 
the training and the metrics used to measure and track the agency's 
response to human trafficking.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest obstacles we face in the fight 
against human trafficking is awareness. H.R. 2664 will ensure 
Department of Labor employees have the right training so that they 
recognize and effectively respond to this modern-day slavery.
  I also thank Ranking Member Sablan for his bipartisan support and 
work on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2664, a bill to assist 
the United States Department of Labor in identifying and preventing 
cases of human trafficking.
  I thank Chairman Walberg for his leadership on this issue and for 
introducing this legislation of which I am an original cosponsor. As 
chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Mr. 
Walberg and I have found common ground on a number of important issues 
facing the American people, and human trafficking is one of them.
  We may think that human trafficking is something that occurs in far-
off countries. And, yes, according to the International Labor 
Organization, there are 21 million men, women, and children around the 
world who are currently subjected to forced labor. Unfortunately, 
however, the injustice of human trafficking happens right here at home 
in the United States as well.
  Polaris, a nonprofit that operates the National Human Trafficking 
Resource Center hotline here in the United States received reports of 
over 8,000 cases of human trafficking in our country last year, an 
increase of 35 percent over the year before.
  I have seen cases of this terrible scourge firsthand in my own 
district, the Northern Mariana Islands. A number of construction 
companies lured foreign workers to come to the Marianas with false 
promises and misrepresentations about pay and conditions. The companies 
then withheld the employees' wages and confiscated their passports. The 
workers were subjected to horrible working conditions, crowded 
unsanitary barracks with barely enough food and water. They were forced 
to work in unsafe conditions, suffering serious injuries without access 
to adequate medical care. There was even a workplace fatality.
  To their credit, the Department of Labor's OSHA and Wage and Hour 
divisions have worked to address these injustices, issuing fines and 
citations, recovering back wages. But we need to identify human 
traffickers and prevent cases like this before they happen.
  That is the purpose of our bill, the Enhancing Detection of Human 
Trafficking Act. H.R. 2664 directs the Department of Labor to train 
appropriate Department staff on how to detect human trafficking, and 
ensure that these staff people get regular updates on how traffickers 
are adjusting to avoid detection.

                              {time}  1515

  Our bill establishes training for a clear course of action for 
referring cases of suspected human trafficking to the Department of 
Justice and other appropriate authorities so these offenders are 
prosecuted.
  And the bill requires the Department to report back to Congress 
within a year on the progress that is being made because Congress needs 
to do more than simply enact programs with lofty goals. We also need to 
build in mechanisms to tell us whether our programs are working as 
intended.
  Mr. Speaker, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act will, I 
believe, give the Department of Labor the tools and resources it needs 
to combat human trafficking. I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on 
this bill.
  I would like to also thank the leadership of the House, especially 
Chairwoman Virginia Foxx and Ranking Member Bobby Scott of the 
Education and the Workforce Committee, for moving this bill to the 
floor. And again, I thank my friend, Chairman Walberg, for his 
leadership in this important area of public policy.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), the distinguished chairman 
of the Education and the Workforce Committee.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank both of my colleagues for their 
leadership on H.R. 2664 and bringing this important matter to the 
attention of the House.
  I rise to express my strong support for this bill, and to commend, 
again, my colleagues for making a difference in the fight to end modern 
slavery.
  Over the past few years, we have only begun to comprehend the horrors 
of

[[Page 10460]]

human trafficking and how it established a foothold in this country. 
Thanks to the vigilance of faith-based groups, humanitarians across the 
globe, and the courage of survivors, we are learning more about the 
tactics and loopholes human traffickers exploit to prey on the most 
vulnerable among us.
  Children are often the ones most vulnerable to exploitation. It is 
estimated that one in six endangered runaways are likely victims of 
this horrific crime. Earlier this year, with the leadership of 
Representatives Guthrie and Courtney, the House passed the Improving 
Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act.
  That bipartisan legislation supports the critical efforts of the 
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It includes positive 
reforms to encourage new and innovative ways to recover and protect 
missing and exploited children, including those who are victims of 
trafficking. We need to do everything possible to ensure this vital 
work will continue, and that is what H.R. 1808 was all about.
  But this is an issue that demands our ongoing attention. More 
solutions are needed, and that is why we are here today, to build on 
the bipartisan work we have already accomplished.
  The Department of Labor has a unique vantage point for spotting 
violations in workplaces that can be telltale signs of modern slavery 
and labor exploitation. This bill equips DOL personnel to form 
partnerships with law enforcement to detect and address signs of human 
trafficking in America's workplaces.
  Mr. Speaker, if we can shed light in any corner where this evil may 
lurk, we must.
  Again, I commend Mr. Walberg's leadership on this issue and Mr. 
Sablan for working with him so passionately. I am proud that the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce could do its part to support 
their work and bring this bill to the floor.
  I urge all Members to vote in favor of the Enhancing Detection of 
Human Trafficking Act.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass).
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2664, the 
Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, a bill to assist the U.S. 
Department of Labor in identifying and preventing cases of human 
trafficking.
  Human trafficking is a global and domestic threat to basic human 
rights and humanity as we know it. However, the injustice of human 
trafficking is not just a global program. Human rights abuses are 
happening right here in the United States every day and in every region 
across the country.
  Polaris, a nonprofit that operates the National Human Trafficking 
Resource Center hotline here in the U.S. received reports of over 8,000 
cases of human trafficking in our country last year, an increase of 35 
percent over the year before.
  Government agencies must continue to work together to identify and 
eradicate all cases of human trafficking. We can and must do better to 
prevent cases of abuse before they happen. That is the purpose of this 
bill, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act.
  H.R. 2664 directs the Department of Labor to train appropriate 
Department staff on how to detect human trafficking and ensure that all 
personnel at the Department of Labor are provided with regular 
screening tools to identify and detect trafficking activity.
  This bill establishes training for a clear course of action, 
including referring cases of suspected human trafficking to the 
Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities to properly 
investigate and prosecute offenders.
  This bill also requires the Department of Labor to report back to 
Congress within a year on the progress that is being made by such 
efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act 
supports current efforts to combat human trafficking by providing the 
Department of Labor the tools and resources it needs to identify and 
properly respond to human rights abuses.
  I ask my colleagues for a vote in favor of this bill.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello).
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 2664, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act.
  We all know human trafficking is a serious problem all over the 
world, but it is not a distant concept. It exists in communities all 
across this country. Last year, in Pennsylvania alone, there were over 
150 human trafficking cases reported, and labor trafficking was the 
second highest type of trafficking in the Commonwealth. We should and 
must do all that we can to combat this disgusting activity.
  This legislation before us now would help train Department of Labor 
inspectors to identify patterns and circumstances surrounding this 
abuse so that they can assist law enforcement in recognizing and 
stopping labor exploitation. A significant component of the fight 
against human trafficking is knowing where it exists, and this 
legislation is an important step forward.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walberg for his invitation 
to join him on the floor today to discuss combating human trafficking 
and in support of the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act.
  When people hear the term ``human trafficking,'' they often think of 
faraway places, or perhaps even movie plots. But, unfortunately, human 
trafficking is a horrible 21st century problem here in the United 
States.
  We have to do all we can to help combat the scourge of human 
trafficking, and this measure is a strong addition to the actions 
already taken here in the House, and I commend the chairman, Ranking 
Member Sablan, and also the full committee chair, Ms. Foxx, and Ranking 
Member Scott for their leadership on this issue.
  Making sure Department of Labor employees can identify these 
practices will be another tool to work against these terrible crimes. 
We need workforce law violation investigators to be on the lookout for 
patterns of human trafficking and labor exploitation, and this bill 
will make it happen.
  Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has received 
nearly 150,000 reports of trafficking here in the United States. The 
majority of these victims are women and children forced into heinous 
situations. They need our help. I urge all my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this measure and to continue to do all we can to combat 
human trafficking.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I urge all 
my colleagues to please support, vote ``aye'' on H.R. 2664.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, each year millions of men, women, and children are 
trafficked around the world, including in the United States. It is 
important that we combat this epidemic.
  The Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act is truly a 
bipartisan bill that will ensure that those who are in the field have 
knowledge, skills, and tools that they need to identify instances of 
human trafficking, assist victims, and properly refer cases so 
perpetrators can be brought to justice.
  I would like to reiterate my appreciation to Representative Sablan 
for his support and work on this important issue. This is truly a 
bipartisan issue. It is an American issue. It is a human issue.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 2664, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2664.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.

[[Page 10461]]

  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________