[115th Congress Public Law 398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 5327]]

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

[[Page 132 STAT. 5328]]

Public Law 115-398
115th Congress

                                 An Act


 
To establish the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness 
 Training pilot program to address human trafficking in the health care 
             system. <<NOTE: Dec. 31, 2018 -  [H.R. 767]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Stop, Observe, 
Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Act of 2018. 42 USC 201 note.>> 
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. <<NOTE: 42 USC 300d-54.>>  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) <<NOTE: Data.>>  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

[[Page 132 STAT. 5329]]

                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) <<NOTE: Web posting.>>  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

[[Page 132 STAT. 5330]]

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.''.

    Approved December 31, 2018.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 767:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115-327 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018):
            Feb. 26, considered and passed House.
            Dec. 19, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            Dec. 20, House concurred in Senate amendment.

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