Bill Summary
The "Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act" is a bill that aims to combat human trafficking by requiring the Secretary of Labor to train and periodically retrain personnel in the Department of Labor on how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking. The Act also requires the Secretary to regularly provide current information on human trafficking to these personnel. The training may be conducted through in-class or virtual learning and will cover topics such as identifying victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, appropriate actions for referring potential cases, and post-training evaluations. The Act also mandates that the Secretary report to Congress on the effectiveness of the training, the number of cases referred by Department personnel, and the number of employees who have completed the training.
Possible Impacts
1. The training program outlined in this bill could lead to increased awareness and identification of human trafficking among Department of Labor personnel, which could potentially save victims from exploitation and abuse.
2. The training could also help equip Department of Labor employees with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking, potentially leading to more successful investigations and prosecutions.
3. The post-training evaluation and reporting requirements could hold the Department of Labor accountable for their efforts in addressing human trafficking and provide valuable data on the prevalence and impact of this crime.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4456 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4456
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 20, 2019
Mr. Walberg (for himself, Mr. Sablan, Mrs. Radewagen, and Mr. David P.
Roe of Tennessee) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
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--
(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.
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