Bill Summary
The "End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2025" is a legislative proposal aimed at enhancing the role of the financial industry in the fight against human trafficking. It mandates the Financial Institutions Examination Council, in collaboration with the Treasury Department and various stakeholders, to review and improve training and procedures for detecting financial transactions linked to severe forms of human trafficking.
Key provisions include:
1. **Review of Procedures**: The Council must enhance anti-money laundering programs to better identify and report trafficking-related transactions within 180 days of the Act's enactment.
2. **Interagency Task Force**: An Interagency Task Force will be established to analyze current anti-money laundering efforts and provide legislative and administrative recommendations within 270 days. This includes gathering feedback from financial institutions and stakeholders to identify best practices and training improvements.
3. **Limitations**: The Act clarifies that it does not grant new rulemaking authority to the Task Force nor encourage financial institutions to deny services to trafficking victims.
4. **Minimum Standards**: The Act amends existing law to require that countries develop frameworks to track financial transactions related to trafficking proceeds.
Overall, the legislation seeks to strengthen the financial sector's capacity to combat human trafficking, ensuring that institutions play a proactive role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities associated with this crime.
Possible Impacts
The "End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2025" has several potential impacts on people, particularly those affected by human trafficking, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies. Here are three examples:
1. **Enhanced Support for Victims of Trafficking**:
- The legislation requires financial institutions to improve their training programs to detect and report suspicious financial transactions related to human trafficking. As a result, this can lead to more timely interventions by law enforcement, potentially rescuing victims from trafficking situations. Victims may receive increased support and protection as financial institutions become more attuned to recognizing signs of trafficking and reporting them to the appropriate authorities.
2. **Stricter Financial Oversight and Procedures**:
- Financial institutions will need to review and enhance their procedures for anti-money laundering (AML) efforts specifically related to human trafficking. This could lead to more robust monitoring of suspicious activities and stronger compliance requirements for banks and other financial entities. While this aims to protect vulnerable populations, it may also result in increased operational costs for financial institutions, which could lead to stricter lending practices or reduced access to banking services for certain individuals.
3. **Collaboration Between Financial Institutions and Law Enforcement**:
- The establishment of an interagency task force focused on combating trafficking through financial channels fosters improved communication and collaboration between financial institutions and law enforcement agencies. This can lead to a more comprehensive approach in addressing human trafficking, as information sharing and best practices are disseminated among stakeholders. It may also empower law enforcement with better tools and insights to combat trafficking, which can result in more effective investigations and prosecutions of traffickers.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3629 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3629
To increase the role of the financial industry in combating human
trafficking.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 29, 2025
Mr. Fitzpatrick (for himself and Mr. Keating) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in
addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To increase the role of the financial industry in combating human
trafficking.
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 ``End Banking for Human Traffickers
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. INCREASING THE ROLE OF THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY IN COMBATING
HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
(a) Required Review of Procedures.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Financial Institutions
Examination Council, in consultation with the Secretary of the
Treasury, the private sector, victims of severe forms of trafficking in
persons, advocates of persons at risk of becoming victims of severe
forms of trafficking in persons, and appropriate law enforcement
agencies, shall--
(1) review and enhance training and examinations procedures
to improve the capabilities of anti-money laundering and
countering the financing of terrorism programs to detect
financial transactions relating to severe forms of trafficking
in persons;
(2) review and enhance procedures for referring potential
cases relating to severe forms of trafficking in persons to the
appropriate law enforcement agency; and
(3) determine, as appropriate, whether requirements for
financial institutions are sufficient to detect and deter money
laundering relating to severe forms of trafficking in persons.
(b) Interagency Task Force Recommendations Targeting Money
Laundering Related to Human Trafficking.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Interagency Task Force To
Monitor and Combat Trafficking shall submit to the Committee on
Financial Services and the Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives, the Committee on Banking, Housing,
and Urban Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the
Senate, and the head of each Federal banking agency--
(A) an analysis of anti-money laundering efforts of
the United States Government and United States
financial institutions relating to severe forms of
trafficking in persons; and
(B) appropriate legislative, administrative, and
other recommendations to strengthen efforts against
money laundering relating to severe forms of
trafficking in persons.
(2) Required recommendations.--The recommendations under
paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) feedback from financial institutions on best
practices of successful programs to combat severe forms
of trafficking in persons currently in place that may
be suitable for broader adoption by similarly situated
financial institutions;
(B) feedback from stakeholders, including victims
of severe forms of trafficking in persons, advocates of
persons at risk of becoming victims of severe forms of
trafficking in persons, and financial institutions, on
policy proposals derived from the analysis conducted by
the task force referred to in paragraph (1) that would
enhance the efforts and programs of financial
institutions to detect and deter money laundering
relating to severe forms of trafficking in persons,
including any recommended changes to internal policies,
procedures, and controls relating to severe forms of
trafficking in persons;
(C) any recommended changes to training programs at
financial institutions to better equip employees to
deter and detect money laundering relating to severe
forms of trafficking in persons;
(D) any recommended changes to expand information
sharing relating to severe forms of trafficking in
persons among financial institutions and between such
financial institutions, appropriate law enforcement
agencies, and appropriate Federal agencies; and
(E) recommended changes, if necessary, to existing
statutory law to more effectively detect and deter
money laundering relating to severe forms of
trafficking in persons, where such money laundering
involves the use of emerging technologies and virtual
currencies.
(c) Limitation.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to--
(1) grant rulemaking authority to the Interagency Task
Force To Monitor and Combat Trafficking; or
(2) encourage financial institutions to deny services to
victims of trafficking, victims of severe forms of trafficking
in persons, or individuals not responsible for promoting severe
forms of trafficking in persons.
(d) Definitions.--As used in this section--
(1) the term ``Federal banking agency'' has the meaning
given the term in section 3(q) of the Federal Deposit Insurance
Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(q));
(2) the term ``severe forms of trafficking in persons'' has
the meaning given such term in section 103 of the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102);
(3) the term ``Interagency Task Force To Monitor and Combat
Trafficking'' means the Interagency Task Force To Monitor and
Combat Trafficking established by the President pursuant to
section 105 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
(22 U.S.C. 7103); and
(4) the term ``law enforcement agency'' means an agency of
the United States, a State, or a political subdivision of a
State, authorized by law or by a government agency to engage in
or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or
prosecution of any violation of criminal or civil law.
SEC. 3. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF TRAFFICKING.
Section 108(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
(22 U.S.C. 7106(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(13) Whether the government of the country, consistent
with the capacity of the country, has in effect a framework to
prevent financial transactions involving the proceeds of severe
forms of trafficking in persons, and is taking steps to
implement such a framework, including by investigating,
prosecuting, convicting, and sentencing individuals who attempt
or conduct such transactions.''.
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