SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2015

Summary: SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pilot program, to be known as Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training (or SOAR to Health and Wellness Training), to provide training to health care providers and other related providers on human trafficking. The objectives of the pilot program shall be to provide training to enable such providers to:   identify potential human trafficking victims;   implement proper protocols and procedures for working with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with victims in accordance with all applicable federal, state, local, and tribal requirements;   implement proper protocols and procedures for referring victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations;   provide such victims care that is coordinated, victim centered, culturally relevant, comprehensive, evidence based, gender responsive, age appropriate, and trauma informed; and   consider the potential for integrating such training with existing training programs for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child maltreatment, and child sexual exploitation.  Functions of the pilot program shall include the functions of the training program that was operating on the day before this Act's enactment and the following authorized initiatives:   engaging stakeholders, including human trafficking victims and any federal, state, local, or tribal partners, to develop a flexible training module that achieves such pilot program objectives and that adapts to changing needs, settings,and providers;   making grants available to support training in health care sites that represent diversity in geography, the demographics of the population served, the predominate types of human trafficking cases, and health care provider profiles;   providing technical assistance for health education programs to implement a nationwide health care protocol, or to develop continuing education training materials, that assist in achieving such objectives;  developing a strategy to incentivize the utilization of training materials developed under this Act and the implementation of a nationwide health care protocol; and   developing a reliable methodology for collecting and reporting data on the number of human trafficking victims identified and served in health care settings or other related provider settings.   The program shall terminate on October 1, 2021. The bill requires HHS, during each of FY2016-FY2020, to collect data on the number of facilities that were operating under the program, and the total number of health care and related providers trained through the program, during such periods.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Human trafficking.--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 (22 U.S.C. 7102).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a pilot program to 
be known as ``Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness 
Training'' (or ``SOAR to Health and Wellness Training'') (referred to 
in this Act as the ``pilot program''), to provide training to health 
care providers and other related providers, at all levels, on human 
trafficking in accordance with the objectives described in subsection 
(b).
    (b) Objectives.--The objectives of the pilot program established 
under subsection (a) shall be to train health care providers and other 
related providers to enable such providers to--
            (1) identify potential human trafficking victims;
            (2) implement proper protocols and procedures for working 
        with law enforcement to report, and facilitate communication 
        with such victims, in accordance with all applicable Federal, 
        State, local, and tribal requirements, including legal 
        confidentiality requirements for patients and health care 
        providers;
            (3) implement proper protocols and procedures for referring 
        such victims to appropriate social or victims service agencies 
        or organizations;
            (4) provide such victims care that is--
                    (A) coordinated;
                    (B) victim centered;
                    (C) culturally relevant;
                    (D) comprehensive;
                    (E) evidence based;
                    (F) gender responsive;
                    (G) age appropriate, with a focus on care for 
                youth; and
                    (H) trauma informed; and
            (5) consider the potential for integrating the training 
        described in paragraphs (1) through (4) with training programs, 
        in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, for victims of 
        domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, 
        child abuse, child neglect, child maltreatment, and child 
        sexual exploitation.
    (c) Functions.--
            (1) In general.--The functions of the pilot program 
        established under subsection (a) shall include the functions of 
        the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness 
        Training program that was operating on the day before the date 
        of enactment of this Act and the authorized initiatives 
        described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Authorized initiatives.--The authorized initiatives of 
        the pilot program established under subsection (a) shall 
        include--
                    (A) engaging stakeholders, including victims of 
                human trafficking and any Federal, State, local, or 
                tribal partners, to develop a flexible training 
                module--
                            (i) for achieving the objectives described 
                        in subsection (b); and
                            (ii) that adapts to changing needs, 
                        settings, health care providers, and other 
                        related providers;
                    (B) making grants available to support training in 
                health care sites that represent diversity in--
                            (i) geography;
                            (ii) the demographics of the population 
                        served;
                            (iii) the predominate types of human 
                        trafficking cases; and
                            (iv) health care provider profiles;
                    (C) providing technical assistance for health 
                education programs to implement nationwide health care 
                protocol, or develop continuing education training 
                materials, that assist in achieving the objectives 
                described in subsection (b);
                    (D) developing a strategy to incentivize the 
                utilization of training materials developed under 
                subparagraph (C) and the implementation of nationwide 
                health care protocol described in such subparagraph, as 
                the Secretary determines appropriate; and
                    (E) developing a reliable methodology for 
                collecting data, and reporting such data, on the number 
                of human trafficking victims identified and served in 
                health care settings or other related provider 
                settings.
    (d) Termination.--The pilot program established under subsection 
(a) shall terminate on October 1, 2021.

SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Data Collection.--During each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2020, the Secretary shall collect data on each of the following:
            (1) The total number of facilities that were operating 
        under the pilot program established under section 3(a)--
                    (A) during the previous fiscal year;
                    (B) between the previous fiscal year and the date 
                of enactment of this Act; and
                    (C) between the date of enactment of this Act and 
                the date of establishment of the Stop, Observe, Ask, 
                and Respond to Health and Wellness Training program 
                that was operating on the day before the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
            (2) The total number of health care providers and other 
        related providers trained through the pilot program established 
        under such section--
                    (A) during the previous fiscal year;
                    (B) between the previous fiscal year and the date 
                of enactment of this Act; and
                    (C) between the date of enactment of this Act and 
                the date of establishment of the Stop, Observe, Ask, 
                and Respond to Health and Wellness Training program 
                that was operating on the day before the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
    (b) Reporting.--Not later than 90 days after the first day of each 
of fiscal years 2016 through 2020, the Secretary shall prepare and 
submit to Congress a report on the data collected under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2016 through 2020.