PUBLIC LAW 115–398—DEC. 31, 2018 

STOP, OBSERVE, ASK, AND RESPOND TO 

HEALTH AND WELLNESS ACT OF 2018 


dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS
132 STAT. 5328 PUBLIC LAW 115–398—DEC. 31, 2018 

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. 

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 ‘‘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. 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) 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 

Data. 

42 USC 300d–54. 

Stop, Observe, 

Ask, and 

Respond to 

Health and 

Wellness Act 

of 2018. 

42 USC 201 note. 

Dec. 31, 2018 

[H.R. 767] 


dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS
PUBLIC LAW 115–398—DEC. 31, 2018 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) 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 

Web posting. 


dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS
132 STAT. 5330 PUBLIC LAW 115–398—DEC. 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. 

Æ 

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. 


dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS