I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 469 

To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to enable State 

child protective services systems to improve the identification and assessment of child victims of sex trafficking, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 22, 2015 

Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. MARINO, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, and Mr. KLINE) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 

Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act 

to enable State child protective services systems to improve the identification and assessment of child victims 

of sex trafficking, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Child 

5 Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2015’’. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 469 IH

1 SEC. 2. CAPTA AMENDMENTS. 

2 Section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 

3 Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

7 clause (xxii); and 

8 (ii) by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(xxiv) provisions and procedures to 

11 identify and assess reports involving chil12 dren who are sex trafficking victims, and 

13 which may include provisions and proce14 dures to identify and assess reports involv15 ing children who are victims of severe 

16 forms of trafficking in persons described in 

17 section of 103(9)(B) of the Trafficking 

18 Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 

19 7102(9)(B)); 

20 ‘‘(xxv) provisions and procedures for 

21 training representatives of the State child 

22 protective services systems about identi23 fying and assessing children who are sex 

24 trafficking victims, and which may include 

25 provisions and procedures for such training 

26 with respect to children who are victims of 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 469 IH

1 severe forms of trafficking in persons de2 scribed in section 103(9)(B) of the Traf3 ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 

4 U.S.C. 7102(9)(B)); and 

5 ‘‘(xxvi) provisions and procedures for 

6 identifying services (including the services 

7 provided by State law enforcement offi8 cials, the State juvenile justice system, and 

9 social service agencies, such as runaway 

10 and homeless youth shelters) and proce11 dures for appropriate referral to address 

12 the needs of children who are sex traf13 ficking victims, and which may include 

14 provisions and procedures for the identi15 fication of such services and procedures 

16 with respect to children who are victims of 

17 severe forms of trafficking in persons de18 scribed in section 103(9)(B) of the Traf19 ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 

20 U.S.C. 7102(9)(B));’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (2)(D)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

23 clause (v); 

24 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

25 clause (vi); and 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 469 IH

1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(vii) the provisions and procedures 

4 described in clauses (xxiv) and (xxvi) of 

5 subparagraph (B);’’; and 

6 (C) in paragraph (4)— 

7 (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

8 subparagraph (A); 

9 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

10 of subparagraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; 

11 and’’; and 

12 (iii) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(C) SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM.—The 

15 term ‘sex trafficking victim’ means a victim 

16 of— 

17 ‘‘(i) sex trafficking (as defined in sec18 tion 103(10) of the Trafficking Victims 

19 Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 

20 7102(10))); or 

21 ‘‘(ii) a severe form of trafficking in 

22 persons described in section 103(9)(A) of 

23 such Act (22 U.S.C. 7102(9)(A)).’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 

25 following: 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 469 IH

1 ‘‘(17) The number of children identified under 

2 clause (xxiv) of subsection (b)(2)(B), and of such 

3 children— 

4 ‘‘(A) the number identified as sex traf5 ficking victims (as defined in subsection 

6 (b)(4)(C)); and 

7 ‘‘(B) in the case of a State that has provi8 sions and procedures to identify children who 

9 are victims of severe forms of trafficking in per10 sons described in section 103(9)(B) of the Traf11 ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 

12 U.S.C. 7102(9)(B)), the number so identified.’’. 

13 SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

14 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

16 Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Edu17 cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives 

18 and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

19 Pensions of the Senate, a report that— 

20 (1) describes the specific type and prevalence of 

21 severe form of trafficking in persons to which chil22 dren who are identified for services or intervention 

23 under the placement, care, or supervision of State, 

24 Indian tribe, or tribal organization child welfare 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 469 IH

1 agencies have been subjected as of the date of enact2 ment of this Act; 

3 (2) summarizes the practices and protocols uti4 lized by States to identify and serve— 

5 (A) under section 106(b)(2)(B) of the 

6 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 5106a(b)(2)(B)), children who are vic8 tims of trafficking; and 

9 (B) children who are at risk of becoming 

10 victims of trafficking; and 

11 (3) specifies any barriers in Federal laws or 

12 regulations that may prevent identification and as13 sessment of children who are victims of trafficking, 

14 including an evaluation of the extent to which States 

15 are able to address the needs of such trafficked chil16 dren without altering the definition of child abuse 

17 and neglect under section 3 of the Child Abuse Pre18 vention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 note). 

19 (b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

20 (1) SEVERE FORM OF TRAFFICKING IN PER21 SONS.—The term ‘‘severe form of trafficking in per22 sons’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

23 103(9) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 

24 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(9)). 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 469 IH

1 (2) VICTIM OF TRAFFICKING.—The term ‘‘vic2 tim of trafficking’’ has the meaning given the term 

3 in section 103(15) of the Trafficking Victims Protec4 tion Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(15)). 

Æ 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS