I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1405 

To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, in Homeland 

Security Investigations, the Investigators Maintain Purposeful Awareness 

to Combat Trafficking Trauma Program and the Victim Assistance Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2023 

Mr. JOYCE of Ohio (for himself, Ms. TITUS, Mrs. WAGNER, and Ms. SLOTKIN) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary 

A BILL 

To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, 

in Homeland Security Investigations, the Investigators 

Maintain Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking 

Trauma Program and the Victim Assistance Program. 

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 ‘‘IMPACTT Human 

5 Trafficking Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INVESTIGATORS MAINTAIN PURPOSEFUL AWARE2 NESS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING TRAUMA 

3 PROGRAM. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, in 

5 Homeland Security Investigations of U.S. Immigration 

6 and Customs Enforcement, the Investigators Maintain 

7 Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma 

8 Program (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘IMPACTT Pro9 gram’’). 

10 (b) FUNCTIONS.—The IMPACTT Program shall— 

11 (1) provide outreach and training to Homeland 

12 Security Investigations employees who have been ex13 posed to various forms of trauma in working with 

14 victims of human trafficking, including— 

15 (A) self-awareness training for the relevant 

16 employees on recognizing the signs of burnout, 

17 compassion fatigue, critical incident stress, 

18 traumatic stress, posttraumatic stress, sec19 ondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma; 

20 (B) training material that— 

21 (i) provides mechanisms for self-care 

22 and resilience and notification of resources 

23 that are available through U.S. Immigra24 tion and Customs Enforcement, such as 

25 the Employee Assistance Program, the 

26 Peer Support Program, the Chaplain ProVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1405.IH H1405

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1 gram, and other relevant accredited pro2 grams that are available; and 

3 (ii) provides examples of potential re4 sources that are available outside of U.S. 

5 Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 

6 which may include, faith-based and com7 munity-based resources; and 

8 (C) provide additional training to first line 

9 supervisors of relevant employees on recog10 nizing the signs referred to in subparagraph 

11 (A) and the appropriate responses to employees 

12 exhibiting such signs; 

13 (2) include training modules that are carried 

14 out by— 

15 (A) licensed and accredited clinicians 

16 who— 

17 (i) have been trained on the exposure 

18 of various forms of trauma and other 

19 stressors experienced in working with vic20 tims; and 

21 (ii) may have experience working with 

22 faith-based organizations, community23 based organizations, counseling programs, 

24 or other social service programs; and 


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1 (B) additional subject matter experts who 

2 are available; and 

3 (3) be overseen and coordinated by the Depart4 ment of Homeland Security Center for Countering 

5 Human Trafficking to ensure that— 

6 (A) appropriate program materials are dis7 tributed; 

8 (B) training is offered to all relevant em9 ployees; and 

10 (C) any needed travel and equipment is 

11 provided. 

12 SEC. 3. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM AS13 SISTANCE PROGRAM. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title IV of the 

15 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) 

16 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 447. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM 

18 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

19 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 ‘‘(1) FORENSIC INTERVIEW SPECIALIST.—The 

21 term ‘forensic interview specialist’ is an interview 

22 professional who has specialized experience and 

23 training in conducting trauma-informed forensic 

24 interviews with victims of crime. 


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1 ‘‘(2) VICTIM.—The term ‘victim’ has the mean2 ing given such term in section 503(e)(2) of the Vic3 tims’ Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C. 

4 20141(e)(2)). 

5 ‘‘(3) VICTIM ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST.—The 

6 term ‘victim assistance specialist’ is a victim assist7 ance professional who— 

8 ‘‘(A) has experience working with victims 

9 of crime in a service capacity; 

10 ‘‘(B) has been trained on the exposure of 

11 various forms of trauma and other stressors ex12 perienced in working with victims; and 

13 ‘‘(C) may have experience working with 

14 local government and community-based organi15 zations, including victim advocacy centers, child 

16 advocacy centers, child welfare agencies, faith17 based organizations, and other social service 

18 programs. 

19 ‘‘(b) IN GENERAL.—There is established, in Home20 land Security Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Cus21 toms Enforcement, the Victim Assistance Program. 

22 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Victim Assistance Program 

23 shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) provide oversight, guidance, training, trav25 el, equipment, and coordination to Homeland SecuVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1405.IH H1405

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1 rity Investigations victim assistance personnel 

2 throughout the United States; 

3 ‘‘(2) recruit not fewer than— 

4 ‘‘(A) 1 forensic interview specialist and 1 

5 victim assistance specialist for each Homeland 

6 Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge 

7 office; 

8 ‘‘(B) 1 victim assistance specialist for— 

9 ‘‘(i) every Homeland Security Inves10 tigations office participating in a human 

11 trafficking task force; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) every Homeland Security Inves13 tigations office participating in a child sex14 ual exploitation task force; 

15 ‘‘(3) support Homeland Security Investigations 

16 regional attache ́ offices, to the extent necessary; 

17 ‘‘(4) provide training regarding victims’ rights, 

18 victim-related policies, roles of forensic interviewers 

19 and victim assistance specialists, and an approach 

20 that is— 

21 ‘‘(A) victim-centered; 

22 ‘‘(B) trauma-informed; and 

23 ‘‘(C) linguistically appropriate, to the ex24 tent feasible; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) purchase emergency items that are needed 

2 to assist identified victims in Homeland Security In3 vestigations criminal investigations, including food, 

4 clothing, hygiene products, transportation, and tem5 porary shelter that is not otherwise provided by a 

6 nongovernmental organization.’’. 

7 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

8 The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107– 

9 296) is amended— 

10 (1) in section 1(b) (6 U.S.C. 101 note)— 

11 (A) by striking the item relating to section 

12 442 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 442. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting after the item relating to 

14 section 446 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 447. Homeland Security Investigations Victim Assistance Program.’’; 

15 (2) in section 442— 

16 (A) by amending the section heading to 

17 read as follows: ‘‘U.S. IMMIGRATION AND

18 CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT’’; 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘bureau’’ each place such 

20 term appears (except in subsection (a)(1)) and 

21 inserting ‘‘agency’’; 

22 (C) by striking ‘‘the Bureau of Border Se23 curity’’ each place such term appears and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1405.IH H1405

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1 serting ‘‘U.S. Immigration and Customs En2 forcement’’; 

3 (D) in subsection (a)— 

4 (i) in the subsection heading, by strik5 ing ‘‘OF BUREAU’’; 

6 (ii) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking 

7 ‘‘affecting the Bureau of’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘affecting U.S.’’; and 

9 (iii) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘the 

10 Bureau.’’ and inserting ‘‘the agency.’’; and 

11 (E) in subsection (b)(2)— 

12 (i) in the matter preceding subpara13 graph (A), by striking ‘‘Bureau of Border 

14 Security’’ and inserting ‘‘U.S. Immigration 

15 and Customs Enforcement’’; and 

16 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

17 ‘‘the Bureau of’’ before ‘‘Citizenship and 

18 Immigration Services’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘U.S.’’; and 

20 (3) in section 443(2), by striking ‘‘such bu21 reau’’ and inserting ‘‘such agency’’. 

22 SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT. 

23 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

24 of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 


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1 Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress that 

2 identifies, with respect to the reporting period— 

3 (1) the number of trainings that were provided 

4 through the IMPACTT Program and the number of 

5 personnel who received such training; and 

6 (2) the number of human trafficking victims 

7 who were assisted by the Homeland Security Inves8 tigations Victim Assistance Program. 

Æ 


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