(C) research to detect and disrupt human 
trafficking demand; 
(D) research to increase understanding of 
social, financial, and physical networks used in 
human trafficking; and 
(E) research and standards development to 
detect and disrupt cyber-enabled human traf-
ficking; 
(2) accelerating the development, demonstra-
tion, and translation of technology that contributes 
to the prevention, identification, and disruption of 
human trafficking, including by informing anti-traf-
ficking policymaking; 
(3) leveraging existing research programs and 
activities, as appropriate, on cybersecurity, privacy 
enhancing technologies, biometrics, digital identity 
management, digital forensics, data and metadata 
analytics tools, processes, and techniques to prevent, 
identify and disrupt human trafficking, including 
improving the taxonomy of digital trafficking indica-
tors and signatures; 
(4) improving Federal agency coordination of 
research and development activities to counter 
human trafficking; 
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(5) improving the sharing of human trafficking 
data and information among Federal agencies and 
between public and private entities, while protecting 
victim and survivor privacy and safety, including by 
promoting trauma-informed approaches to data col-
lection and sharing; 
(6) leveraging technology development across 
the Federal Government to counter human traf-
ficking; 
(7) coordinating and collaborating, to the extent 
practicable and as appropriate, with similar inter-
national efforts and organizations to share data, re-
search, breakthroughs, and best practices; 
(8) facilitating public-private partnerships be-
tween Federal agencies, State, local and tribal gov-
ernments, academia, law enforcement, financial in-
stitutions, private sector, telecommunications and 
internet platform providers, nonprofit organizations, 
nongovernmental organizations, human trafficking 
victims’ and survivors’ services organizations, and 
international anti-trafficking organizations to im-
prove human trafficking research; 
(9) supporting research and development in-
formed by human trafficking survivors; and 
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(10) identifying unintended negative con-
sequences of technology and policy implementation 
on human trafficking networks, operations, and sur-
vivors. 
(b) INITIATIVE ACTIVITIES.—The activities of the 
Initiative shall include— 
(1) sustained support for anti-trafficking re-
lated research and development, which may in-
clude— 
(A) grants to fund the work of individual 
researchers and teams of researchers, including 
interdisciplinary teams; 
(B) projects funded under joint solicita-
tions by a collaboration of no fewer than two 
agencies participating in the Initiative; and 
(C) interdisciplinary research centers orga-
nized to investigate basic and applied research 
questions, carry out technology prototyping, de-
velopment and demonstration activities,scale up 
anti-trafficking research and development, test-
ing, and evaluation; 
(2) sustained support for databases and related 
tools to enhance scientific research and technology 
development, including— 
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(A) 
support 
for 
the 
establishment, 
curation, and maintenance of databases of vul-
nerability indicators, trafficking indicators, and 
other related information, with consideration of 
data security and privacy in facilitating access 
to these databases; 
(B) development of standards for data 
sharing and curation, including interoperability, 
metadata, and protection of privacy, confiden-
tiality, and security; 
(C) support for the development of privacy 
preserving tools and techniques to enable com-
putation or analysis of trafficking indicators 
while maintaining privacy and confidentiality of 
that data; and 
(D) support for the development of com-
putational tools, including natural language 
processing, computer vision, and social network 
analysis for the enrichment of data; 
(3) supporting activities to accelerate the trans-
lation and implementation of new products, proc-
esses, and technologies by— 
(A) identifying precompetitive research op-
portunities with potential for commercialization 
or adoption by government agencies; 
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(B) facilitating public-private partnerships 
in anti-trafficking related research and develop-
ment; 
(C) connecting researchers, graduate stu-
dents, and postdoctoral fellows with entrepre-
neurship education and training opportunities; 
(D) supporting proof of concept activities 
and formation of startup companies including 
through programs such as the Small Business 
Innovation Research Program and the Small 
Business Technology Transfer Program as de-
scribed in section 9 of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 638); and 
(E) pursuant section 24 of the Stevenson- 
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
U.S.C. 3719), consider sponsorship of a prize 
competition; and 
(4) supporting research and development activi-
ties to support public outreach and dissemination of 
best practices, tools, and information to prevent, 
identify, and combat trafficking, including supply 
chain transparency, business procurement, and other 
activities. 
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SEC. 5. INITIATIVE COORDINATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 
shall establish or designate an interagency committee, 
which shall be co-chaired by the National Science Founda-
tion, and include representatives from any other Federal 
agency the President considers appropriate (in this section 
referred to as the ‘‘Interagency Committee’’). The Inter-
agency Committee shall— 
(1) oversee the planning, management, and co-
ordination of the Initiative; 
(2) establish and periodically update the goals 
and priorities of the Initiative; 
(3) develop, not later than 12 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and update every 5 
years thereafter, a strategic plan submitted to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen-
ate that— 
(A) guides the activities of the Initiative 
for purposes of meeting the goals and priorities 
established under and updated pursuant to 
paragraph (3); 
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(B) establishes milestones and associated 
activities that reach those milestones in pursuit 
of achieving the goals of the Initiative; 
(C) describe how the Initiative will meas-
ure progress toward the established milestones; 
and 
(D) describes— 
(i) the Initiative’s support for long- 
term funding of research and development 
related to countering human trafficking; 
(ii) the Initiative’s support for inter-
agency research and public-private partner-
ships; 
(iii) how the Initiative will contribute 
to translating research and development 
results from the lab to victim and survivor 
organizations, law enforcement, investiga-
tors, and prosecutors; 
(iv) the Initiative’s support for victim 
and 
survivor-centric 
privacy, 
confiden-
tiality, and security considerations; 
(v) the Initiative’s support for inclu-
sive research of diverse populations, includ-
ing girls and women of color, homeless in-
dividuals, LGBTQIA+ youth, Indigenous 
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People, migrant workers, and other groups; 
and 
(vi) develops a plan to utilize Federal 
programs, such as Small Business Innova-
tion Research Program and the Small 
Business Technology Transfer Program as 
described in section 9 of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 638), in support of ac-
tivities described in section 4(b)(3); 
(4) in carrying out this section, take into con-
sideration the recommendations by the advisory 
committee established in section 6 and input from 
other expert stakeholders; and 
(5) coordinate with the Interagency Task Force 
to Monitor and Combat Trafficking established pur-
suant to section 105 of the Trafficking Victims Pro-
tection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103). 
(b) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Beginning with fiscal year 
2024 and ending in fiscal year 2028, not later than 90 
days after submission of the President’s annual budget re-
quest and every second fiscal year thereafter, the Inter-
agency Committee shall prepare and submit to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that 
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includes a summarized agency budget in support of the 
Initiative for the fiscal year to which the budget applies 
and the following fiscal year, including a breakout of 
spending for each agency participating in the Program. 
SEC. 6. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the National Science Foun-
dation shall, in consultation with the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, establish an advisory committee on 
counter human trafficking research and development (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘advisory committee’’). 
(b) COMPOSITION.—The advisory committee estab-
lished pursuant subsection (a) shall be composed of not 
fewer than 12 members, including representatives of re-
search institutions, institutions of higher education, law 
enforcement, financial institutions, payment processors, 
private sector, nonprofit organizations, survivors of human 
trafficking, including at least one survivor of labor traf-
ficking and one survivor of sex trafficking, and victims’ 
and survivors’ services organizations who are qualified to 
provide advice to the Initiative. 
(c) DUTIES.—The advisory committee established 
under subsection (a) shall assess— 
(1) the coordination, implementation, and ac-
tivities of the Initiative; 
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(2) the balance of activities and funding across 
the Initiative; and 
(3) the need to revise the Program. 
SEC. 7. GAO REVIEW. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct a study that includes an as-
sessment of human trafficking data collection needs and 
practices of Federal agencies, local nongovernmental orga-
nizations, law enforcement, and prosecutors to improve 
Federal research and development to prevent, identify, 
and disrupt human trafficking. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit a report on the findings 
of the study conducted under subsection (a) to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
SEC. 8. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall continue to award grants on a 
competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher 
education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortia there-
of) to support anti-trafficking related research and devel-
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opment that contributes to the prevention, identification, 
and disruption of human trafficking. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 
Foundation to carry out subsection (a)— 
(1) $2,600,000 for fiscal year 2023; 
(2) $3,200,000 for fiscal year 2024; 
(3) $3,800,000 for fiscal year 2025; 
(4) $4,400,000 for fiscal year 2026; and 
(5) $5,200,000 for fiscal year 2027. 
Æ 
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