I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5856 
To reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. MCCAUL, Ms. WILD, Mrs. WAG-
NER, Ms. MANNING, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. WILSON of South 
Carolina, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, and Mr. BURGESS) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in ad-
dition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and the Judi-
ciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
2000, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Frederick Douglass 
Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthor-
ization Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
TITLE I—COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN THE UNITED 
STATES 
Sec. 101. Modifications to grants to assist in the recognition of trafficking. 
Sec. 102. Human trafficking survivors employment and education program. 
TITLE II—FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING ABROAD 
Sec. 201. Modifications to program to end modern slavery grants. 
Sec. 202. Amendments to tier standards. 
Sec. 203. Expanding prevention efforts at the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development. 
TITLE III—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
Sec. 301. Extension of authorizations under the Victims of Trafficking and Vio-
lence Protection Act of 2000. 
Sec. 302. Extension of authorizations under the International Megan’s Law. 
TITLE 
I—COMBATING 
TRAF-
FICKING IN PERSONS IN THE 
UNITED STATES 
SEC. 101. MODIFICATIONS TO GRANTS TO ASSIST IN THE 
RECOGNITION OF TRAFFICKING. 
(a) AMENDMENTS TO AUTHORITIES TO PREVENT 
TRAFFICKING.—Section 106(b)(2) of the Victims of Traf-
ficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
7104(b)) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘GRANTS TO 
ASSIST IN THE RECOGNITION OF TRAFFICKING’’ and 
inserting ‘‘FREDERICK DOUGLASS HUMAN TRAF-
FICKING PREVENTION EDUCATION GRANTS’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
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(A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
inserting ‘‘under a program named ‘Frederick 
Douglass Human Trafficking Prevention Edu-
cation Grants’ ’’ after ‘‘may award grants’’; and 
(B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘, linguis-
tically accessible, and culturally responsive’’ 
after ‘‘age-appropriate’’; 
(3) in the heading of subparagraph (C), by in-
serting ‘‘FOR FREDERICK DOUGLASS HUMAN TRAF-
FICKING
PREVENTION
EDUCATION
GRANTS’’ after 
‘‘PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS’’; 
(4) by amending subparagraph (D) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(D) PRIORITY.—In awarding Frederick 
Douglass Human Trafficking Prevention Edu-
cation Grants under this paragraph, the Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(i) give priority to local educational 
agencies serving a high-intensity child sex 
trafficking area or an area with significant 
child labor trafficking; 
‘‘(ii) give additional priority to local 
educational agencies that partner with 
non-profit organizations specializing in 
human trafficking prevention education, 
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which partner with law enforcement and 
technology or social media companies, to 
assist in training efforts to protect children 
from labor trafficking and sexual exploi-
tation and abuse including grooming, ma-
terials depicting the sexual abuse of chil-
dren, and human trafficking transmitted 
through technology; and 
‘‘(iii) consult, as appropriate, with the 
Secretary of Education, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Sec-
retary of the Interior, the Secretary of 
Labor, and the Attorney General, to iden-
tify the geographic areas in the United 
States with the highest prevalence of at- 
risk populations for child trafficking, in-
cluding children who are members of a ra-
cial or ethnic minority, homeless youth, 
foster youth, youth involved in the child 
welfare system, and children and youth 
who run away from home or an out-of- 
home placement.’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(E) CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.—Grant-
ees should be selected based on their dem-
onstrated ability to— 
‘‘(i) engage stakeholders, including 
survivors of human trafficking, and Fed-
eral, State, local, or Tribal partners, to de-
velop the programs; 
‘‘(ii) train the trainers, guardians, K– 
12 students, teachers, and other school 
personnel in a linguistically accessible, cul-
turally responsive, age-appropriate, and 
trauma-informed fashion; and 
‘‘(iii) create a scalable, repeatable pro-
gram to prevent child labor trafficking and 
sexual exploitation and abuse including 
grooming, child sexual abuse materials, 
and trafficking transmitted through tech-
nology that— 
‘‘(I) uses evidence-based (as such 
term 
is 
defined 
in 
section 
8101(21)(A) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801(21)(A))) best practices; 
and 
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‘‘(II) employs appropriate techno-
logical tools and methodologies, in-
cluding linguistically accessible, cul-
turally 
responsive, 
age-appropriate, 
and trauma-informed approaches for 
trainers, guardians, educators, and 
K–12 students. 
‘‘(F) TRAIN
THE
TRAINERS.—For pur-
poses of subparagraph (E), the term ‘train the 
trainers’ means having experienced or master 
trainers coach new trainers who are less experi-
enced with a particular topic or skill, or with 
training overall, who can then teach the mate-
rial to others, creating a broader reach, sustain-
ability, and making efforts cost- and time-effi-
cient (commonly referred to as ‘training of 
trainers’). 
‘‘(G) DATA COLLECTION.—The Secretary 
shall consult with the Secretary of Education, 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment, and the Secretary of the Interior to de-
termine the appropriate demographics of the re-
cipients or of students at risk of being traf-
ficked or exploited, to be collected and reported 
with respect to grants under this paragraph, 
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which shall include data collection of, at a min-
imum, students who are economically disadvan-
taged, members of a racial or ethnic minority, 
homeless youth, foster youth, youth involved in 
the child welfare system, and children and 
youth who run away from home or an out-of- 
home placement. 
‘‘(H) REPORT.—Not later than 540 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall submit to the Com-
mittees on Education and Labor, Energy and 
Commerce, and the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on the Ju-
diciary and Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate and make available to the 
public a report, including data on the following: 
‘‘(i) The total number of entities that 
received a Frederick Douglass Human 
Trafficking Prevention Education Grant 
over the past year. 
‘‘(ii) The total number of partnerships 
or consultants that included survivors, 
non-profit 
organizations 
specialized 
in 
human trafficking prevention education, 
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law enforcement, and technology or social 
media companies. 
‘‘(iii) The total number of elementary 
and secondary schools that established and 
implemented evidence-based (as such term 
is defined in section 8101(21)(A) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(21)(A))) best 
practices 
through 
programs 
developed 
using such grants. 
‘‘(iv) The total number and geo-
graphic distribution of trainers, guardians, 
students, teachers, and other school per-
sonnel trained using such grants pursuant 
to this paragraph. 
‘‘(v) The results of pre-training and 
post-training surveys to gauge trainees’ in-
creased understanding of the scope and 
signs of child trafficking and child sexual 
exploitation and abuse; how to interact 
with potential victims and survivors of 
child trafficking and child sexual exploi-
tation and abuse using age-appropriate 
and trauma-informed approach; and the 
manner in which to respond to potential 
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child trafficking and child sexual exploi-
tation and abuse. 
‘‘(vi) The number of potential victims 
and survivors of child trafficking and child 
sexual exploitation and abuse identified 
and served by grantees, excluding any indi-
vidually identifiable information about such 
children and acting in full compliance with 
all applicable privacy laws and regulations. 
‘‘(vii) The number of students in ele-
mentary or secondary school identified by 
grantees as being at risk of being traf-
ficked or sexually exploited and abused, ex-
cluding any individually identifiable infor-
mation about such children. 
‘‘(viii) The demographic characteris-
tics of child trafficking survivors and vic-
tims, sexually exploited and abused chil-
dren, and students at risk of being traf-
ficked or sexually exploited and abused de-
scribed in clauses (vi) and (vii), excluding 
any individually identifiable information 
about such children. 
‘‘(ix) Any service gaps and best prac-
tices identified by grantees.’’. 
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SEC. 102. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS EMPLOYMENT 
AND EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services may carry out a Human Trafficking Sur-
vivors Employment and Education Program to prevent the 
re-exploitation of eligible individuals who have been vic-
tims of trafficking, by assisting such individuals to inte-
grate or reintegrate into society through social services 
support for the attainment of life-skills, employment, and 
education necessary to achieve self-sufficiency. 
(b) SERVICES PROVIDED.—Services offered, pro-
vided, and funded by the Program shall include (as rel-
evant to the victim of trafficking)— 
(1) enrollment and participation in— 
(A) basic education, including literacy edu-
cation and English as a second language edu-
cation; 
(B) job-related skills training; 
(C) vocational and certificate programs; 
and 
(D) programs for attaining a regular high 
school diploma or its recognized equivalent; 
(2) life-skill training programs, including man-
agement of personal finances, self-care, and par-
enting classes; 
(3) re´sume´ creation and review; 
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(4) interview coaching and counseling; 
(5) assistance with expungement of criminal 
records when such records are for nonviolent crimes 
that were committed as a consequence of the eligible 
individual’s victimization, including assistance with 
credit repair; 
(6) assistance with enrollment in college or 
technical school; 
(7) scholarship assistance for attending college 
or technical school; 
(8) professional coaching or professional devel-
opment classes; 
(9) case management to develop an individual-
ized plan with each victim of trafficking, based on 
each person’s needs and goals; and 
(10) assistance with obtaining victim compensa-
tion, direct victim assistance, or other funds for 
mental health care. 
(c) SERVICE PERIOD.—Eligible individuals may re-
ceive services through the Program for a cumulative pe-
riod of 5 years. 
(d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Subject to the 
availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall enter 
into cooperative agreements with one or more eligible or-
ganizations to carry out this section. 
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(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘eligible 
individual’’ means a domestic or foreign victim of 
trafficking who— 
(A) has attained the age of 18 years; and 
(B) is eligible to receive services under sec-
tion 107(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protec-
tion Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)). 
(2) ELIGIBLE
ORGANIZATION.—The ‘‘eligible 
organization’’ may include a non-governmental orga-
nization and means a service provider that meets the 
following criteria: 
(A) Experience in using national or local 
anti-trafficking networks to serve victims of 
trafficking. 
(B) Experience qualifying, providing, and 
coordinating services for victims of trafficking, 
as described in subsection (b), that is linguis-
tically accessible, culturally responsive, age-ap-
propriate, and trauma-informed. 
(C) With respect to a service provider for 
victims of trafficking served by the Program 
who are not United States citizens, a provider 
that has experience in identifying and assisting 
foreign-born victims of trafficking, including 
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helping them qualify for Continued Presence, 
T–Visas, and other Federal, State, and local 
services and funding. 
(D) With respect to a service provider for 
victims of trafficking served by the Program 
who are United States citizens and legal perma-
nent residents, a provider that has experience 
identifying and assisting victims of trafficking, 
as such term is defined in section 103 of the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 
U.S.C. 7102), especially youth and underserved 
populations. 
(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the Human Trafficking Survivors Employment and 
Education Program established under this section. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
TITLE II—FIGHTING HUMAN 
TRAFFICKING ABROAD 
SEC. 201. MODIFICATIONS TO PROGRAM TO END MODERN 
SLAVERY GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1298 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C. 7114) is 
amended as follows: 
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(1) In subsection (g)(2), by striking ‘‘2020’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 
(2) In subsection (h)(1), by striking ‘‘Not later 
than September 30, 2018, and September 30, 2020’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Not later than September 30, 2024, 
and September 30, 2028’’. 
(b) AWARD OF FUNDS.—All grants shall be awarded 
on a competitive basis. 
SEC. 202. AMENDMENTS TO TIER STANDARDS. 
(a) MODIFICATIONS TO TIER 2 WATCH LIST.—Sub-
section (b)(2) of section 110 of the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107), is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SPECIAL’’ and 
inserting ‘‘TIER 2’’; and 
(2) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(A) SUBMISSION
OF
LIST.—Not later 
than the date on which the determinations de-
scribed in subsections (c) and (d) are submitted 
to the appropriate congressional committees in 
accordance with such subsections, the Secretary 
of State shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a list of countries that 
the Secretary determines requires special scru-
tiny during the following year. The list shall be 
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