I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 500 
To establish the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to 
review Federal Government policy on human trafficking. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 22, 2015 
Mr. HONDA (for himself, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, 
Ms. BASS, and Ms. LEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
on the Judiciary, 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 establish the United States Advisory Council on Human 
Trafficking to review Federal Government policy on 
human trafficking. 
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 ‘‘Survivors of Human 
Trafficking Empowerment Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. UNITED STATES ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HUMAN 
TRAFFICKING. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 
United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking 
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘Council’’), which shall 
provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy 
Operating Group (referred to in this section as the 
‘‘Group’’) established under section 105(g) of the Victims 
of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 
U.S.C. 7103(g)) and the President’s Interagency Task 
Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking established 
under section 105(a) of that Act (22 U.S.C. 7103(a)) (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) COMPOSITION.—The Council shall be com-
posed of not fewer than 8 and not more than 14 in-
dividuals who are— 
(A) survivors of human trafficking; or 
(B) nongovernmental experts or profes-
sionals in the human trafficking field. 
(2) REPRESENTATION OF SURVIVORS.—To the 
extent practicable, not less than 50 percent of mem-
bers of the Council shall be survivors of trafficking, 
who shall accurately reflect the diverse backgrounds 
of survivors of trafficking, including— 
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(A) survivors of sex trafficking and sur-
vivors of labor trafficking; and 
(B) survivors who are United States citi-
zens and survivors who are aliens lawfully 
present in the United States. 
(3) APPOINTMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President shall appoint the members of the Council. 
(4) TERM; REAPPOINTMENT.—Council members 
shall serve for terms of 2 years and may be re-
appointed by the President to serve additional 2-year 
terms. 
(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Council shall— 
(1) be a nongovernmental advisory body to the 
Group; 
(2) meet, at its own discretion, or at the re-
quest of the Group, not less frequently than annu-
ally to review Federal Government policy and pro-
grams intended to combat human trafficking, includ-
ing programs related to the provision of services for 
victims, and serve as a point of contact for Federal 
agencies reaching out to human trafficking survivors 
for input on programming and polices relating to 
human trafficking in the United States; 
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(3) formulate assessments and recommenda-
tions to ensure that United States policy and pro-
gramming efforts conform, to the extent practicable, 
to the best practices in the field of human traf-
ficking prevention; and 
(4) meet with the Group not less frequently 
than annually and not later than 45 days before the 
next meeting of the Task Force to formally present 
the Council’s findings and recommendations. 
(d) REPORTS.—Every year beginning after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Council shall submit a 
report that contains the findings derived from the reviews 
conducted pursuant to subsection (c)(2) to— 
(1) the chair of the Task Force; 
(2) the members of the Group; and 
(3) the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Home-
land Security, Appropriations, and the Judiciary of 
the House of Representatives, and the Committees 
on Foreign Relations, Appropriations, Homeland Se-
curity and Governmental Affairs, and the Judiciary 
of the Senate. 
(e) EMPLOYEE STATUS.—Members of the Council— 
(1) shall not be considered employees of the 
United States Government for any purpose; and 
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(2) shall not receive compensation other than 
reimbursement of travel expenses and per diem al-
lowance in accordance with section 5703 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
(f) NONAPPLICABILITY
OF
FACA.—The Council 
shall not be subject to the requirements under the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 
SEC. 3. SUNSET. 
This Act shall cease to be effective on September 30, 
2021. 
Æ 
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