victims, prevention of trafficking, and prosecution of 
perpetrators. 
(5) Some countries have openly stated, and 
many others have confided, that dramatic improve-
ments in the country’s human trafficking record 
were directly related to avoidance of a low tier rank-
ing in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. 
(6) Ambassador Mark Lagon, former Ambas-
sador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking 
in Persons (2007–2009), testified before the Sub-
committee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human 
Rights, and International Organizations of the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives on April 18, 2013, that ‘‘[T]he State 
Department does a tremendous job in producing a 
report which tells it like it is, offering objective 
rankings. Yet at times it pulls punches, typically due 
to the urging of regional specialists rather than the 
TIP Office’s dedicated experts on trafficking.’’. 
(7) Ambassador John Miller, former Ambas-
sador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking 
in Persons (2002–2006), recently stated that, ‘‘Up-
grading the status of the Office to a Bureau will not 
create additional bureaucracy—it will simply give 
JTIP and the Ambassador-at-large who heads it 
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equal standing with regional and functional bureaus 
at the State Department. That standing is abso-
lutely essential for the issue to remain a priority, es-
pecially when multiple U.S. interests are engaged.’’. 
(8) The tier ranking process authorized by Con-
gress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
2000 has been in some instances compromised by 
the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking subor-
dinate stature within the Department of State. 
(9) It is essential for Congress and the Sec-
retary of State to be accurately informed regarding 
United States and foreign country successes and 
failures in the fight against human trafficking. 
(10) The diplomatic power and credibility of the 
Trafficking in Persons Report is based on rigorous 
scholarship and scrupulous application of the min-
imum standards for the elimination of human traf-
ficking and is undermined by political, rather than 
factual, tier rankings. 
(11) Strong and effective anti-slavery policy re-
quires that officials from the Office to Monitor and 
Combat Trafficking have equal hierarchical standing 
with State Department regional bureaus and direct 
access to the Secretary of State. 
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SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the Sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Office to Monitor and Combat Traf-
ficking of the Department of State will be more ef-
fective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress 
in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 if 
the Office status is changed to that of a Bureau 
within the Department hierarchy; 
(2) the Office to Monitor and Combat Traf-
ficking will be more effective in carrying out duties 
mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Act of 2000 if the Office is headed by an 
Assistant Secretary with direct access to the Sec-
retary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at- 
Large; and 
(3) the change in status from Office to Monitor 
and Combat Trafficking with an Ambassador-at- 
Large to a Bureau led by an Assistant Secretary can 
be accomplished without increasing the number of 
personnel or the budget of the current Office. 
SEC. 4. OFFICE TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 105(e) of the Trafficking 
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103(e)) is 
amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘OFFICE
TO 
MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING’’ and insert-
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ing ‘‘BUREAU TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PER-
SONS’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Of-
fice to Monitor and Combat Trafficking’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Bureau to Combat Trafficking in 
Persons’’; 
(B) in the second sentence,— 
(i) by striking ‘‘Office’’ and inserting 
‘‘Bureau’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘Director’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Assistant Secretary of State’’; and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘, with the rank of 
Ambassador-at-Large’’; and 
(C) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘Di-
rector’’ and inserting ‘‘Assistant Secretary of 
State’’; 
(D) in the fourth sentence, by striking 
‘‘Director’’ and inserting ‘‘Assistant Secretary 
of State’’; 
(E) in the fifth sentence, by striking ‘‘Di-
rector’’ and inserting ‘‘Assistant Secretary of 
State’’; and 
(F) in the sixth sentence, by striking ‘‘Of-
fice’’ and inserting ‘‘Bureau’’; and 
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(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Of-
fice to Monitor and Combat Trafficking’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Bureau to Combat Trafficking in 
Persons’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘Di-
rector’’ and inserting ‘‘Assistant Secretary of 
State’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any reference in the Traf-
ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 or in any 
other Act to— 
(A) the Office to Monitor and Combat 
Trafficking shall be deemed to be a reference to 
the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons; 
and 
(B) the Director or Ambassador-at-Large 
of the Office to Monitor and Combat Traf-
ficking in Persons shall be deemed to be a ref-
erence to the Assistant Secretary directing the 
Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 
(2) STATE
DEPARTMENT
BASIC
AUTHORITIES 
ACT OF 1956.—Section 1(c)(1) of the State Depart-
ment Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 
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2651a(c)(1)) is amended, in the first sentence, by 
striking ‘‘24’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’. 
Æ 
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