SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for Victims 
of Trafficking Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. VICTIM-CENTERED SEX TRAFFICKING DETERRENCE 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 203 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Re-
authorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 14044b) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub-
section (j); 
(2) by striking subsections (a) through (f), and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney General 
may make grants to eligible entities to develop, improve, 
or expand comprehensive domestic child human trafficking 
deterrence programs that assist law enforcement officers, 
prosecutors, judicial officials, and qualified victims’ serv-
ices organizations in collaborating to rescue and restore 
the lives of victims, while investigating and prosecuting of-
fenses involving child human trafficking. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED
ACTIVITIES.—Grants awarded 
under subsection (a) may be used for— 
‘‘(1) the establishment or enhancement of spe-
cialized training programs for law enforcement offi-
cers, first responders, health care officials, child wel-
fare officials, juvenile justice personnel, prosecutors, 
and judicial personnel to— 
‘‘(A) identify victims and acts of child 
human trafficking; 
‘‘(B) address the unique needs of victims 
of child human trafficking; 
‘‘(C) facilitate the rescue of victims of child 
human trafficking; 
‘‘(D) investigate and prosecute acts of 
child human trafficking, including the soliciting, 
patronizing, or purchasing of commercial sex 
acts from children, as well as training to build 
cases against complex criminal networks in-
volved in child human trafficking; and 
‘‘(E) implement and provide education on 
safe harbor laws enacted by States, aimed at 
preventing the criminalization and prosecution 
of victims of child human trafficking for pros-
titution offenses; 
‘‘(2) the establishment or enhancement of dedi-
cated anti-child human trafficking law enforcement 
units and task forces to investigate child human 
trafficking offenses and to rescue victims, includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) funding salaries, in whole or in part, 
for law enforcement officers, including patrol 
officers, detectives, and investigators, except 
that the percentage of the salary of the law en-
forcement officer paid for by funds from a 
grant awarded under this section shall not be 
more than the percentage of the officer’s time 
on duty that is dedicated to working on cases 
involving child human trafficking; 
‘‘(B) investigation expenses for cases in-
volving child human trafficking, including— 
‘‘(i) wire taps; 
‘‘(ii) consultants with expertise spe-
cific to cases involving child human traf-
ficking; 
‘‘(iii) travel; and 
‘‘(iv) other technical assistance ex-
penditures; 
‘‘(C) dedicated anti-child human traf-
ficking prosecution units, including the funding 
of salaries for State and local prosecutors, in-
cluding assisting in paying trial expenses for 
prosecution of child human trafficking offenses, 
except that the percentage of the total salary of 
a State or local prosecutor that is paid using an
award under this section shall be not more than 
the percentage of the total number of hours 
worked by the prosecutor that is spent working 
on cases involving child human trafficking; and 
‘‘(D) the establishment of child human 
trafficking victim witness safety, assistance, 
and relocation programs that encourage co-
operation with law enforcement investigations 
of crimes of child human trafficking by 
leveraging existing resources and delivering 
child 
human 
trafficking 
victims’ 
services 
through coordination with— 
‘‘(i) child advocacy centers; 
‘‘(ii) social service agencies; 
‘‘(iii) State governmental health serv-
ice agencies; 
‘‘(iv) housing agencies; 
‘‘(v) legal services agencies; and 
‘‘(vi) non-governmental organizations 
and shelter service providers with substan-
tial experience in delivering services to vic-
tims of child human trafficking; 
‘‘(3) the establishment or enhancement of prob-
lem solving court programs for child human traf-
ficking victims that include—
‘‘(A) continuing judicial supervision of vic-
tims of child human trafficking who have been 
identified by a law enforcement or judicial offi-
cer as a potential victim of child human traf-
ficking, regardless of whether the victim has 
been charged with a crime related to human 
trafficking; 
‘‘(B) the development of specialized and in-
dividualized treatment programs for identified 
victims of child human trafficking, including— 
‘‘(i) 
State-administered 
outpatient 
treatment; 
‘‘(ii) life skills training; 
‘‘(iii) housing placement; 
‘‘(iv) vocational training; 
‘‘(v) education; 
‘‘(vi) family support services; and 
‘‘(vii) job placement; and 
‘‘(C) collaborative efforts with child advo-
cacy centers, child welfare agencies, shelters, 
and non-governmental organizations to provide 
services to victims and encourage cooperation 
with law enforcement; and
‘‘(4) the establishment or enhancement of vic-
tims’ services programs for victims of child human 
trafficking, which offer services including— 
‘‘(A) residential care, including temporary 
or long-term placement, as appropriate; 
‘‘(B) 24-hour emergency social services re-
sponse systems; and 
‘‘(C) counseling and case management 
services. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity shall sub-
mit an application to the Attorney General for a 
grant under this section in such form and manner 
as the Attorney General may require. 
‘‘(2) REQUIRED INFORMATION.—An application 
submitted under this subsection shall— 
‘‘(A) disclose— 
‘‘(i) any other grant funding from the 
Department of Justice or from any other 
Federal department or agency for purposes 
similar to those described in subsection (b) 
for which the eligible entity has applied, 
and which application is pending on the 
date of the submission of an application 
under this section; and
‘‘(ii) any other such grant funding 
that the eligible entity has received during 
the 5-year period prior to the date of the 
submission of an application under this 
section; 
‘‘(B) describe the activities for which as-
sistance under this section is sought; 
‘‘(C) include a detailed plan for the use of 
funds awarded under the grant; and 
‘‘(D) provide such additional information 
and assurances as the Attorney General deter-
mines to be necessary to ensure compliance 
with the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—In reviewing applications 
submitted in accordance with paragraphs (1) and 
(2), the Attorney General shall give preference to 
grant applications if— 
‘‘(A) the application includes a plan to use 
awarded funds to engage in all activities de-
scribed under paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub-
section (b); or 
‘‘(B) the application includes a plan by the 
State or unit of local government to continue 
funding of all activities funded by the award 
after the expiration of the award.
‘‘(d) DURATION AND RENEWAL OF AWARD.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 
shall expire 1 year after the date of award of the 
grant. 
‘‘(2) RENEWAL.—A grant under this section 
shall be renewable not more than three times and 
for a period of not greater than 1 year. 
‘‘(e) EVALUATION.—The Attorney General shall 
enter into a contract or other agreement with an academic 
or nonprofit organization that has experience in issues re-
lated to child human trafficking and evaluation of grant 
programs to conduct an annual evaluation of grants made 
under this section to determine the impact and effective-
ness of programs funded with grants awarded under this 
section, and shall submit any such evaluation to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 
‘‘(f) OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—An eligible 
entity that receives a grant under this section is subject 
to the requirements of section 10 of the Justice for Vic-
tims of Trafficking Act of 2014. 
‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATIVE CAP.—The cost of admin-
istering the grants authorized by this section shall not ex-
ceed 5 percent of the total amount appropriated to carry 
out this section.
‘‘(h) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 
cost of a program funded by a grant awarded under this 
section may not exceed— 
‘‘(1) 70 percent in the first year; 
‘‘(2) 60 percent in the second year; and 
‘‘(3) 50 percent in the third year. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘child’ means a person under the 
age of 18; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘child advocacy center’ means a 
center created under subtitle A of the Victims of 
Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13001 et seq.); 
‘‘(3) the term ‘child human trafficking’ means 
one or more severe forms of trafficking in persons 
(as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102)) involving 
a victim who is a child; and 
‘‘(4) the term ‘eligible entity’ means a State or 
unit of local government that— 
‘‘(A) has significant criminal activity in-
volving child human trafficking; 
‘‘(B) has demonstrated cooperation be-
tween Federal, State, local, and, where applica-
ble, tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecu-
tors, and social service providers in addressing 
child human trafficking; and 
‘‘(C) has developed a workable, multi-dis-
ciplinary plan to combat child human traf-
ficking.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Health and 
Human Services’’ and inserting ‘‘Attorney Gen-
eral, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services,’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2008 through 
2011’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2015 through 
2019’’. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE VICTIMS OF CHILD ABUSE 
ACT OF 1990. 
The Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
13001 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 212(5) (42 U.S.C. 13001a(5)), by 
inserting ‘‘, including human trafficking and the 
production of child pornography’’ before the semi-
colon at the end; and 
(2) in section 214 (42 U.S.C. 13002)— 
(A) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), 
and (d) as subsections (c), (d), and (e), respec-
tively; and
(B) by inserting after subsection (a) the 
following: 
‘‘(b) DIRECT SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF CHILD POR-
NOGRAPHY.—The Administrator, in coordination with the 
Director and with the Director of the Office of Victims 
of Crime, may make grants to develop and implement spe-
cialized programs to identify and provide direct services 
to victims of child pornography.’’. 
SEC. 4. STREAMLINING FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL 
HUMAN TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATIONS. 
Section 2516 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(C)— 
(A) by inserting before ‘‘section 1591’’ the 
following: ‘‘section 1581 (peonage; obstructing 
enforcement), section 1584 (sale into involun-
tary servitude), section 1589 (forced labor), sec-
tion 1590 (trafficking with respect to peonage, 
slavery, 
involuntary 
servitude, 
or 
forced 
labor),’’; and 
(B) by inserting before ‘‘section 1751’’ the 
following: ‘‘section 1592 (unlawful conduct with 
respect to documents in furtherance of traf-
ficking, peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, 
or forced labor),’’; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘human traf-
ficking, offenses pertaining to child pornography, 
child sexual abuse, coercion and enticement of chil-
dren,’’ after ‘‘kidnapping,’’. 
SEC. 5. ENHANCING HUMAN TRAFFICKING REPORTING. 
Section 3702 of the Crime Control Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 5780) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; and 
(2) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A), by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting 
‘‘paragraph (3)’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
‘‘and a photograph taken within the previous 
180 days’’ after ‘‘dental records’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
subparagraph (D); and 
(E) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 
the following: 
‘‘(C) notify the National Center for Miss-
ing and Exploited Children of each report re-
ceived relating to a child reported missing from
a foster care family home or childcare institu-
tion; and’’. 
SEC. 6. REDUCING DEMAND FOR SEX TRAFFICKING. 
Section 1591 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘or main-
tains’’ and inserting ‘‘maintains, patronizes, or solic-
its’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or ob-
tained’’ and inserting ‘‘obtained, patronized, or 
solicited’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or ob-
tained’’ and inserting ‘‘obtained, patronized, or 
solicited’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or maintained’’ and in-
serting ‘‘, maintained, patronized, or solicited’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘knew that the person’’ 
and inserting ‘‘knew, or recklessly disregarded 
the fact, that the person’’.
SEC. 7. USING EXISTING TASK FORCES TO TARGET OF-
FENDERS WHO EXPLOIT CHILDREN. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General shall ensure that all task 
forces and working groups within the Violent Crimes 
Against Children Program engage in activities, programs, 
or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of 
State and local law enforcement officers in the detection, 
investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize, 
or solicit children for sex. 
SEC. 8. HOLDING SEX TRAFFICKERS ACCOUNTABLE. 
Section 2423(g) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ‘‘a preponderance of the evidence’’ 
and inserting ‘‘clear and convincing evidence’’. 
SEC. 9. OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 
(a) AUDIT REQUIREMENT.—In fiscal year 2015, and 
each fiscal year thereafter, the Inspector General of the 
Department of Justice shall conduct audits of covered 
grantees to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of such funds. 
The Inspector General shall determine the appropriate 
number of covered grantees to be audited each year. 
(b) MANDATORY EXCLUSION.—A covered grantee 
that is found to have an unresolved audit finding shall 
not be eligible for an allocation of grant funds from the 
covered grant program from which it received a grant
award during the first 2 fiscal years beginning after the 
end of the 12-month period described in subsection (g)(3). 
(c) REIMBURSEMENT.—If a covered grantee is 
awarded funds under the covered grant program from 
which it received a grant award during the 2-fiscal-year 
period during which the covered grantee is ineligible for 
an allocation of grant funds as a result of subsection (b), 
the Attorney General shall— 
(1) deposit an amount equal to the amount of 
the grant funds that were improperly awarded to the 
covered grantee into the General Fund of the Treas-
ury; and 
(2) seek to recoup the costs of the repayment 
to the Fund from the covered grantee that was erro-
neously awarded grant funds. 
(d) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, 
the term ‘‘nonprofit’’, when used with respect to an 
organization, means an organization that is de-
scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under 
section 501(a) of such Code. 
(2) PROHIBITION.—A nonprofit organization 
that holds money in offshore accounts for the pur-
pose of avoiding paying the tax described in section
511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, shall 
not be eligible to receive, directly or indirectly, any 
funds from a covered grant program. 
(3) DISCLOSURE.—Each nonprofit organization 
that is a covered grantee shall disclose in its applica-
tion for such a grant, as a condition of receipt of 
such a grant, the compensation of its officers, direc-
tors, and trustees. Such disclosure shall include a 
description of the criteria relied upon to determine 
such compensation. 
(e) CONFERENCE EXPENDITURES.— 
(1) LIMITATION.—No amounts made available 
under a covered grant program may be used to host 
or support a conference that uses more than 
$20,000 in funds made available by the Department 
of Justice unless the Deputy Attorney General or 
the appropriate Assistant Attorney General, Direc-
tor, or principal deputy (as designated by the Dep-
uty Attorney General) provides prior written ap-
proval that the funds may be expended to host or 
support such conference, except that a conference 
that uses more than $20,000 in such funds, but less 
than $500 in such funds for each attendee of the 
conference, shall not be subject to the limitation 
under this paragraph.
(2) WRITTEN
APPROVAL.—Written approval 
under paragraph (1) shall include a written estimate 
of all costs associated with the conference, including 
the cost of all food, beverages, audio-visual equip-
ment, honoraria for speakers, and entertainment. 
(3) REPORT.—The Deputy Attorney General 
shall submit an annual report to the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives on all 
conference expenditures approved under this sub-
section. 
(f) PROHIBITION ON LOBBYING ACTIVITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Amounts made available 
under a covered grant program may not be used by 
any covered grantee to— 
(A) lobby any representative of the Depart-
ment of Justice regarding the award of grant 
funding; or 
(B) lobby any representative of the Federal 
Government or a State, local, or tribal govern-
ment regarding the award of grant funding. 
(2) PENALTY.—If the Attorney General deter-
mines that a covered grantee has violated paragraph 
(1), the Attorney General shall—
‘‘(1) COURT OF APPEALS.—The term ‘court of 
appeals’ means— 
‘‘(A) the United States court of appeals for 
the judicial district in which a defendant is 
being prosecuted; or 
‘‘(B) for a prosecution in the Superior 
Court of the District of Columbia, the District 
of Columbia Court of Appeals. 
‘‘(2) CRIME VICTIM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(B) MINORS AND CERTAIN OTHER VIC-
TIMS.—In the case’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) DISTRICT
COURT; COURT.—The terms 
‘district court’ and ‘court’ include the Superior 
Court of the District of Columbia.’’. 
(b) APPELLATE REVIEW OF PETITIONS RELATING 
TO CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3771(d)(3) of title 
18, United States Code, as amended by subsection 
(a)(2) of this section, is amended by inserting after 
the fifth sentence the following: ‘‘In deciding such
application, the court of appeals shall apply ordinary 
standards of appellate review.’’. 
(2) APPLICATION.—The amendment made by 
paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to any peti-
tion for a writ of mandamus filed under section 
3771(d)(3) of title 18, United States Code, that is 
pending on the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 11. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) child human trafficking (as such term is de-
fined in section 203(i) of the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
14044b), as added by this Act) has no place in a civ-
ilized society, and that persons who commit crimes 
relating to child human trafficking should be pros-
ecuted to the fullest extent of the law; 
(2) the United States, as a leader in monitoring 
and combating human trafficking throughout the 
world, must hold all nations to the same standards 
to which we hold our Nation; 
(3) those who obtain, solicit, or patronize a vic-
tim of trafficking for the purpose of engaging in a 
commercial sex act with that person, are committing 
a human trafficking offense under Federal law;
(4) the demand for commercial sex is a primary 
cause of the human rights violation of human traf-
ficking, and the elimination of that human rights 
violation requires the elimination of that demand; 
(5) United States citizens or lawful permanent 
residents who are victims of severe forms of traf-
ficking are not required to obtain an official certifi-
cation from the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services in order to access any of the specialized 
services described in section 107 of the Trafficking 
Victims Protection Act of 2000 or any other Federal 
benefits and protections to which they are otherwise 
entitled; and 
(6) as matters stand on the date of enactment 
of this Act, there are insufficient services and pro-
grams for victims of severe forms of human traf-
ficking in the United States, including United States 
citizens and lawful permanent residents. 
SEC. 12. CLARIFYING THE BENEFITS AND PROTECTIONS 
OFFERED TO DOMESTIC VICTIMS OF HUMAN 
TRAFFICKING. 
Section 107(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (F), as sub-
paragraph (G);
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (G), as sub-
paragraph (H); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(F) NO REQUIREMENT OF OFFICIAL CER-
TIFICATION FOR UNITED STATES CITIZENS AND 
LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENTS.—Nothing in 
this section may be construed to require United 
States citizens or lawful permanent residents 
who are victims of severe forms of trafficking to 
obtain an official certification from the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services in order 
to access any of the specialized services de-
scribed in this subsection or any other Federal 
benefits and protections to which they are oth-
erwise entitled.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives January 27, 
2015. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 181 
AN ACT 
To provide justice for the victims of trafficking.