IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 90 
Supporting the observation of ‘‘National Slavery and Human Trafficking 
Prevention Month’’ during January 2019 to promote efforts to prevent, 
eradicate, and raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 30, 2019 
Mr. COSTA (for himself, Mr. OLSON, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mrs. WAGNER, 
Mr. RYAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Mr. LAMBORN) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the observation of ‘‘National Slavery and Human 
Trafficking Prevention Month’’ during January 2019 to 
promote efforts to prevent, eradicate, and raise aware-
ness of human trafficking and modern slavery. 
Whereas because the people of the United States remain com-
mitted to protecting individual freedom, there is a na-
tional imperative to eliminate human trafficking and 
modern slavery, which is commonly considered to mean— 
(1) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, pro-
vision, or obtaining of an individual through the use of 
force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjecting 
that individual to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt 
bondage, or slavery; or 
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(2) the inducement of a commercial sex act by force, 
fraud, or coercion, or in which the individual induced to 
perform that act is younger than 18 years of age; 
Whereas human trafficking is a $150 billion per year global 
industry and is one of the most profitable forms of 
transnational crime with more than 40 million victims 
worldwide; 
Whereas every survivor of sex and labor trafficking has the 
right to be truly recognized and treated as a victim and 
should be treated with the same justice, respect, and dig-
nity as other victims of crime; 
Whereas victims of human trafficking are difficult to identify 
and are subject to manipulation, force, fraud, coercion, 
and abuse; 
Whereas the Department of Justice has reported that human 
trafficking and modern slavery has been reported and in-
vestigated in each of the 50 States and the District of 
Columbia; 
Whereas, in addition to holding perpetrators accountable, the 
Department of Justice also reports on human trafficking, 
developed a national strategic plan to support trafficking 
victims, and funds support services; 
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services 
plays a critical role in identifying and supporting traf-
ficking victims through the Office of Trafficking in Per-
sons with efforts like the National Human Trafficking 
Hotline; 
Whereas, since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hot-
line has identified over 45,000 cases of human traf-
ficking; 
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Whereas in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 
(22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), Congress created the T visa 
program for the victims and families of victims of human 
trafficking; 
Whereas to combat human trafficking and modern slavery in 
the United States and globally, the people of the United 
States, the Federal Government, and State and local gov-
ernments must be— 
(1) aware of the realities of human trafficking and 
modern slavery; and 
(2) dedicated to stopping the horrific enterprise of 
human trafficking and modern slavery; 
Whereas human trafficking victims deserve a trauma-in-
formed approach that integrates the pursuit of justice 
and provision of social services designed to help them es-
cape, and recover from, the physical, mental, emotional, 
and spiritual trauma they endured; 
Whereas Congress recently enacted the Department of Home-
land Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act (Public 
Law 115–125) to unify and coordinate Department of 
Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to address human traf-
ficking; 
Whereas DHS uses a victim-centered approach ‘‘which places 
equal value on the identification and stabilization of vic-
tims and providing immigration relief, as well as the in-
vestigation and prosecution of traffickers’’; 
Whereas the United States should hold accountable all indi-
viduals, groups, organizations, and countries that sup-
port, advance, or commit acts of human trafficking and 
modern slavery; 
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Whereas through education, the United States must also 
work to end human trafficking and modern slavery in all 
forms in the United States and around the world; 
Whereas although laws to prosecute perpetrators of human 
trafficking and to assist and protect victims of human 
trafficking and modern slavery, such as the Abolish 
Human Trafficking Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–392), 
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017 (Public 
Law 115–393), the Trafficking Victims Protection Reau-
thorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–427), the Fred-
erick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Pro-
tection Reauthorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115– 
425), the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), title XII of the Violence Against 
Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Public Law 113– 
4), the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 
2015 (19 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.), the Justice for Victims 
of Trafficking Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–22), and the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 
(Public Law 114–328), have been enacted in the United 
States, it is essential to increase public awareness, par-
ticularly amongst individuals who are most likely to come 
into contact with victims of human trafficking and mod-
ern slavery, regarding conditions and dynamics of human 
trafficking and modern slavery precisely because traf-
fickers use techniques that are designed to severely limit 
self-reporting and evade law enforcement; and 
Whereas the ability to stop the heinous act of human traf-
ficking will take the unified efforts of Congress, Federal 
agencies, State and local governments, State and local 
law enforcement, and nonprofit organizations: Now, 
therefore, be it 
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives sup-
ports— 
(1) observing ‘‘National Slavery and Human 
Trafficking Prevention Month’’ to recognize the vital 
role that the people of the United States have in 
ending human trafficking and modern slavery; 
(2) the coordinated efforts of 17 Federal agen-
cies led by the Department of Homeland Security 
and its Blue Campaign, the Department of Justice, 
and the Department of Health and Human Services; 
(3) urging continued partnerships with State 
and local governments, social service providers, and 
nonprofit organizations to address human trafficking 
with a collaborative, victim-centered approach; and 
(4) all other efforts to prevent, eradicate, and 
raise awareness of human trafficking and modern 
slavery. 
Æ 
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