I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 767 
To establish the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness 
Training pilot program to address human trafficking in the health care 
system. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 31, 2017 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. KINZINGER, Mr. CA´RDENAS, and Mrs. WAGNER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health 
and Wellness Training pilot program to address human 
trafficking in the health care system. 
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 ‘‘SOAR to Health and 
Wellness Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) HUMAN TRAFFICKING.—The term ‘‘human 
trafficking’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘severe 
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forms of trafficking in persons’’ as defined in section 
103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102). 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
pilot program to be known as ‘‘Stop, Observe, Ask, and 
Respond to Health and Wellness Training’’ (or ‘‘SOAR 
to Health and Wellness Training’’) (referred to in this Act 
as the ‘‘pilot program’’), to provide training to health care 
providers and other related providers, at all levels, on 
human trafficking in accordance with the purpose de-
scribed in subsection (b). 
(b) PURPOSE.—The pilot program established under 
subsection (a) shall train health care providers and other 
related providers to enable such providers to— 
(1) identify potential human trafficking victims; 
(2) implement proper protocols and procedures 
for working with law enforcement to report, and fa-
cilitate communication with, such victims, in accord-
ance with all applicable Federal, State, local, and 
tribal requirements, including legal confidentiality 
requirements for patients and health care providers; 
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that was operating on the day before the date of en-
actment of this Act and the authorized initiatives de-
scribed in paragraph (2). 
(2) AUTHORIZED INITIATIVES.—The authorized 
initiatives of the pilot program established under 
subsection (a) shall include— 
(A) engaging stakeholders, including vic-
tims of human trafficking and any Federal, 
State, local, or tribal partners, to develop a 
flexible training module— 
(i) for achieving the purpose described 
in subsection (b); and 
(ii) that adapts to changing needs, 
settings, health care providers, and other 
related providers; 
(B) making grants available to support 
training in health care sites that represent di-
versity in— 
(i) geography; 
(ii) the demographics of the popu-
lation served; 
(iii) the predominant types of human 
trafficking cases; and 
(iv) health care provider profiles; 
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(C) providing technical assistance for 
health education programs to implement nation-
wide health care protocol, or develop continuing 
education training materials, that assist in 
achieving the purpose described in subsection 
(b); 
(D) developing a strategy to incentivize the 
utilization of training materials developed under 
subparagraph (C) and the implementation of 
nationwide health care protocol described in 
such subparagraph, as the Secretary determines 
appropriate; and 
(E) developing a reliable methodology for 
collecting data, and reporting such data, on the 
number of human trafficking victims identified 
and served in health care settings or other re-
lated provider settings. 
(d) TERMINATION.—The pilot program established 
under subsection (a) shall terminate on October 1, 2022. 
SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING REQUIRE-
MENTS. 
(a) DATA COLLECTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During each of fiscal years 
2018 through 2023, the Secretary shall collect data 
on each of the following: 
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(A) The total number of facilities that 
were operating under the pilot program estab-
lished under section 3(a)— 
(i) during the previous fiscal year; and 
(ii) before the previous fiscal year. 
(B) The total number of health care pro-
viders and other related providers trained 
through such pilot program during each of the 
periods described in clauses (i) and (ii) of sub-
paragraph (A). 
(2) INITIAL REPORT.—In addition to the data 
required to be collected under paragraph (1), for 
purposes of the initial report to be submitted under 
subsection (b), the Secretary shall collect data on 
the total number of facilities that were operating 
under, and the total number of health care providers 
and other related providers trained through, the 
Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and 
Wellness Training program that was operating be-
fore the establishment of the pilot program under 
section 3(a). 
(b) REPORTING.—Not later than 90 days after the 
first day of each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023, the 
Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress a report 
on the data collected under subsection (a). 
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SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022. 
Æ 
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