HOTEL Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.9217 | Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. (R-NJ)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Halting Of Trafficking and Exploitation in Lodging Act of 2022 or the HOTEL Act of 2022
This bill requires federal agencies to ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that commercial accommodations for agency employees are booked with a hotel or motel that enforces a zero-tolerance policy regarding severe forms of trafficking in persons.

To amend title 5, United States Code, to establish a priority for 
accommodation in places with policies relating to severe forms of human 
                  trafficking, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Halting Of Trafficking and 
Exploitation in Lodging Act of 2022'' or the ``HOTEL Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. PRIORITY FOR ACCOMMODATION IN PLACES WITH POLICIES RELATING TO 
              SEVERE FORMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 5712. Priority for accommodation in places with certain policies 
              relating to severe forms of human trafficking
    ``(a) In General.--For the purpose of making payments under this 
chapter for lodging expenses, each agency shall ensure that, to the 
greatest extent practicable, commercial-lodging room nights in the 
United States for employees of that agency are booked in a preferred 
place of accommodation.
    ``(b) Eligibility as a Preferred Place of Accommodation.--To be 
considered a preferred place of accommodation for the purposes of this 
section, a hotel or motel shall--
            ``(1) enforce a zero-tolerance policy regarding severe 
        forms of trafficking in persons (as defined in section 103(11) 
        of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
        7102(11))) made available by the Administrator of General 
        Services under subsection (c)(1), or a similar zero-tolerance 
        policy developed by the place of accommodation, demonstrated 
        by--
                    ``(A) posting such policy in a nonpublic space 
                within the place of accommodation that is accessible by 
                all employees; or
                    ``(B) including such policy in the employee 
                handbook;
            ``(2) have procedures in place, not later than 180 days 
        after the date of the enactment of this section, for employees 
        to identify and report any such exploitation according to 
        protocol identified in the employee training based on training 
        materials developed under subsection (c)(3) to the appropriate 
        law enforcement authorities, management of the preferred 
        accommodation, or the National Human Trafficking Hotline;
            ``(3) post the informational materials made available under 
        subsection (c)(3) in an appropriate nonpublic space within the 
        place of accommodation that is accessible by all employees;
            ``(4) review and update, as necessary, the zero-tolerance 
        policy, procedures, and informational materials at least every 
        two years prior to the due date for self-certifications;
            ``(5) require each employee who is physically located at 
        the place of accommodation and who is likely to interact with 
        guests, including security, front desk, housekeeping, room 
        service, and bell staff, to complete the training developed 
        under subsection (c)(2), or a training developed pursuant to 
        subsection (d), that shall--
                    ``(A) take place not later than 90 days after the 
                starting date of the new employee, or in the case of an 
                employee hired before the effective date of this 
                section, not later than 90 days after the date of 
                enactment of this section;
                    ``(B) include refresher trainings every two years; 
                and
                    ``(C) include training on the identification of 
                possible cases of sexual exploitation of children and 
                procedures to report suspected abuse to the appropriate 
                authorities;
            ``(6) include a notice to all independent contractors in 
        any agreement affecting a property in the United States 
        negotiated or renewed on or after the date of enactment of this 
        section that states the following: `Federal law prohibits the 
        trafficking of humans under the Trafficking Victims Protection 
        Act (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).'; and
            ``(7) ensure that the place of accommodation does not 
        retaliate against employees for reporting suspected cases of 
        such exploitation if reported according to protocol identified 
        in the employee training.
    ``(c) GSA Requirements.--The Administrator of General Services 
shall--
            ``(1) make available on the website of the General Services 
        Administration, an up-to-date model zero tolerance policy for 
        places of accommodation regarding severe forms of trafficking 
        in persons (as defined in section 103(11) of the Trafficking 
        Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. (11))), including 
        informational materials regarding such policy to be posted in 
        places of accommodation in nonpublic spaces;
            ``(2) make available on the website of the General Services 
        Administration an up-to-date list of Department of Homeland 
        Security, Department of Justice, and Department of State and 
        privately produced training programs that address the 
        identification of severe forms of human trafficking and 
        reporting to law enforcement authorities or the National Human 
        Trafficking Hotline;
            ``(3) in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland 
        Security's Blue Campaign, make available up-to-date training 
        materials on preventing severe forms of human trafficking and 
        informational materials to be posted in nonpublic spaces in 
        places of accommodation on spotting the signs of severe forms 
        of human trafficking and reporting possible incidences of such 
        exploitation, except that the Administrator shall permit the 
        use of substantially similar training materials or 
        informational materials required by State or local law on 
        identifying the signs of human trafficking and reporting 
        possible incidences of such exploitation in lieu of materials 
        developed under this paragraph; and
            ``(4) maintain a list of each preferred place of 
        accommodation that meets the requirements of subsection (b), 
        beginning by examining places of accommodation that are--
                    ``(A) participating in government lodging programs 
                such as FedRooms (or successor system);
                    ``(B) included on the FEMA Fire Safe List; or
                    ``(C) otherwise known to have received government 
                travel business in the 2 years prior to enactment of 
                this section.
    ``(d) Training Programs.--A place of accommodation or lodging 
company may use a training program developed or acquired by such place 
of accommodation or company to satisfy the requirements of subsection 
(b)(4) if such training program--
            ``(1) focuses on identifying and reporting suspected cases 
        of severe forms of human trafficking; and
            ``(2) was developed in consultation with State governments, 
        survivor leaders, survivor-led anti-trafficking organization, 
        or a nationally recognized organization with expertise in anti-
        trafficking initiatives.
    ``(e) Previously Trained Employees.--
            ``(1) Training prior to effective date.--Any employee of a 
        place of accommodation who has been trained to identify and 
        report potential cases of severe forms of human trafficking 
        during the 2-year period ending on the date of the enactment of 
        this section shall be considered to have met the training 
        requirement in subsection (b)(4) with respect to any employment 
        at that place of accommodation or at any other place of 
        accommodation managed by the same entity.
            ``(2) Training prior to a transfer of employment.--Any 
        employee of a place of accommodation who has met the training 
        requirements under subsection (b)(4) shall be considered to 
        have met such requirements with respect to any employment at a 
        place of accommodation managed by the same entity if such 
        training occurred during the 2-year period ending on the date 
        of the enactment of this section.
    ``(f) Property-by-Property Implementation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each preferred place of accommodation 
        shall self-certify (in writing) to the Administrator of General 
        Services that such place is in compliance with the requirements 
        of this section. Such self-certification shall occur every 2 
        years beginning on the date of the enactment of this section. 
        The Administrator shall--
                    ``(A) provide notice to each place of accommodation 
                regarding any self-certification required under this 
                subsection not later than the date that is 90 days 
                before the due date of such self-certification; and
                    ``(B) report to the Committee on Oversight and 
                Reform of the House of Representatives and the 
                Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
                of the Senate, not later than 2 years after the date of 
                the enactment of this section and every two years 
                thereafter--
                            ``(i) each preferred places of 
                        accommodation that submitted and did not submit 
                        their self-certifications in the preceding 2 
                        years; and
                            ``(ii) the corresponding total numbers of 
                        nights the government paid for Federal 
                        employees in self-certified preferred places of 
                        accommodation compared to preferred places of 
                        accommodation that did not report self-
                        certification to the Administrator of General 
                        Services.
            ``(2) Group certification.--A person or entity that manages 
        or franchises multiple places of accommodation may provide a 
        single notice with respect to self-certification under 
        subsection (a) that each such place is in compliance with this 
        section.
    ``(g) Statutory Construction.--No provision in this section that 
applies to an employee of a place of accommodation shall be construed 
to apply to an individual who is an independent contractor or otherwise 
not directly employed by a place of accommodation, unless the contract 
is for housekeeping, security, front desk, room service, or bell staff, 
in which case it shall be the responsibility of the service provider to 
ensure compliance with the requirements set forth in this section.
    ``(h) Regulations Required.--The Administrator of General Services 
shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this 
section.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Section 5712(a) of title 5, United States Code 
(as added by subsection (a)), shall take effect 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subchapter I of 
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new item:

``5712. Priority for accommodation in places with certain policies 
                            relating to severe forms of human 
                            trafficking.''.
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