Title: SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to replace the existing Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training (or SOAR to Health and Wellness Training) program with a pilot program that includes the same functions and additional initiatives. The pilot program must train health care providers and other related providers to: (1) identify potential human trafficking victims, (2) work with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with such victims, (3) refer victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations, and (4) provide such victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances.
HHS must report on the number of facilities operating under the pilot program, the number of providers trained through the pilot program, and these numbers for the program operating before the pilot program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 256 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 256

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 1, 2017

  Ms. Heitkamp (for herself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 Representatives 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 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 described 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 facilitate communication 
        with such victims, in accordance with all applicable Federal, 
        State, local, and tribal requirements, including legal 
        confidentiality requirements for patients and health care 
        providers;
            (3) implement proper protocols and procedures for referring 
        such victims to appropriate social or victims service agencies 
        or organizations;
            (4) provide such victims care that is--
                    (A) coordinated;
                    (B) victim centered;
                    (C) culturally relevant;
                    (D) comprehensive;
                    (E) evidence based;
                    (F) gender responsive;
                    (G) age appropriate, with a focus on care for 
                youth; and
                    (H) trauma informed; and
            (5) consider the potential for integrating the training 
        described in paragraphs (1) through (4) with training programs, 
        in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, for victims of 
        domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, 
        child abuse, child neglect, child maltreatment, and child 
        sexual exploitation.
    (c) Functions.--
            (1) In general.--The functions of the pilot program 
        established under subsection (a) shall include the functions of 
        the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness 
        Training program that was operating on the day before the date 
        of enactment of this Act and the authorized initiatives 
        described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Authorized initiatives.--The authorized initiatives of 
        the pilot program established under subsection (a) shall 
        include--
                    (A) engaging stakeholders, including victims 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 diversity in--
                            (i) geography;
                            (ii) the demographics of the population 
                        served;
                            (iii) the predominant types of human 
                        trafficking cases; and
                            (iv) health care provider profiles;
                    (C) providing technical assistance for health 
                education programs to implement nationwide 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 related provider 
                settings.
    (d) Termination.--The pilot program established under subsection 
(a) shall terminate on October 1, 2022.

SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Data Collection.--
            (1) In general.--During each of fiscal years 2019 through 
        2023, the Secretary shall collect data on each of the 
        following:
                    (A) The total number of facilities that were 
                operating under the pilot program established under 
                section 3(a)--
                            (i) during the previous fiscal year; and
                            (ii) before the previous fiscal year.
                    (B) The total number of health care providers and 
                other related providers trained through such pilot 
                program, during each of the periods described in 
                clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (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 before 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 2019 through 2023, the Secretary shall prepare and 
submit to Congress a report on the data collected under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
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