Title: To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, in Homeland Security Investigations, the Investigators Maintain Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma Program and the Victim Assistance Program.
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
This bill establishes a program within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to provide outreach and training to HSI employees and partners who have been exposed to various forms of trauma in working with victims of human trafficking.
The bill also provides statutory authority for the HSI Victim Assistance Program.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9352 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9352

    To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, in 
Homeland Security Investigations, the Investigators Maintain Purposeful 
     Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma Program and the Victim 
                          Assistance Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 22, 2022

    Mr. Joyce of Ohio (for himself, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Wagner, and Ms. 
   Slotkin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, in 
Homeland Security Investigations, the Investigators Maintain Purposeful 
     Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma Program and the Victim 
                          Assistance Program.

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

SECTION 1. INVESTIGATORS MAINTAIN PURPOSEFUL AWARENESS TO COMBAT 
              TRAFFICKING TRAUMA PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established, in Homeland Security 
Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the 
Investigators Maintain Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking 
Trauma Program (referred to in this Act as the ``IMPACTT Program'').
    (b) Functions.--The IMPACTT Program shall--
            (1) provide outreach and training to Homeland Security 
        Investigations employees and partners who have been exposed to 
        various forms of trauma in working with victims of human 
        trafficking, including--
                    (A) self-awareness training for the relevant 
                employees on recognizing the signs of burnout, 
                compassion fatigue, critical incident stress, traumatic 
                stress, posttraumatic stress, secondary traumatic 
                stress, and vicarious trauma;
                    (B) training material that provides mechanisms for 
                self-care and resilience, and notify of resources 
                available through the U.S. Immigration and Customs 
                Enforcement Employee Assistance Program and other 
                relevant accredited programs, as available; and
                    (C) additional training to first line supervisors 
                of relevant employees on recognizing the signs referred 
                to in subparagraph (A) and the appropriate responses to 
                employees exhibiting such signs;
            (2) include training modules that are carried out by--
                    (A) licensed and accredited clinicians who have 
                been trained on the exposure of various forms of trauma 
                and other stressors experienced in working with 
                victims; and
                    (B) additional subject matter experts, as 
                available; and
            (3) be overseen and coordinated by the Homeland Security 
        Investigations Countering Human Trafficking Center to ensure 
        that--
                    (A) appropriate program materials are distributed;
                    (B) training is offered to all relevant employees; 
                and
                    (C) any needed travel and equipment is provided.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to amounts 
otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there is authorized to be 
appropriated $800,000 for each fiscal year to the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to carry out this subsection.

SEC. 2. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle D of title IV of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 447. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Forensic interview specialist.--The term `forensic 
        interview specialist' is an interview professional who has 
        specialized experience and training in conducting trauma-
        informed forensic interviews with victims of crime.
            ``(2) Victim assistance specialist.--The term `victim 
        assistance specialist' is a victim assistance professional 
        who--
                    ``(A) has experience working with victims of crime 
                in a service capacity; and
                    ``(B) has been trained on the exposure of various 
                forms of trauma and other stressors experienced in 
                working with victims.
    ``(b) In General.--There is established, in Homeland Security 
Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Victim 
Assistance Program.
    ``(c) Functions.--The Victim Assistance Program shall--
            ``(1) provide oversight, guidance, training, travel, 
        equipment, and coordination to victim assistance personnel 
        throughout the United States;
            ``(2) recruit not fewer than--
                    ``(A) 1 forensic interview specialist and 1 victim 
                assistance specialist for each Homeland Security 
                Investigations Special Agent in Charge office; and
                    ``(B) 1 victim assistance specialist for--
                            ``(i) every Homeland Security 
                        Investigations office participating in a human 
                        trafficking task force;
                            ``(ii) every Homeland Security 
                        Investigations regional attache office; and
                            ``(iii) every Homeland Security 
                        Investigations office participating in a child 
                        sexual exploitation task force;
            ``(3) provide training regarding victims' rights, victim-
        related policies, roles of forensic interviewers and victim 
        assistance specialists, and an approach that is--
                    ``(A) victim-centered;
                    ``(B) trauma-informed; and
                    ``(C) linguistically appropriate; and
            ``(4) provide sufficient funding for emergency expenditures 
        to purchase items needed to assist identified victims, 
        including food, clothing, hygiene products, transportation, and 
        temporary shelter that is not otherwise provided by a 
        nongovernmental organization.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $25,000,000 for each fiscal year to carry out this 
section.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--The Homeland Security Act 
of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) is amended--
            (1) in section 1(b) (6 U.S.C. 101 note)--
                    (A) by striking the item relating to section 442 
                and inserting the following:

``Sec. 442. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.'';
                and
                    (B) by inserting after the item relating to section 
                446 the following:

``Sec. 447. Homeland Security Investigations Victim Assistance 
                            Program.'';
            (2) in section 442--
                    (A) by amending the section heading to read as 
                follows: ``u.s. immigration and customs enforcement'';
                    (B) by striking ``bureau'' each place such term 
                appears (except in subsection (a)(1)) and inserting 
                ``agency'';
                    (C) by striking ``the Bureau of Border Security'' 
                each place such term appears and inserting ``U.S. 
                Immigration and Customs Enforcement'';
                    (D) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                        ``of Bureau'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking 
                        ``affecting the Bureau of'' and inserting 
                        ``affecting U.S.''; and
                            (iii) in paragraph (4), by striking ``the 
                        Bureau.'' and inserting ``the agency.''; and
                    (E) in subsection (b)(2)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by striking ``Bureau of Border Security'' 
                        and inserting ``U.S. Immigration and Customs 
                        Enforcement''; and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``the 
                        Bureau of'' before ``Citizenship and 
                        Immigration Services'' and inserting ``U.S.''; 
                        and
            (3) in section 443(2), by striking ``such bureau'' and 
        inserting ``such agency''.

SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
submit a report to Congress that identifies, with respect to the 
reporting period--
            (1) the number of trainings that were provided through the 
        IMPACTT Program and the number of personnel who received such 
        training; and
            (2) the number of potential human trafficking victims who 
        were assisted by the Homeland Security Investigations Victim 
        Assistance Program.
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