Combating Human Trafficking Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-529
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Crime victims
Crimes against children
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Domestic violence and child abuse
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Housing and community development funding
Human trafficking
Law enforcement administration and funding
Sex offenses

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Combating Human Trafficking Act of 2015

 

Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act of 2015

 
Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act with respect to grants to states, localities, and private entities to carry out research, evaluation, demonstration, and service projects regarding activities designed to increase knowledge concerning, and to improve services for, runaway youth and homeless youth.
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give priority to proposed projects relating to staff training in:
 
 
the behavioral and emotional effects of severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking,
 
responding to youth who are showing effects of severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking, and
 
agency-wide strategies for working with runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking. 
 
 
Extends the Secretary's authority to make grants to nonprofit private agencies for the purpose of providing street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street youth, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual exploitation. Extends the scope of such grants also to street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street youth, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking.
 
Amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to include among the required uses of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's annual grant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children operation of a cyber tipline to provide online users and electronic service providers an effective means of reporting Internet-related child sexual exploitation in the area of child sex trafficking, including child prostitution (currently, in the area of child prostitution).
 

Human Trafficking Prevention and Recovery Act of 2015

 
Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to review trafficking in persons in the United States.
 
Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on: (1) the efforts of federal and state law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking in the United States, and (2) each federal grant program one of whose purposes is to combat human trafficking or assist victims of trafficking.
 
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to include programs that provide housing to victims of trafficking among grant-receiving state, local, and tribal service programs for victims of trafficking.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S997-998)
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate