Human Trafficking Survivors Relief and Empowerment Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-642
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2015-03-03
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Crime victims

Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Criminal justice information and records

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Human trafficking

Immigration status and procedures

Judicial procedure and administration

Law enforcement administration and funding

Right of privacy
Latest action: action_date: 2015-03-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-03
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Human Trafficking Survivors Relief and Empowerment Act of 2015</strong></p> <p>Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General to give preferential consideration for a public safety and community policing grant to an applicant in a state that has in effect a law that:</p> <ul> <li> provides a process by which an individual who is a human trafficking survivor can move to vacate any arrest or conviction records for prostitution or any other non-violent offense committed as a direct result of human trafficking; </li> <li> establishes a rebuttable presumption that any arrest or conviction of an individual for an offense associated with human trafficking is a result of being trafficked, if the individual has been granted nonimmigrant status as a victim of severe form of human trafficking, is the subject of a certification by the Secretary of Health and Human Services as willing to assist in an investigation and prosecution of severe forms of trafficking in persons, or has other similar documentation of trafficking issued by a federal agency;</li> <li>protects the identity of individuals who are human trafficking survivors in public and court records; and </li> <li>does not require an individual who is a human trafficking survivor to provide official documentation as described in this Act in order to receive protection under the law.</li> </ul> <p>Authorizes the Legal Services Corporation and the recipients of its funding to provide legal services on behalf a human trafficking survivor applying for a motion to vacate under such a state law.</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 642 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 3, 2015 Mrs. Shaheen introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To aid human trafficking victims' recovery and rehabilitation.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Human Trafficking Survivors Relief and Empowerment Act of 2015 . 2. Protections for human trafficking survivors (a) Grant program Section 1701(c) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3796dd(c) ) is amended by striking where feasible and all that follows, and inserting the following: where feasible, to an application— (1) for hiring and rehiring additional career law enforcement officers that involves a non-Federal contribution exceeding the 25 percent minimum under subsection (g); or (2) from an applicant in a State that has in effect a law— (A) that— (i) provides a process by which an individual who is human trafficking survivor can move to vacate any arrest or conviction records for prostitution or any other non-violent offense committed as a direct result of human trafficking; (ii) establishes a rebuttable presumption that any arrest or conviction of an individual for an offense associated with human trafficking is a result of being trafficked, if the individual— (I) is a person granted nonimmigrant status pursuant to section 101(a)(15)(T)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(T)(i) ); (II) is the subject of a certification by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 107(b)(1)(E) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 ( 22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(E) ); or (III) has other similar documentation of trafficking, which has been issued by a Federal agency; and (iii) protects the identity of individuals who are human trafficking survivors in public and court records; and (B) that does not require an individual who is a human trafficking survivor to provide official documentation as described in subclause (I), (II), or (III) of subparagraph (A)(ii) in order to receive protection under the law. . (b) Legal services for human trafficking survivors Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Legal Services Corporation and the recipients of its funding may provide legal services on behalf a human trafficking survivor applying for a motion to vacate under a State law described in paragraph (2) of section 1701(c) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3796dd(c) ), as added by subsection (a).