zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Coordinated Assistance To Catch Human Traffickers Act of 2015 or the CATCH Traffickers Act of 2015

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish and maintain a database to serve as a central location for information from law enforcement agency investigations relating to human trafficking.

Requires: (1) the head of a law enforcement agency conducting such an investigation to ensure that information the Secretary determines to be appropriate is entered into the database, and (2) the Attorney General to reduce by 20% the amount of a grant under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program received by a state or local government the law enforcement agency of which does not substantially comply with such requirement.

Permits law enforcement agencies to access the database only in connection with an investigation related to human trafficking.

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2015

 (Sec. 2) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to give preferential consideration in awarding Community Oriented Police Services grants to an application from an applicant in a state that has in effect a law that: (1) treats a minor who has engaged in, or has attempted to engage in, a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons; (2) discourages the charging or prosecution of such individual for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense based on such conduct; and (3) encourages the diversion of such an individual to appropriate service providers, including child welfare services, victim treatment programs, child advocacy centers, rape crisis centers, or other social services.

 (Sec. 3) Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) to require the Attorney General's annual report on federal agencies that are implementing provisions relating to the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to include information on the activities of such agencies in cooperation with state, tribal, and local law enforcement officials to identify, investigate, and prosecute: (1) sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion or with a minor; (2) sexual exploitation of children; (3) the selling and buying of children; (4) transportation with intent that the victim engage in illegal sexual activity; (5) coercion or enticement to travel for illegal sexual activity; and (6) transportation of minors for illegal sexual activity.

 (Sec. 4) Amends the VTVPA to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, annually beginning in FY2017, to make grants for a national communication system to assist victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons in communicating with service providers.

(Sec. 5) Amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons among those eligible for the Job Corps without being required to demonstrate low-income eligibility.

(Sec. 6) Amends the federal judicial code to authorize the United States Marshals Service to assist state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies, upon request, in locating and recovering missing children.

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make an alien who commits or conspires to commit a single human trafficking offense (under current law, more than one offense), or assists a trafficker, ineligible for U.S. admission.

Makes the spouse, son, or daughter of such an inadmissible alien also permanently inadmissible if he or she has obtained a financial or other benefit from that alien's illicit activity, regardless of when the benefit was obtained, and knew that the benefit was the product of such illicit activity.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Immigration
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015

Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to conduct a review that: (1) surveys federal and state activities to deter individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to prevent children from becoming trafficking victims; (2) surveys academic literature on deterring individuals from committing trafficking offenses, preventing children from becoming trafficking victims, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; and (3) identifies best practices and strategies to deter such actions.

Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding: (1) federal and state law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States, and (2) information on each relevant federal grant program.

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize grants for programs that provide housing assistance to victims of trafficking.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Human Trafficking Prevention Act

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require training for federal government personnel related to trafficking in persons to include at a minimum:

 a distance learning course on trafficking-in-persons issues and the Department of State's obligations under the Act, targeted for embassy reporting officers, regional bureaus' trafficking-in-persons coordinators, and their superiors; specific trafficking-in-persons briefings for all ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission before they depart for their posts; and at least annual reminders to all such personnel and other federal personnel at each diplomatic or consular post of the Department of State located outside the United States of key problems, threats, methods, and warning signs of trafficking in persons specific to the country or jurisdiction in which each such post is located, and appropriate procedures to report information acquired about possible trafficking cases.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) Requires the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to award one medical or nursing school a grant to develop best practices for health care professionals to recognize and respond appropriately to victims of severe forms of human trafficking.

Requires the grantee to: (1) develop methods or materials to train health care professionals on best practices, (2) make a subgrant to one entity in each of the 10 administrative regions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a pilot program to test the best practices and training, and (3) analyze the results of the pilot programs and determine which best practices are evidence-based.

Directs HHS to disseminate evidence-based best practices on their website and to health care profession schools.

Date: 2015-01-16
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Health
Trafficking Prevention in Foreign Affairs Contracting Act

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to report to Congress regarding:

 a definition of "placement and recruitment fees" for purposes of complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, including a description of what fee components and amounts are prohibited or are permissible for contractors or their agents to charge workers; how such definition will be incorporated into grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and contracting practices so as to apply to the actions of grantees, subgrantees, contractors, subcontractors, labor recruiters, brokers, or other agents; and a description of actions taken during the 180-day period preceding the submission of the report and planned to be taken during the following year to better ensure that the responsible officials include the prevention of trafficking in persons in monitoring such grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements and contracting practices.

Date: 2015-01-16
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015

 (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement a program to: (1) train relevant Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other DHS personnel on how to effectively deter, detect, and disrupt human trafficking and interdict suspected perpetrators during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities; and (2) ensure that such personnel regularly receive current information on matters related to the detection of human trafficking.

Permits training to be conducted through in-class or virtual learning capabilities. Requires such training to include:

 methods for identifying suspected victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, methods for approaching a suspected victim in a manner that is sensitive to the victim and not likely to alert a perpetrator, training that is most appropriate for a particular location or environment, and a post-training evaluation of trainees. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary: (1) to reassess the training program annually; (2) within one year after enactment of this Act, to certify to the appropriate congressional committees that all such personnel have successfully completed the required training; and (3) to report annually on the overall effectiveness of the training program and on the number of human trafficking cases reported by DHS personnel and the number confirmed.

(Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary, upon request, to provide training curricula to assist any state, local, or tribal government or private organization in establishing its program.

Date: 2015-01-21
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Survivors of Human Trafficking Empowerment Act

 Establishes the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, which shall provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President's Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Directs the Council to: (1) meet at least annually to review federal government policy and programs intended to combat human trafficking, (2) formulate assessments and recommendations to ensure that U.S. policy and programming efforts conform to best practices in the field of human trafficking prevention, and (3) meet with the Group at least annually to present the Council's findings and recommendations.

Date: 2015-01-22
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Human Trafficking Prioritization Act

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking of the Department of State will be more effective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and can do so without an increase in either personnel or budget, if: (1) the Office status is changed to that of a Bureau within the Department; and (2) the Office is headed by an Assistant Secretary with direct access to the Secretary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at-Large.

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to change the status of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to that of the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Directs the Secretary to report to Congress:

 detailing for each current Assistant Secretary of State position the exact title and length of designation as Assistant Secretary, and whether that designation was legislatively mandated or authorized and, if so, the relevant statutory citation; and whether the Secretary intends to designate one of the Assistant Secretary of State positions as the Assistant Secretary of State to Combat Trafficking in Persons, and the reasons for that decision. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to prohibit subsequent inclusion for more than one consecutive year on the special watch list of countries whose compliance with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking is full, partial, or insignificant if the country:

 was included on the list for four consecutive years after enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and was subsequently included on the exclusive Tier 3 list of countries not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with such standards. States that no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated for diplomatic and consular programs to carry out this Act.

Date: 2015-01-22
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to declare that, in determining whether a government has made serious and sustained efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts and participation in international sex tourism by its nationals, pursuant to the minimum standards for the elimination of sex trafficking, if such government has the authority to prohibit the purchase of commercial sex acts but fails to do so, it shall be deemed a failure to make serious and sustained efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, notwithstanding other efforts the government has made to do so.

Date: 2015-01-28
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 

 Directs the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against any foreign person (or entity) who:

 is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in any foreign country, especially those persons seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials, or to obtain, exercise, or promote human rights and freedoms; acted as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign person in such activities; is a government official (or senior associate of such official) responsible for, or complicit in, ordering or otherwise directing acts of significant corruption or the facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of corruption to foreign jurisdictions; or has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities. Prescribes related penalties.

Authorizes the President, with regard to such sanctions, to:

 waive their application, with prior congressional notification, if in U.S. national security interests; and terminate them under specified conditions. States that sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters, or other applicable international obligations of the United States.

Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition.

 Directs the Comptroller General to assess for Congress: (1) the process to determine whether a foreign person has engaged in a sanctionable activity, whether sanctions should be imposed, and whether the identity of a sanctioned foreign person should be classified; and (2) implementation of this Act.

Date: 2015-01-30
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Zero Tolerance for FGM Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to report on the development and implementation of a strategy that:

 ensures individuals who encounter minors at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) are fully prepared to take action to prevent the practice; ensures individuals subjected to FGM can seek necessary services; provides for updating Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates of the prevalence of FGM or female circumcision; and provides for a public awareness campaign, so that the public understands how to help individuals at risk of FGM and address the needs of individuals subjected to FGM.

Date: 2015-02-05
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Health
Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2015 

 Directs the Secretary of State to submit an annual, publicly-available report to Congress containing: (1) an assessment of the level of access Chinese authorities granted U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to Tibetan areas in China; (2) a list of the persons in senior leadership positions in Tibet Autonomous Region and other specified provinces, prefectures, and autonomous entities; and (3) a list of the persons in senior leadership positions at the national and regional levels as defined by this Act.

Makes certain listed persons ineligible for U.S entry under specified circumstances.

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) reciprocity forms the basis of diplomatic law and the practice of mutual exchanges between countries; (2) consular access should be given on a reciprocal basis; and (3) the Secretary, when granting Chinese diplomats access to parts of the United States, should take into account the extent to which China grants U.S. diplomats access to parts of China, including the level of access to Tibetan areas.

Date: 2015-02-26
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015

 Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to sex trafficking of children, to: (1) subject to criminal prosecution buyers, as well as sellers, of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims; (2) provide that in prosecutions of sex trafficking crimes, the government is not required to prove that a sex trafficking defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that a victim was under age 18; (3) equalize the period of supervised release for sex trafficking offenders convicted of conspiracy; (4) expand wiretap authority for investigating crimes related to sex trafficking, including slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor; (5) grant crime victims the right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea agreement or deferred prosecution agreement; and (6) require an appellate court to apply ordinary standards of review in reviewing appeals filed by crime victims.   

Requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prepare and report annually on: (1) the rates of arrests by state law enforcement officers for sex trafficking crimes involving buyers of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims, and (2) prosecutions and convictions for such crimes in state courts.

Directs the Attorney General to ensure that: (1) DOJ anti-human trafficking training programs, including programs for law enforcement officers, include technical training on effective methods for investigating and prosecuting individuals who obtain, patronize, or solicit a commercial sex act involving a person subject to severe forms of human trafficking and on facilitating the provision of physical and mental health services by health care providers to persons subject to severe forms of human trafficking; (2) federal law enforcement officers are engaged in activities, programs, or operations involving the detection, investigation, and prosecution of such offenses; and (3) DOJ anti-human trafficking programs for U.S. attorneys or other federal prosecutors include training on seeking restitution for peonage, slavery, and human trafficking offenses to ensure that each such attorney, upon obtaining a conviction for such an offense, requests a specific amount of restitution for each victim without regard to whether the victim requests it. Requires the Federal Judicial Center to provide training to judges relating to the application of mandatory restitution provisions regarding ordering restitution for victims of such offenses.

Date: 2015-03-02
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Human Trafficking Fraud Enforcement Act of 2015

 Directs the Department of the Treasury to establish within the Internal Revenue Service an office to investigate and prosecute violations of internal revenue laws by persons that appear to be engaged in violations of specified federal laws prohibiting forced labor, trafficking of individuals, and transportation of minors or aliens for immoral purposes and of state or territorial laws prohibiting the promotion of prostitution or of any commercial sex act. Directs such office to cooperate with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice and the Innocence Lost National Initiative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Allows victims of human trafficking crimes to claim awards allowed for whistleblowing.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase civil and criminal penalties for tax evasion attributable to income derived from human trafficking and commercial sex acts. Makes it a felony to fail to file a tax return including income derived from human trafficking or commercial sex acts. Appropriates to the Crime Victims Fund additional funds equal to the increase in receipts from increased civil and criminal penalties provided by this Act.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Taxation
Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2015

 Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include violations of religious freedom by non-state actors in the annual Department of State report to Congress on international religious freedom.

Requires the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings on specified Department and U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports concerning the status of religious freedom.

Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require Foreign Service officers to receive training about the religious demography, status of religious freedom, and U.S. strategies for advancing religious freedom in their country of posting.

Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) transmit to specified congressional committees certain lists of persons imprisoned, detained, or placed under house arrest; and (2) report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to promote the goals of religious freedom and religious engagement.

Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress after the date on which the President designates countries as a country of particular concern for religious freedom on the lack of the President's designation of Pakistan and and any other countries recommended for such designation by the Commission.

Directs the President to take specified actions in response to violations of religious freedom by non-state actors.

Authorizes certain funds for democracy programs to be used to implement innovative uses of the Internet and other electronic methods to support freedom of religion or belief abroad.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
International Violence Against Women Act of 2015

Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.

Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to: (1) develop or update annually for five years (after the 2012 United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally which shall be deemed to be the first required strategy) a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, and (2) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy.

Directs the Ambassador-at-Large and Senior Coordinator to: (1) include in each strategy an analysis of best practices for preventing and addressing violence against women and girls internationally; and (2) develop a plan for monitoring programs, projects, and activities carried out under this Act.

Date: 2015-03-06
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Cuba Human Rights Act of 2015

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that:

 the United States-Cuba relationship should not be changed, nor should any federal law or regulation be amended, until the government of Cuba ceases violating the human rights of the people of Cuba; the United States should overcome the jamming of radio and television signals of the Radio y Television Marti by the government of Cuba, and that the Broadcasting Board of Governors should not cut staffing, funding, or broadcast hours for Radio y Television Marti; if certain human rights conditions are not met the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) should oppose and encourage other U.N. members to oppose Cuba's continued membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council; and the annual trafficking victims report to Congress should include an in-depth analysis of the facilitation of or involvement in severe forms of human trafficking by any official of the government of Cuba or of companies wholly or partially owned by the government of Cuba. Nothing in this Act may be construed as:

 prohibiting the donation of food to nongovernmental organizations or individuals in Cuba; restricting the export of medicine or medical supplies to Cuba, or abrogating any requirement that such exports be verified in conformity with the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 or any other applicable federal law; or prohibiting or restricting any other form of assistance specified in the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, including telecommunications, mail, and support for democracy.

Date: 2015-04-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2015

Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as an independent federal government advisory body through FY2021.

Requires the USCIRF as a whole to have expertise on the variety of faiths practiced around the world.

Requires appointments to the USCIRF to be made within 90 days of a vacancy. Removes authority under which a USCIRF member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office.

Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require the Secretary of State to receive assistance from the USCIRF when establishing training for Foreign Service officers in the field of internationally recognized human rights, including instruction regarding the relationship between religious freedom and security, as well as the role of religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy.

Encourages the Department of State to allow classified information to be accessed by USCIRF Commissioners and staff with the appropriate security clearance.

Requires discrimination on the basis of religion to be treated as a category of employment discrimination for purposes of the employment protections for USCIRF employees.

Revises restrictions on the USCIRF's acceptance of gifts and donations to permit sponsoring private parties to provide compensation and benefits to interns, fellows, and volunteers. Requires the number, duration, and funding source of any such internship, fellowship, or volunteer programs to be described in the USCIRF's annual financial report.

Date: 2015-04-27
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Girls Count Act of 2015

Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) support programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls in gaining passport access and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, economic opportunities, and inheritance rights for women.

 Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to cooperate with multilateral organizations and private sector and civil society organizations to promote such programs.

Date: 2015-04-29
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
World Press Freedom Protection Act of 2015

This bill authorizes the President to impose U.S. admissibility sanctions against a foreign person who:

 is responsible for severe restrictions on the freedom of expression or freedom of the press; or has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such an activity. The President may waive such sanctions if in U.S. national security interests, and terminate them under specified conditions.

Sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters or other applicable international obligations of the United States.

The President shall report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, and the dates and reason for the imposition of any sanctions.

It should be U.S. policy to respond strongly to the growing number of restrictions, arrests, killings, and visa delays or denials faced by foreign journalists and their domestic employees.

An executive of a foreign state-owned media organization who is applying for a nonimmigrant I-visa (foreign media representative) shall be refused the visa if any U.S. journalist or news organization personnel were expelled, had visas denied, or faced violence in the course of working in such foreign state during the previous fiscal year.

Annual country reports of human rights practices under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall now include information about the country's practices with respect to foreign journalists and their domestic personnel.

It is the sense of Congress that:

 restrictions on journalists and media websites and Internet censorship are significant foreign trade barriers; the United States Trade Representative should include a list of blocked U.S. websites in its annual report on foreign trade barriers; and the United States should pursue disputes to end foreign blockage of U.S. websites at the World Trade Organization.

Date: 2015-05-05
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Global Respect Act

Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person.

Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver.

Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.

Date: 2015-05-15
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
China Human Rights Protection Act of 2015

 Directs the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against a national of China who:

 is responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in China, particularly those who seek to exercise, defend, or promote internationally recognized human rights and freedoms; acted as an agent of or on behalf of a national of China in such activities; or has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities. Authorizes the President, with regard to such sanctions, to:

 waive their application, with prior congressional notification, if in U.S. national security interests; and terminate them under specified conditions. States that sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters, or other applicable international obligations of the United States.

 Declares that the Secretary of State shall seek to provide for the establishment of, and provide funding for, a nongovernmental China Human Rights Documentation Center to:

 compile, publish, and archive evidence of nationals of China who commit gross violations of internationally recognized human rights against individuals in China, and against others seeking to expand freedoms in China; and establish an online and searchable database, in English and in Chinese of evidence of such violations for research and educational purposes. Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition.

 Directs the Government Accountability Office to assess for Congress:

 the process to determine whether a foreign person has engaged in a sanctionable activity, whether sanctions should be imposed, and whether the identity of a sanctioned foreign person should be classified; and implementation of this Act.

Date: 2015-06-02
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2015

Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize FY2016-FY2017 appropriations to:

 the Department of Health and Human Services for grants to domestic treatment centers for the costs of services in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of both physical and psychological effects), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs; and the President for grants to foreign treatment centers and programs for activities designed to treat victims for the physical and psychological effects of torture. Directs the U.S. Agency for International Development to support indigenous foreign treatment centers and programs for torture victims in order to increase their capacities to train other local health care providers.

Date: 2015-06-24
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Further Independence of Religion for Security and Tolerance Freedom Act of 2015 or the FIRST Freedom Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that:

 the protection and promotion of international human rights, including religious freedom, should be an important U.S. priority; and the United States should pursue new strategies to deter and punish the perpetrators of severe violations of religious freedom, including non-state actors, and to protect the victims of such violations. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to authorize the Department of State to designate refugee groups:

 whose resettlement in the United States is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest; and who share common characteristics that identify them as targets of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or having been so identified share a common need for resettlement. The one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim is eliminated. A two-year window is provided for certain aliens to reopen a claim denied because of failure to file within one year.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is authorized to study: (1) whether asylum officers are engaging in improper conduct, and (2) the impact of interview delays on asylum claims.

The International Religious Freedom Act is amended to authorize appropriations for the Commission through FY2017.

Any alien who was responsible for, or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom is inadmissible or deportable. (Current law is limited to foreign government officials who commit such acts.)

The federal criminal code is amended to require that any person who outside the United States commits, or attempts or conspires to commit, religious persecution against a U.S. person: (1) be fined, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both; and (2) if the death of any person results from the violation, be fined and imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

No person may be prosecuted, tried, or punished for such a violation unless the indictment or the information is filed within 10 years after commission of the offense.

Date: 2015-07-23
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Immigration
DHS Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue guidance to DHS personnel on:

 information that should be collected and recorded in DHS information technology (IT) systems used to identify individuals suspected or convicted of human trafficking, how to ensure data reliability of information regarding such individuals in such systems, and information sharing regarding such individuals among DHS components. DHS shall ensure the integration of its IT systems used to record and track such information.

The DHS Inspector General shall report to specified congressional committees on the status of implementation of this bill.

Date: 2016-01-13
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act

This bill directs the Department of Labor to implement a program to:

 train and periodically retrain relevant Labor personnel to detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities, and ensure that such personnel regularly receive current information on matters related to the detection of human trafficking.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Secure our Skies Act of 2016

This bill requires each air carrier providing passenger air transportation to provide flight attendants, pilots, and dispatchers who are employees or contractors of the carrier with training to combat human trafficking in the course of carrying out their duties. Such training shall cover: (1) common indicators of human trafficking, and (2) best practices for reporting suspected trafficking to law enforcement officers.

To assist in such training, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation shall provide information, including the Blue Campaign training module, for use by air carriers.

The Federal Aviation Administration shall report recommendations for improving the identification and reporting of human trafficking by air carrier personnel while protecting the civil liberties of passengers.

The bill grants immunity to an air carrier for reporting any suspicious transaction relevant to a possible violation of law or regulation relating to human trafficking.

Date: 2016-02-02
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Distribution and Promotion of Rights and Knowledge Act of 2016 or the DPRK Act of 2016

This bill amends the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 to authorize the President, through the Department of State, to: (1) distribute or provide grants to distribute information receiving devices, electronically readable devices, and other informational sources into North Korea; and (2) establish a grant program, which may involve public-private partnerships, to develop and/or distribute new products or methods to allow North Koreans easier access to outside information.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors may broadcast American, Korean, Chinese, and other popular music, television, movies, and popular cultural references as part of its programming.

The Board shall broadcast to North Korea in the Korean language information on rights, laws, and freedoms afforded through the North Korean Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and any other applicable treaties or international agreements to which North Korea is bound.

Date: 2016-02-09
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require annual human rights reports to include information on the:

 institutionalization of children, including in orphanages and group homes, if such institutionalization can be avoided by reunifying such children with parents of origin or by adoptive placement; and related subjection of children to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, unnecessary detention, and denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security of persons.

Date: 2016-05-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
No Impunity for Iranian Aggression at Sea Act of 2016

This bill requires the President to submit a report that includes:

 a determination of whether, during the June 2016 incident when Iranian forces boarded two U.S. Navy combat vessels and detained the crews at gunpoint, any of the Iranian actions violated the Geneva Convention or the international right to conduct innocent passage; and a certification of whether or not federal funds were paid to Iran to effect the release of the detained crew members or other U.S. citizens. The bill prescribes specified Iranian actions that the President shall consider, including: (1) the stopping, boarding, search, and seizure of the U.S. Navy vessels and the removal and detention of the crews; and (2) the display, videotaping, or photographing of U.S. service members and the subsequent use of those photographs or videos.

The President shall: (1) upon a determination that such a violation occurred, submit and make public a list of Iranian government officials or persons acting on behalf of the Iranian government who are responsible for or complicit in any such violation; and (2) prohibit U.S. entry or admission and block property transactions of listed persons.

Date: 2016-05-25
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2016

This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to 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), to train health care providers and other related providers to:

 identify potential human trafficking victims, work with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with such victims, refer victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations, provide such victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances, and consider integrating this training with existing training programs. The pilot program must include the functions of the training program with the same name that was operating before this bill's enactment and the following initiatives:

 engaging stakeholders to develop a flexible training module, supporting training in diverse health care sites, providing technical assistance to health education programs, developing a strategy to incentivize the use of training materials developed under this bill and the implementation of a nationwide health care protocol, and developing a methodology for collecting and reporting data on the number of human trafficking victims served in health care settings or other related provider settings. The pilot program is authorized through FY2022.

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.

Date: 2016-06-08
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Health
War Crimes Accountability Act of 2016

 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should actively encourage prosecution of war crimes suspects and Nazi war criminals.

 The President shall submit a report for each of FY2017-FY2021 that identifies each country that is failing to: (1) cooperate with relevant jurisdictions in extraditing or deporting war crimes suspects or Nazi war criminals to the appropriate jurisdiction; (2) enforce arrest warrants issued by an international tribunal against war crimes suspects; (3) accept Nazi war criminals deported from the United States; or (4) effectively prosecute war crimes suspects or Nazi war criminals within such country's jurisdiction, including Nazi war criminals who resided in the United States and were deported from or extradited by the United States or left the United States voluntarily.

 The President may not issue a letter of offer to sell defense articles under the Arms Export Control Act for $7 million or more to an identified country.

 The President may waive such prohibition in the U.S. national security interest.

Date: 2016-07-12
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Lost Boys and Girls Rebuilding Infrastructure to Sustain Enduring Peace in South Sudan Act or the Lost Boys and Girls RISE Act

This bill directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a three-year pilot program to provide fellowships to up to 500 eligible individuals to assist in developing agricultural, business development, educational, medical, technological, or transportation infrastructure in South Sudan. (The program may begin after the Department of State determines that it is safe for U.S. citizens, especially citizens of Sudanese or South Sudanese descent, to travel to South Sudan and lifts the general travel warning for South Sudan.)

It is the sense of Congress that USAID should: (1) consult with members of the Lost Boys and Lost Girls of Sudan community in the United States for purposes of identifying potential participants, and (2) consider individuals who are recommended to USAID by a member of Congress.

Date: 2016-09-13
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Commission on the Removal of Mexican-Americans to Mexico

This bill establishes the Commission on the Removal of Mexican-Americans to Mexico, which shall: (1) review the facts and circumstances surrounding the 1929-1941 removal of certain U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents to Mexico and the impact of such actions on such individuals, their families, and the Mexican-American community; (2) review federal, state, and local government directives that required such removal and any other related information; and (3) report its findings, conclusions, and any recommendations for legislative actions.

Date: 2016-11-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Immigration