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Human Trafficking Bills Subject of House Mark-Up

On May 3, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved en bloc, by voice vote, H.R. 1625, the Targeted Rewards for the Global Eradication of Human Trafficking (TARGET) Act, and H.R. 2200, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Reauthorization Act, as amended.

TARGET Act

Sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the TARGET Act would authorize the State Department’s rewards program to target transnational organized crime rings that engage in severe forms of human trafficking.

Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention

The legislation would reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386) through 2021. Among other provisions, the measure would reauthorize several programs to support victims of, and individuals vulnerable to, human trafficking. It also would bolster federal efforts to prevent human trafficking: the bill would ensure that U.S. procurement does not fund human trafficking; training to recognize human trafficking among certain air carriers would be required.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).