News

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Put Trafficking Victims First Act (S. 3643), which would direct the Attorney General to provide trafficking related training and assistance to Federal, State, local government agencies, and law enforcement officials. The bill would also establish an expert working group to better asses data collection on human trafficking. Senators Gillibrand and Rubio first introduced the legislation in 2017.
 
“Human trafficking isn’t just something that happens on the other side of the world, it is happening in cities and small towns across America,” Rubio said. “This bill would assist our states, local governments, law enforcement officials and prosecutors in identifying with the goal of ultimately preventing human trafficking in our communities.”
 
For a one-pager of this bill, please click here.  
 
Specifically, the Put Trafficking Victims First Act would: 
 

• Direct the Attorney General to provide training and technical assistance for federal, state, and local government agencies, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials to better investigate, prosecute, and prevent trafficking through a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach.

• Establish an expert working group to identify the methodological barriers hampering data collection on human trafficking and submit a report to Congress within 3 years.

• Direct the Attorney General to submit a report to Congress within one year on efforts to increase mandatory restitution orders and to provide restitution to trafficking victims.

• Encourage states to adopt rights and protections for victims, including access to housing, trauma-informed care, implementing better screening mechanisms for children entering child welfare services, creating state-level vacatur laws, and developing a state 24-hour emergency response plan to provide victims with immediate protection and support when they are first identified.