Sponsors (12)
The bill increases and targets federal funding and improves trauma‑informed prevention and survivor services for trafficking victims and at‑risk youth, but those benefits may be constrained by appropriation uncertainty, eligibility limits, privacy and administrative requirements, and higher federal spending.
Trafficking survivors and service providers will get steady, targeted federal funding for prevention and victim services, including $30.755M/year for prevention/victim services and $35M/year/year for housing grants (2025–2029), supporting Hotlines and local nonprofits.
Adult survivors (18+) will have access to a new HHS Survivors Employment and Education Program offering up to five years of education, job training, case management, legal assistance, and scholarships to help economic recovery and stability.
Students in high‑prevalence trafficking areas will receive prioritized prevention education through grants to local school districts, improving early awareness and prevention among youth.
Survivors and low‑income individuals face uncertainty because program funding is subject to the availability of appropriations, which may limit or make services inconsistent over time.
Authorizing new spending increases federal outlays and may raise taxpayer costs or require offsets elsewhere in the budget.
The five‑year cumulative service limit for the Survivors Employment and Education Program may be insufficient for survivors with long‑term recovery needs, risking gaps in support after exit.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Reauthorizes and grows federal anti‑trafficking authorizations, prioritizes prevention grants to high‑risk school districts, creates a survivor education/employment program, and requires annual reporting.
Introduced April 17, 2025 by Christopher Henry Smith · Last progress April 17, 2025
Reauthorizes and updates federal anti‑trafficking grant programs, raises authorized funding for several programs through FY2025–2029, and creates a new HHS program to support survivors with education and employment services. It tightens grant priorities and selection rules to focus on schools and districts in high child sex‑ or labor‑trafficking areas, requires partnerships with nonprofits, law enforcement, and technology firms in some cases, and adds new reporting requirements to track outcomes and program data. The bill also sets minimum annual funding floors for the National Human Trafficking Hotline and cybersecurity/public outreach, increases authorized funding for OVC housing assistance for trafficking victims, and extends authorizations under International Megan’s Law. Many new requirements direct HHS to prioritize certain beneficiary groups (e.g., homeless, foster, child welfare‑involved, and runaway youth) and to deliver or fund scalable, trauma‑informed, train‑the‑trainer approaches.