119th CONGRESS 1st Session
To reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · June 24, 2025 · Sponsor: Mr. Smith of New Jersey · Committee: Committee on Foreign Affairs
This Act may be cited as the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
- (a) In general
- Section 1298 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 ( note) is amended as follows: 22 U.S.C. 7114
- In subsection (g)(2), by striking and inserting .
- In subsection (h)(1), by striking
Not later than September 30, 2018, and September 30, 2020and inserting Not later than September 30, 2025, and September 30, 2029.
- (b) Award of funds
- All grants awarded under the authority provided by section 1298 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017, as amended by subsection (a), shall be—
- awarded on a competitive basis; and
- subject to the regular congressional notification procedures applicable with respect to grants made available under section 1298(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 (). 22 U.S.C. 7114(b)
- (a) Modifications to tier 2 watch list
- Subsection (b)(2) of section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 () is amended— 22 U.S.C. 7107
- in the heading, by striking and inserting ; and
- (A) Submission of list
- Not later than the date on which the determinations described in subsections (c) and (d) are submitted to the appropriate congressional committees in accordance with such subsections, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a list of countries that the Secretary determines require special scrutiny during the following year. The list shall be composed of countries that have been listed pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) pursuant to the current annual report because—
- (i) the estimated number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing and the country is not taking proportional concrete actions; or
- (ii) there is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year, including increased investigations, prosecutions and convictions of trafficking crimes, increased assistance to victims, and decreasing evidence of complicity in severe forms of trafficking by government officials.
- by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:
- (b) Modification to special rule for downgraded and reinstated countries
- Subsection (b)(2)(F) of such section 110 () is amended— 22 U.S.C. 7107
- in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking
the special watch listand all that follows through and inserting the country—;
- in clause (i), in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking
the special watch list described in subparagraph (A)(iii)and inserting the Tier 2 watch list described in subparagraph (A); and
- in clause (ii), by inserting before the period at the end.
- (c) Conforming amendments to the trafficking victims protection act of 2000
- Subsection (b) of such section 110 () is amended as follows: 22 U.S.C. 7107
- In paragraph (2), as amended by subsection (a)—
- in subparagraph (B), by striking
special watch listand inserting Tier 2 watch list;
- in subparagraph (C), by striking
special watch listand inserting Tier 2 watch list; and
- in subparagraph (D)—
- (i) in the heading, by striking and inserting ; and
- (ii) in clause (i), by striking
special watch listand inserting Tier 2 watch list.
- In paragraph (3)(B), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking .
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 () is amended— 22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.
- in section 102(b)(4) ()— 22 U.S.C. 2151–1(b)(4)
- in subparagraph (F), by striking
and at the end;
- in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end and inserting
; and; and
- effective counter-trafficking in persons policies and programs.
- by adding at the end the following:
- in section 492(d)(1) ()— 22 U.S.C. 2292a(d)(1)
- by striking the period at the end and inserting ;
- by striking and inserting the following:
- that—
- the funds
- in carrying out the provisions of this chapter, the President shall, to the greatest extent possible—
- (i) ensure that assistance made available under this section does not create or contribute to conditions that can be reasonably expected to result in an increase in trafficking in persons who are in conditions of heightened vulnerability as a result of natural and manmade disasters; and
- (ii) incorporate appropriate protections into the planning and execution of activities authorized under this chapter.
- by adding at the end the following:
- (a) Clarification of scope of withheld assistance
- Section 110(d)(1)(A) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 () is amended to read as follows: 22 U.S.C. 7107(d)(1)(A)
- the United States will not provide nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance to the central government of the country, or any funding to facilitate the participation by officials or employees of such central government in educational and cultural exchange programs, before the end of the first fiscal year beginning after such government complies with the minimum standards or makes significant efforts to bring itself into compliance; and
- (b) Definition of nonhumanitarian, nontrade-Related assistance
- Section 103(10) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 () is amended to read as follows: 22 U.S.C. 7102(10)
- (10) Nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance
- (A) In general
- The term
nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance means—
- (i) United States foreign assistance, other than—
- with respect to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961—
- assistance for international narcotics and law enforcement under chapter 8 of part I of such Act (); 22 U.S.C. 2291 et seq.
- assistance for International Disaster Assistance under subsections (b) and (c) of section 491 of such Act (); 22 U.S.C. 2292
- antiterrorism assistance under chapter 8 of part II of such Act (); and 22 U.S.C. 2349aa et seq.
- health programs under chapters 1 and 10 of part I and chapter 4 of part II of such Act (); 22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.
- assistance under the Food for Peace Act (); 7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.
- assistance under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 2 of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (–(c)) to meet refugee and migration needs; 22 U.S.C. 2601(a)
- any form of United States foreign assistance provided through nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, or private sector partners—
- to combat human and wildlife trafficking;
- to promote food security;
- to respond to emergencies;
- to provide humanitarian assistance;
- to address basic human needs, including for education;
- to advance global health security; or
- to promote trade; and
- any other form of United States foreign assistance that the President determines, by not later than October 1 of each fiscal year, is necessary to advance the security, economic, humanitarian, or global health interests of the United States without compromising the steadfast United States commitment to combatting human trafficking globally; or
- (ii) sales, or financing on any terms, under the Arms Export Control Act (), other than sales or financing provided for narcotics-related purposes following notification in accordance with the prior notification procedures applicable to reprogrammings pursuant to section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (). 22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 2394–1
Section 110(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 () is amended— 22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1)
- in subparagraph (G), by striking
and at the end;
- in subparagraph (H), by striking the period at the end and inserting
; and; and
- information about the trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal, including cases and steps governments are undertaking to prevent, identify, and eliminate such trafficking.
- by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following:
Section 106(b)(6) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (; ) is amended— Public Law 114–26; 19 U.S.C. 4205(b)(6)
- by striking subparagraph (C); and
- by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively.
Section 107(c) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 ( note) is amended— 22 U.S.C. 7107
- in paragraph (1), by striking
and at the end;
- in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting
; and; and
- ensure that a printed hard copy format of the annual report submitted under section 110(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 () is made available to the public. 22 U.S.C. 7107(b)
- by adding the following new paragraph:
Section 105(e)(1) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 () is amended by inserting before . 22 U.S.C. 7103(e)(1)
Section 113 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 () is amended— 22 U.S.C. 7110
- in subsection (a), by striking
for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2021, striking3,822,000and inserting for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2029, 3,092,000;
- in subsection (c)(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
2018 through 2021, $65,000,000and inserting 2025 through 2029, inserting11,000,000; and
- (3) Programs to end modern slavery
- Of the amounts authorized by paragraph (1) to be appropriated for a fiscal year, not more than $37,500,000 may be made available to fund programs to end modern slavery.
- in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
Section 4(b), section 7, and the amendments made by such sections shall take effect on the date that is the first day of the first full reporting period for the report required by section 110(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (), as amended by this Act, after the date of the enactment of this Act. 22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1)