June 24, 2025
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Mfume, and Ms. Salazar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
To reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Table of contents
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 3. Modifications to program to end modern slavery grants
(a) In general
Section 1298 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (22 U.S.C. 7114 note) is amended as follows:
(1)
In subsection (g)(2), by striking 2020
and inserting 2029
.
(2)
In subsection (h)(1), by striking Not later than September 30, 2018, and September 30, 2020
and 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—
(1)
awarded on a competitive basis; and
(2)
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)).
Sec. 4. Amendments to tier standards
(a) Modifications to tier 2 watch list
Subsection (b)(2) of section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107) is amended—
(1)
in the heading, by striking special
and inserting tier 2
; and
(2)
by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:
(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.
(b) Modification to special rule for downgraded and reinstated countries
Subsection (b)(2)(F) of such section 110 (22 U.S.C. 7107) is amended—
(1)
in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking the special watch list
and all that follows through the country—
and inserting the Tier 2 watch list described in subparagraph (A) for more than 2 years immediately after the country consecutively—
;
(2)
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
(3)
in clause (ii), by inserting in the year following such waiver under subparagraph (D)(ii)
before the period at the end.
(c) Conforming amendments to the trafficking victims protection act of 2000
Subsection (b) of such section 110 (22 U.S.C. 7107) is amended as follows:
(1)
In paragraph (2), as amended by subsection (a)—
(A)
in subparagraph (B), by striking special watch list
and inserting Tier 2 watch list
;
(B)
in subparagraph (C), by striking special watch list
and inserting Tier 2 watch list
; and
(C)
in subparagraph (D)—
(i)
in the heading, by striking special watch list
and inserting tier 2 watch list
; and
(ii)
in clause (i), by striking special watch list
and inserting Tier 2 watch list
.
(2)
In paragraph (3)(B), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of
.
(3)
In paragraph (4)—
(A)
in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking each country described in paragraph (2)(A)(ii)
and inserting each country described in paragraph (2)(A)
; and
(B)
in subparagraph (D)(ii), by striking the Special Watch List under paragraph (2)
and inserting the Tier 2 watch list under paragraph (2)
.
(d) Conforming amendment to the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018
Section 204(b)(1) of the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–425) is amended by striking special watch list described in paragraph (2)(A)(iii)
and inserting Tier 2 watch list described in paragraph (2)(A)
.
(e) Conforming amendment to the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Section 106(b)(6)(E)(iii) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–26; 19 U.S.C. 4205(b)(6)(E)(iii)) is amended by striking under section
and all that follows and inserting under section 110(b)(2)(A) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(2)(A)).
.
Sec. 5. Counter-trafficking in persons efforts in development cooperation and assistance policy
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended—
(1)
in section 102(b)(4) (22 U.S.C. 2151–1(b)(4))—
(A)
in subparagraph (F), by striking and
at the end;
(B)
in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(C)
by adding at the end the following:
(H)
effective counter-trafficking in persons policies and programs.; and
(2)
in section 492(d)(1) (22 U.S.C. 2292a(d)(1))—
(A)
by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
;
(B)
by striking that the funds
and inserting the following:
that—
(A)
the funds; and
(C)
by adding at the end the following:
(B)
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.
Sec. 6. Clarification of nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance
(a) Clarification of scope of withheld assistance
Section 110(d)(1)(A) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(d)(1)(A)) is amended to read as follows:
(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 (22 U.S.C. 7102(10)) is amended to read as follows:
(10) Nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance
(A) In general
The term nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance means—
(i)
United States foreign assistance, other than—
(I)
with respect to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961—
(aa)
assistance for international narcotics and law enforcement under chapter 8 of part I of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2291 et seq.);
(bb)
assistance for International Disaster Assistance under subsections (b) and (c) of section 491 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2292);
(cc)
antiterrorism assistance under chapter 8 of part II of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2349aa et seq.); and
(dd)
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.);
(II)
assistance under the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.);
(III)
assistance under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 2 of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601(a)–(c)) to meet refugee and migration needs;
(IV)
any form of United States foreign assistance provided through nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, or private sector partners—
(aa)
to combat human and wildlife trafficking;
(bb)
to promote food security;
(cc)
to respond to emergencies;
(dd)
to provide humanitarian assistance;
(ee)
to address basic human needs, including for education;
(ff)
to advance global health security; or
(gg)
to promote trade; and
(V)
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 (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), 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. 2394–1).
(B) Exclusions
The term nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance shall not include payments to, or the participation of, government entities necessary or incidental to the implementation of a program that is otherwise consistent with section 110 of this Act.
Sec. 7. Trafficking for the purposes of organ harvesting
Section 110(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1)) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (G), by striking and
at the end;
(2)
in subparagraph (H), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(3)
by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following:
(I)
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.
Sec. 8. Elimination of duplicative reporting
Section 106(b)(6) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–26; 19 U.S.C. 4205(b)(6)) is amended—
(1)
by striking subparagraph (C); and
(2)
by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively.
Sec. 9. Printed version of the annual tip report
Section 107(c) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 7107 note) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (1), by striking and
at the end;
(2)
in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(3)
by adding the following new paragraph:
(3)
ensure that a printed hard copy format of the annual report submitted under section 110(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)) is made available to the public.
Sec. 10. Director of Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking reporting to Secretary
Section 105(e)(1) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103(e)(1)) is amended by inserting shall report to the Secretary of State and
before shall have the primary
.
Sec. 11. Extension of authorizations under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000
Section 113 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7110) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (a), by striking for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2021, $13,822,000
and inserting for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2029, $23,092,000
;
(2)
in subsection (c)(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 2018 through 2021, $65,000,000
and inserting 2025 through 2029, $111,000,000
; and
(3)
in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(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.
Sec. 12. Effective dates
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 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1)), as amended by this Act, after the date of the enactment of this Act.