Sex Trafficking Provisions Included In FY 2014 CJS Appropriations Bill

Contact: Jill Shatzen
(202) 225-5136

SEX TRAFFICKING PROVISIONS INCLUDED
IN FY 2014 CJS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Washington, D.C. (July 19, 2013) – A number of provisions aimed at combating sex trafficking – including language directing the Justice Department to aggressively target Web sites that enable trafficking, particularly of minors – were included in an annual spending working its way through the House, according to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), a longtime leader on this issue.

Wolf said the FY 2014 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) Appropriations bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 17 also directs the U.S. Attorney General to submit a comprehensive report on all DOJ anti-trafficking activities, including legislative proposals that may advance any efforts, no later than 60 days after the bill is signed into law. The report also should detail any actions DOJ has taken to investigate allegations of human trafficking or abuse of nonimmigrants holding an A–3 or a G–5 visa and actions the department has taken under 18 U.S.C. 3271 to enforce a policy of zero tolerance for sex and labor trafficking by federal contractors.

“Human trafficking is modern day slavery,” said Wolf, chairman of the CJS Appropriations subcommittee.  “The misguided assumption is that these heinous crimes happen only in faraway lands is misguided.  It is happening right here in our backyard.  It is an affront to human dignity and is, sadly, an extremely lucrative business.  I am pleased that our bill addresses this all-too-common problem so we can begin to lessen the instances of these crimes in our communities and prosecute the perpetrators to the full extent of the law.”

Wolf said the bill provides nearly $14 million for human trafficking task force activities and services for victims, which is an increase in $3 million above the president’s request.  In addition, it provides funding for the Human Trafficking and Slavery Persecution Unit (HTSPU) and Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams, including $90 million for youth mentoring grants and $67 million for missing and exploited children programs.

The bill also directs the FBI to ramp up its work in combating sex trafficking.  Since 2009, the FBI has reported that its pending human trafficking cases nearly tripled, resulting in hundreds of arrests, indictments and convictions.  The bill includes language directing the FBI to issue a report describing its progress on this issue and to investigate the link between violent gangs and sex trafficking.

U.S. Attorneys are also expected to maintain their human trafficking task forces and continue to undertake proactive investigations, including investigations of persons or entities facilitating trafficking in persons through the use of classified advertising on the Internet.  The report accompanying the bill directs the Justice Department to submit quarterly updates on the work of these task forces beginning no later than November 1, 2013.  In addition, the report directs the Justice Department to continue outreach efforts in the form of public notices with regard to the prevalence of human trafficking activities and to periodically report to the CJS subcommittee regarding such outreach.

Wolf is a longtime leader on the issue of combating human trafficking.  He has repeatedly pressed the Justice Department, including in this appropriations bill, to assess whether the current legal framework allows law enforcement to prosecute the likes of Backpage.com, which has been found to serve as a conduit for the buying and selling of human beings online.   If the department determines that the existing legal framework is insufficient to support such action, the bill requires that DOJ provide a legal analysis with recommendations for new statutory language to enable law enforcement to effectively address this problem.  For more on Wolf’s work to combat human trafficking, click here.

In addition to the language on trafficking, the bill funds the Office of Violence Against Women, which is higher than both the FY 2013 level and the president’s 2014 budget request.  The bill also provides funding for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to collect statistics and report on the incidence of “honor violence” in the United States.  Honor violence is a form of violence against women committed with the motive of protecting or regaining the perceived honor of the perpetrator, family or community.  

Wolf said that overall, the spending bill is 5.6 percent below fiscal year 2013 levels and 7.4 percent below the president’s budget request.  It terminates 39 programs, resulting in savings of more than $500 million from FY 2013.  Since returning as a chairman of the CJS subcommittee in 2011, Wolf has reduced spending in the departments and agencies covered by the bill by more than $12 billion.

For the bill text, click here: http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-113hr-sc-ap-fy2014-cjs-subcommitteedraft.pdf