WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced that she introduced bipartisan legislation to crack down on sex trafficking. 

In addition to improving victims’ access to resources to help them recover and giving prosecutors more tools to address sex trafficking, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act would encourage law enforcement officers and the courts to treat minors who are sold for sex as victims, not as criminals. Heitkamp was joined in introducing the bill by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

It has been estimated that more than 100,000 minors in the United States are forced into sex trafficking every year. Children are on average 13 years old when they are forced to become prostitutes.

“As the former Attorney General of North Dakota, I understand the need to provide increased protection to victims of human trafficking so they see ways out of their situations, and find paths forward for better lives,” said Heitkamp.  “Just a few months ago, I held a hearing to bring about a larger discussion on human trafficking as there is such little data or reporting on the issue.  That needs to change – as it happens all too often in our own backyard.  This bill aims to continue to point a light on this issue by providing victims the means to find ways out of their horrible situations without penalizing them for conditions they have no control over.  It is my hope that this bill will provide some initial tools that will allow prosecutors to help victims, and stop sex trafficking across the country and on Indian reservations.  No longer can we turn a blind eye to this issue, and I will keep fighting to put an end to human trafficking of any kind.”

In September, Heitkamp helped lead a hearing to better understand the work being done on the federal, state, and local levels to combat human trafficking. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, which Heitkamp asked the Committee hold, brought together officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice, and non-profit leaders who are on the frontlines of addressing human trafficking.

A summary of the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act (SETT):

• Includes a safe harbor provision to help make sure minors who are sold for sex are treated as victims and not criminals when they come in contact with law enforcement and the court system. When a state passes a safe harbor law, it means that kids sold for sex should be steered towards child protection services, rather than being arrested, charged, or convicted under a state’s criminal laws. This bill will require that states have a safe harbor law in place as a condition for receiving the full allocation of certain federal grants.

• Creates a National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking. The National Strategy will help coordinate efforts to investigate and prevent human trafficking between federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. This will help set clear goals and focus resources to help combat human trafficking. The bill will also encourage better data sharing between different law enforcement agencies.

• Allows victims of sex trafficking to participate in the Job Corps program to help them get back on their feet. Our Job Corps programs already helps teen moms, runaways, and kids who drop out of school. This bill makes clear that victims of sex trafficking should be eligible for our current job training and skills building programs to help empower sex trafficking victims so that they have the tools they need to find a way out of the cycle.

• Helps victims pursue financial restitution and recover damages. In some parts of the law, victims of federal crimes can recover triple damages from people who harm them. Under this new bill, when sex trafficking victims sue their perpetrators, they’ll be able to get the damages they are due from the people who harmed them. The bill will also encourage better tracking of financial restitution orders so that victims can actually collect on the restitution they are due.

• Strengthens requirements for convicted sex trafficking offenders to be listed higher on the National Sex Offender Registry so they are reported and tracked closely to make sure they can’t victimize anyone else. Convicted offenders are classified into different Tiers, based on the severity of their crimes. The different Tier numbers correspond to how frequently a sex offender is required to report relevant personal information and make in-person appearances before law enforcement. Most sex trafficking offenders are currently convicted as Tier II criminals. The bill would reclassify those convicted of state or federal sex trafficking crimes into the more stringent Tier III. This means they must register for life and appear in person every 3 months to have a picture taken and verify registry information.

• Strengthens the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Right now, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline helps connect victims with services they need and passes on crime tips to law enforcement. This bill would make sure the hotline is backed by the force of law. Although the Hotline operates with some federal authorization, this bill puts the National Human Trafficking Hotline on par with other national hotlines designed to serve victims.

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