Washington, DC – Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) and Congressman David P. Joyce (R-OH) introduced the IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act. This legislation enhances the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to combat human trafficking by permanently establishing the Homeland Security Investigation’s (HSI) Victim Assistance Program to train investigators and specialists. It will also provide support to employees exposed to trauma while working on human trafficking cases. The bill provides increased resources to assist human trafficking victims and bolsters DHS’s ability to safeguard the welfare of HSI employees and partners who support individuals subjected to human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is an insidious crime that must be attacked from all sides,” said Rep. Titus. “I have spent years in Congress fighting these heinous acts by securing provisions to require that airline employees are trained to spot trafficking, advocating for measures to block convicted human traffickers from working in commercial transportation, and championing local efforts to provide more resources for victims. This bipartisan bill will ensure human trafficking victims and the professionals that investigate these crimes receive the resources and support they need.”

Nevada is among the leading states for cases of reported human trafficking. According to DHS, traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations. The Polaris Project reported that in 2019 there were at least 14,597 sex trafficking victims and survivors in the United States as evidenced by calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The true number of these crimes may be greater, however, because they are often unreported. The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act will give more resources and support to these victims, as well as HSI employees and partners.

“The horrible truth is that human trafficking is one of the fastest growing forms of transnational crime,” said Rep. Joyce. “These crimes pose a threat to communities nationwide, with traffickers using violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people into modern day slavery where they often become victims of sexual violence as well. I’m proud to introduce this bill so that we can provide survivors and law enforcement officers who investigate these terrible crimes with the resources and support they need. With Ohio ranking among the worst states in the nation for human trafficking, I am committed to doing everything in my power to prevent these crimes from happening, support survivors, and bring traffickers to justice.”

Background

The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act would:

• Permanently establish the Investigators Maintain Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma (IMPACTT) program within HSI which gives outreach and training to investigators, forensic interviewers, victim assistance specialists, task force officers, and other partners who have been exposed to trauma while working with human trafficking victims.
• Require HSI to provide training, through the program, to these employees on available resources to help cope with burnout, compassion fatigue, and trauma.
• Permanently establish and broaden the HSI Victim Assistance Program which gives guidance on victim assistance, including training and technical assistance, and monitors compliance with federal crime victim statutes.
• Increase the number of Victim Assistant Specialists to guarantee every office participating in human trafficking or child exploitation task forces will have an assigned Victim Assistant Specialist.
• Ensure that victims are provided with referrals for support services throughout the investigative and prosecutorial process.

Congresswoman Titus led the effort to require all airlines to have staff training on human trafficking. In July 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) short-term extension bill included language from her Secure Our Skies Act. This provision requires airlines and contractors to develop training materials for their employees to spot common indicators of human trafficking and offer best practices for reporting suspected cases to law enforcement.

Full text of the IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act can be found here.

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