SECTION 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as the “Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act”.
Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act
An Act
To designate a human trafficking prevention coordinator and to expand the scope of activities authorized under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s outreach and education program to include human trafficking prevention activities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 2. Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinator.
The Secretary of Transportation shall designate an official within the Department of Transportation who shall—
coordinate human trafficking prevention efforts across modal administrations in the Department of Transportation and with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government; and
in coordinating such efforts, take into account the unique challenges of combating human trafficking within different transportation modes.
SEC. 3. Expansion of Outreach and Education Program.
Section 31110(c)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: “ The program authorized under this subsection may support, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking, while deferring to existing resources, as practicable.”.
SEC. 4. Expansion of Commercial Driver’s License Financial Assistance Program.
Section 31313(a)(3) of title 49, United States Code, is amended—
in subparagraph (D), by striking “ or” at the end;
by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F); and
by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:
“(E) support, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking; or”
SEC. 5. Establishment of the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking.
Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish an advisory committee on human trafficking.
Membership.—
Composition.— The Committee shall be composed of not more than 15 external stakeholder members whose diverse experience and background enable them to provide balanced points of view with regard to carrying out the duties of the Committee.
Selection.— The Secretary shall appoint the external stakeholder members to the Committee, including representatives from—
trafficking advocacy organizations;
law enforcement; and
trucking, bus, rail, aviation, maritime, and port sectors, including industry and labor.
Periods of appointment.— Members shall be appointed for the life of the Committee.
Vacancies.— A vacancy in the Committee shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made and shall not affect the powers or duties of the Committee.
Compensation.— Committee members shall serve without compensation.
Authority.— Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and appoint all members of the Committee.
Duties.—
Recommendations for the department of transportation.— Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Committee shall make recommendations to the Secretary on actions the Department can take to help combat human trafficking, including the development and implementation of—
successful strategies for identifying and reporting instances of human trafficking; and
recommendations for administrative or legislative changes necessary to use programs, properties, or other resources owned, operated, or funded by the Department to combat human trafficking.
Best practices and recommendations.—
In general.— The Committee shall develop recommended best practices for States and State and local transportation stakeholders to follow in combating human trafficking.
Development.— The best practices shall be based on multidisciplinary research and promising, evidence-based models and programs.
Content.— The best practices shall be user-friendly, incorporate the most up-to-date technology, and include the following:
Sample training materials.
Strategies to identify victims.
Sample protocols and recommendations, including—
strategies to collect, document, and share data across systems and agencies;
strategies to help agencies better understand the types of trafficking involved, the scope of the problem, and the degree of victim interaction with multiple systems; and
strategies to identify effective pathways for State agencies to utilize their position in educating critical stakeholder groups and assisting victims.
Informing states of best practices.— The Secretary shall ensure that State Governors and State departments of transportation are notified of the best practices and recommendations.
Reports.— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall—
submit a report on the actions of the Committee described in subsection (d) to—
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; and
make the report under paragraph (1) publicly available both physically and online.
Definitions.— In this section:
Committee.— The term “Committee” means the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking established under subsection (a).
Human trafficking.— The term “human trafficking” means an act or practice described in paragraph (9) or paragraph (10) of section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).
Secretary.— The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Transportation.