New legislation to combat human trafficking authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) together with Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) cleared its first hurdle today, winning unanimous support from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a vote to send the bill to the House Floor for consideration and passage.

            Supported by numerous national and international anti-trafficking organizations, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022—also cosponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX)—would provide approximately $1 billion over five years to strengthen and expand successful programs and laws to combat modern-day slavery.

            “The Committee’s unanimous vote to send my bill to the House Floor underscores the careful negotiations on the bill and the overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress to take immediate action to protect victims, prosecute perpetrators and prevent human trafficking in the first place,” said Rep. Smith, Co-chair of the Human Trafficking Caucus, which he co-founded 15 years ago.

            “While incredible progress has been made to bring awareness to human trafficking since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act—which I wrote in 2000—was signed into law, we must redouble our efforts to stop predators from harming vulnerable persons, especially women and children, and end this heinous crime,” said Smith.

            The bill prioritizes prevention of child trafficking and empowerment of survivors in addition to reauthorizing and enhancing programs established by Smith’s historic Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000—which created a new whole-of-government domestic and international strategy and numerous new programs responsible for the prevention of trafficking, protection of victims and prosecution of thousands of traffickers.

            “This survivor-informed, bipartisan legislation will go a long way toward protecting so many vulnerable people from exploitation while providing tremendous support and resources to victims,” said Smith.

            “We must never let our guard down,” Smith said. “We must continue to do everything we can to stop predators from harming the most vulnerable and innocent among us.”

            Passed unanimously by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Smith’s legislation continues to gain strong bipartisan consensus on its way to the House Floor.

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