Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) Press Conference on HR 1144, Frederick Douglass TVPRA of 2025
April 24, 2026
Since its enactment over 25 years ago, Congressman Chris Smith’s Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) has led to the convictions of over 5,000 human traffickers and freed tens of thousands of trafficking survivors. Among these human trafficking network operators are Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted under the TVPA, and Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged under this law, but died awaiting trial. Rep. Smith’s new bill—HR 1144, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protecti...