Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) and Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02) reintroduced the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act. This bipartisan legislation establishes an annual certification program under the Blue Campaign at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to incentivize employers in covered industries to complete human trafficking awareness training.
“California leads the nation in reported human trafficking cases, and sadly, the Central Valley is no stranger to this epidemic,” said Congressman Valadao. “Workers in the entertainment, hospitality, and transportation industries are often the first to spot the warning signs, which is why proper training and awareness is so critical. Close coordination at the federal, state, and local levels is essential to catching and prosecuting human trafficking cases, and I remain committed to working with my colleagues to bring an end to this growing and disturbing crime.”
“Human trafficking is a horrific crime hiding in plain sight, and far too often it goes unreported. This bill strengthens our nation’s response by empowering the people who are most likely to spot the warning signs first, employees in industries like hospitality, transportation, and entertainment sectors. By expanding the Blue Campaign to recognize businesses that train their workforce to recognize and respond to trafficking, we are incentivizing vigilance, strengthening public-private partnerships, and making it clear that combating human trafficking is a shared responsibility. I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to protect victims, hold traffickers accountable, and help save lives,” said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr.
“The AGA endorses the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act and thanks Representatives Valadao and Carter for their leadership on this important issue. Training that helps frontline employees recognize the signs of human trafficking is critical. This legislation will encourage more companies to take that step, strengthen public-private collaboration, and reinforce that combating human trafficking is a shared priority,” said Alex Costello, Vice President of Government Relations, American Gaming Association.
“The hotel industry is committed to human trafficking prevention and leading on training efforts and that’s why we’re proud to share that the free training available to hotel employees has been completed more than 2.5 million times. The ‘Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act’ provides important third-party validation for hotels’ training and prevention initiatives. The re-introduction of this legislation couldn’t come at a better time, during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. We are grateful to Representatives Valadao and Carter for re-introducing this important bill and look forward to helping them pass it into law,” said Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO, American Hotel & Lodging Association.
The Human Trafficking Awareness and Recognition Act would:
- Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Blue Campaign Certification Program to incentivize employers in covered industries to encourage employees to complete human trafficking awareness training. The Blue Campaign would provide eligible employers with a certificate of completion to display for one year.
- Requires a report to be submitted to the appropriate committees within two years after the enactment of this legislation.
- Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 by requiring the Blue Campaign to increase coordination with experts from the private sector, academic institutions, and other covered industries
Background:
In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested more than 2,500 individuals for human trafficking-related offenses and assisted over 700 human trafficking victims. While these numbers are significant, they likely only represent a fraction of all instances of human trafficking, as many cases go unreported. The Blue Campaign, housed within the DHS’ Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT), aims to equip the public, law enforcement, and the private sector with awareness trainings and resources to reduce human trafficking crimes nationwide. While the Blue Campaign offers tools to help combat trafficking, it currently lacks an initiative for recognizing businesses that have trained their employees to recognize and respond to suspected human trafficking.
Read the full bill here.
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