ENHANCING DETECTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ACT

ENHANCING DETECTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2363-H2364] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ENHANCING DETECTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ACT Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4307) to direct the Secretary of Labor to train certain employees of Department of Labor how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their official duties, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4307 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act''. SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. In this Act, the term ``human trafficking'' means any act or practice described in paragraph (11) of section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102). SEC. 3. TRAINING FOR DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL TO IDENTIFY HUMAN TRAFFICKING. (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall implement a program to provide the training and periodic continuing education described in subsection (b) to employees of the Department of Labor whom the Secretary determines should receive such training or education based on their official duties. In making such determination with respect to employees of the Wage and Hour Division, the Secretary shall consider the training and education needs of such employees operating in a State with a significant increase in oppressive child labor (as defined in section 3(l) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(l)). (b) Training and Continuing Education Described.--The training and continuing education provided under the program referred to in subsection (a)-- (1) may be conducted through in-class or virtual learning capabilities; and (2) shall include-- (A) training or continuing education that-- (i) is most appropriate for the particular location or professional environment in which the employees receiving such training or continuing education perform their official duties; (ii) covers topics determined by the Secretary of Labor to appropriately reflect current trends and best practices for such location or environment; and (iii) includes-- (I) the provision of current information on matters related to the detection of human trafficking to the extent relevant to the official duties of such employees, and consistent with privacy laws; (II) methods for identifying suspected victims of human trafficking and parties who may be suspected of the trafficking activity; and (III) a clear course of action for referring potential cases of human trafficking to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities, in accordance with best practices for protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking, including appropriate collaboration with victim advocacy organizations, Federal agencies, and State and local officials; and (B) an evaluation of the training or continuing education by such employees after the completion of such training or education. SEC. 4. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. Not later than 1 year after the Secretary of Labor first implements the program under section 3(a), and each year thereafter, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a report on-- (1) the training and continuing education provided under the program for the preceding year, including-- (A) an evaluation (including the overall effectiveness) of such training and continuing education; and (B) the number of individuals who have completed such training or continuing education; and (2) the number of cases related to the detection of human trafficking, which were referred to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities during the preceding year by the Department of Labor, and the processes used by the Department of Labor to accurately measure and track the response of the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities to such cases. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan. General Leave Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 4307. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Michigan? There was no objection. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Lucy McBath, for her partnership on this important legislation. In my time on the Committee on Education and Workforce, I have come to the realization that the Department of Labor employees have a frontline view to detect patterns of human trafficking and labor exploitation. This is where my bill, H.R. 4307, comes into play. Specifically, this legislation directs the Department of Labor to educate appropriate staff in how to effectively detect instances of human trafficking, ensure personnel regularly receive information on current trends and best practices, and establish a clear course of action for referring suspected instances of human trafficking to law enforcement. In other words, it turns Department of Labor employees into an early warning system against human trafficking. One of the greatest obstacles in the fight against human trafficking is a [[Page H2364]] lack of awareness. Too often, visible signs of human trafficking go unnoticed or unreported simply because individuals lack proper training. {time} 1650 By arming these employees with critical information on how to identify potential trafficking situations, we can strengthen our ability to intervene quickly and efficiently to hold traffickers accountable and protect those who are most vulnerable. I am proud to say that, last Congress, this legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, with a vote of 407-0. Protecting more people from falling victim to the scourge of human trafficking is not political. I urge my colleagues to put an end to this modern-day slavery and to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4307. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. This bipartisan bill is led by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath). It directs the Secretary of the Department of Labor to develop and implement effective training to ensure that the Department of Labor enforcement personnel continue to be educated on identifying and responding to human trafficking. It also ensures that Department of Labor employees are aware of how to refer potential cases of human trafficking to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities. It requires a new annual report to Congress on the Department of Labor's trafficking prevention efforts, which will help guide the committee's future oversight efforts. The Department of Labor's worker protection agencies play an essential role in enforcing Federal labor standards, ensuring workers are paid what they have been promised by their employers, and protecting health and safety in the workplace. Adequate training ensures that investigators are equipped to recognize red flags, such as confiscated identification documents, withheld wages, restricted movements, threats, coercion, and other indicators of forced labor. These efforts should be appropriately funded, and the Department of Labor must continue to play a key role in fighting human trafficking. Wage and Hour investigators are often on the front lines and may be the only Federal officials in a position to encounter workers trapped in exploitative conditions. Unfortunately, President Trump's fiscal 2026 budget request proposed cutting funding for the Wage and Hour Division by nearly 10 percent and reducing staffing by roughly 250 employees for non-H-1B activities. Over the course of the past decade, the number of Wage and Hour staff has fallen from a little over 1,400 in fiscal year 2017 to just under 1,200 in fiscal year `25, an 18 percent decline, even as the Wage and Hour Division has tracked a 150-percent increase in child labor violations over the same period. It is critical to follow up this authorization with additional funding because, without the additional funding, this bill could result in even fewer resources available for the Department to carry out their core missions because it imposes additional burdens on agency staff. Additional funding could allow the Department to continue its core functions and fulfill the responsibilities outlined in the bill. No one should be forced to work under threats, abuse, or intimidation. This legislation recognizes the essential role the Department of Labor and worker protection agencies play in protecting vulnerable workers and holding traffickers accountable. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan proposal, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Moylan), a great member of the Education and Workforce Committee. Mr. MOYLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the introduction. I am very happy and pleased

Referenced legislation: HR4307, HR4307