Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015
Latest action · Jan 8, 2015 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S105-106; text of measure as introduced: CR S106-107)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 8, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015
Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to sex trafficking of children, to: (1) subject to criminal prosecution buyers, as well as sellers, of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims; (2) provide that in prosecutions of sex trafficking crimes, the government is not required to prove that a sex trafficking defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that a victim was under age 18; (3) equalize the period of supervised release for sex trafficking offenders convicted of conspiracy; (4) expand wiretap authority for investigating crimes related to sex trafficking, including slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor; (5) grant crime victims the right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea agreement or deferred prosecution agreement; and (6) require an appellate court to apply ordinary standards of review in reviewing appeals filed by crime victims.
Requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prepare and report annually on: (1) the rates of arrests by state law enforcement officers for sex trafficking crimes involving buyers of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims, and (2) prosecutions and convictions for such crimes in state courts.
Directs the Attorney General to ensure that: (1) DOJ anti-human trafficking training programs, including programs for law enforcement officers, include technical training on effective methods for investigating and prosecuting individuals who obtain, patronize, or solicit a commercial sex act involving a person subject to severe forms of human trafficking and on facilitating the provision of physical and mental health services by health care providers to persons subject to severe forms of human trafficking; (2) federal law enforcement officers are engaged in activities, programs, or operations involving the detection, investigation, and prosecution of such offenses; and (3) DOJ anti-human trafficking programs for U.S. attorneys or other federal prosecutors include training on seeking restitution for peonage, slavery, and human trafficking offenses to ensure that each such attorney, upon obtaining a conviction for such an offense, requests a specific amount of restitution for each victim without regard to whether the victim requests it. Requires the Federal Judicial Center to provide training to judges relating to the application of mandatory restitution provisions regarding ordering restitution for victims of such offenses.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 8, 2015 to Feb 9, 2015; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Original | Jan 8, 2015 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | Jan 8, 2015 |
| R-IL | Mark Kirk | Original | Jan 8, 2015 |
| R-OH | Rob Portman | Original | Jan 8, 2015 |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Feb 9, 2015 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 8, 2015 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 8, 2015Introduced in Senate
- Jan 8, 2015Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S105-106; text of measure as introduced: CR S106-107)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S105Text printed S106 | Dianne Feinstein D-CA (text) | Jan 8, 2015 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 3
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 3
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R44007 | Sex Trafficking: Proposals in the 114th Congress to Amend Federal Criminal Law | Report | Jun 9, 2015 |
| R44064 | Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act: A Legal Analysis of the Criminal Provisions of P.L. 114-22 | Report | Jun 9, 2015 |
| R44006 | Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 114th Congress | Report | Apr 29, 2015 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 178 | Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 | Related bill | May 29, 2015 |
| HR 296 | Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 | Related bill | Feb 2, 2015 |
| HR 1201 | Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015 | Identical bill | Mar 31, 2015 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to combat human trafficking.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 8, 2015Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
