HR 459 · 115th Congress 2017–2019, ended

Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017

Introduced Jan 11, 2017 Originated House Sponsor Ann Wagner R-MO

Latest action · Feb 6, 2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

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 11, 2017
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017

This bill amends the federal criminal code to establish a process to vacate convictions and expunge arrests for criminal offenses committed by trafficking victims that directly result from or relate to having been a trafficking victim.

A trafficking victim may file a motion: (1) to vacate a conviction for a nonviolent offense that does not include a child victim (i.e., under age 18); (2) to expunge records of an arrest for a nonviolent offense that does not include a child victim; or (3) to expunge records of an arrest for an offense that is violent or that includes a child victim, if the charges are reduced, dismissed, or disposed of.

Cosponsors 37

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 11, 2017 to Sep 4, 2018; 23 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-VA	Barbara Comstock	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-TX	Blake Farenthold	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-OH	David P. Joyce	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-IA	David Young	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-TN	Diane Black	Original	Jan 11, 2017
D-NV	Dina Titus	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-CA	Edward R. Royce	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-NY	Elise M. Stefanik	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-MN	Erik Paulsen	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-WI	F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.	Original	Jan 11, 2017
D-WI	Gwen Moore	Original	Jan 11, 2017
D-OH	Joyce Beatty	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-ND	Kevin Cramer	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-SD	Kristi L. Noem	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-CA	Mimi Walters	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-PA	Patrick Meehan	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-FL	Ron DeSantis	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-PA	Ryan A. Costello	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-CA	Stephen Knight	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-IN	Susan W. Brooks	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-FL	Ted S. Yoho	Original	Jan 11, 2017
D-HI	Tulsi Gabbard	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-MO	Vicky Hartzler	Original	Jan 11, 2017
R-MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer		Jan 13, 2017
R-IN	Jackie Walorski		Jan 27, 2017
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Feb 13, 2017
D-LA	Cedric L. Richmond		Mar 1, 2017
D-CA	Karen Bass		May 18, 2017
R-PA	Lloyd Smucker		May 18, 2017
D-CA	Susan A. Davis		May 18, 2017
D-MN	Betty McCollum		Jun 22, 2017
D-CA	Zoe Lofgren		Jul 19, 2017
R-NY	Lee M. Zeldin		Sep 6, 2017
D-MO	Wm. Lacy Clay		Nov 6, 2017
R-NC	Richard Hudson		Nov 13, 2017
R-IN	Todd Rokita		Apr 18, 2018
D-CA	Brad Sherman		Sep 4, 2018

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Jan 11, 2017
	Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee	Referred Feb 6, 2017

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Feb 6, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Jan 11, 2017Introduced in House
Jan 11, 2017Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

In the Congressional Record 3

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
House	Debate and remarks H688	Tulsi Gabbard D-HI	Jan 30, 2018
House	Debate and remarks H4564–H4566	Ann Wagner R-MO, Gwen Moore D-WI, Tulsi Gabbard D-HI	May 24, 2017
House	Debate and remarks H453	Erik Paulsen R-MN	Jan 12, 2017

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.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Amendment XIII whichauthorizes Congress to make laws enforcing the extension of civil rights and universal freedom to victims of slavery. Clause18 of section 8 of article I of the Constitution which states that Congress has the power ``To make all laws which shall benecessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in theGovernment of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 7, January 11, 2017, page H392.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 104	Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017	Related bill	Jan 11, 2017
HR 6292	Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2016	Reintroduction of	Oct 21, 2016

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To provide for the vacating of certain convictions and expungement of certain arrests of victims of human trafficking.
Short Titles as Introduced: Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jan 11, 2017Introduced in House

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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.