The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act

TVPRA Bill Tracker

Follow the TVPRA as it makes its way through different phases of the Senate and House. Click on each button below to find out more information about each phase.

House

Introduction
Committee
Consideration
Signature

I. Introduction

The bill is assigned a number and labeled with the sponsor’s name.

IJM’s goal is to get other members to sign on as co-sponsors.

II. Referral to and Consideration by Committee

There are several stages in this process.

STAGE 1: REFERRAL TO COMMITTEE: The bill is referred to the appropriate committee – in the case of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Bills are usually referred to a subcommittee at this point, though some may be held by the Committee chairman for consideration at the full Committee level.

During this stage, there may be public hearings held during which witnesses chosen by the chair and ranking minority member share their expertise on the issue.

STAGE 2: "MARK-UP" SESSION: If the chairman decides to proceed with referring the bill to a subcommittee, it is considered in a subcommittee "mark-up" session, where members can offer and vote on amendments to the bill. After subcommittee consideration, if the full Committee chooses to act on the bill, it may be "marked up" at full Committee without further hearings, or the full Committee can call further hearings if desired.

STAGE 3: BILL FINALIZED: After the full Committee votes to send the bill on for consideration by the full House, no more co-sponsors can be added. Under the Chairman’s direction, Committee staff write a report on the bill, explaining its contents, fiscal implications and any changes that have been made since it was introduced. Members of the committee who oppose the bill may write dissenting views, which are included in the same report.

IJM’s goal at this stage is to get the Committee to report the bill to the full House for a vote.

III. Consideration

Once the House leadership determines that there is time for the bill on the legislative calendar, it can be considered by the full House. At this point, members may debate the merit of the bill and propose additional amendments. (Since the bill will have followed a similar course in the Senate, the House and Senate versions of the bill may be different. Any differences must be resolved, usually by a conference committee, which sends the final version back to both bodies for a final vote.)

IJM’s goal at this stage is to get a majority of House members to vote in favor of the bill.

IV. Signature

The President either signs the bill into law or vetoes it and sends it back to Congress.

IJM’s goal at this stage is to get the President to sign the bill into law.

I. Introduction

The bill is assigned a number and labeled with the sponsor’s name. IJM’s goal is to get other senators to sign on as co-sponsors.

II. Referral to and Consideration by Committee

There are several stages in this process.

STAGE 1: REFERRAL TO COMMITTEE: The bill is referred to the appropriate committee – in the case of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, the Senate Judiciary Committee. Bills are usually referred to a subcommittee at this point, though some may be held by the Committee chairman for consideration at the full Committee level.

During this stage, there may be public hearings held during which witnesses chosen by the chair and ranking minority member share their expertise on the issue.

STAGE 2: “MARK-UP” SESSION: If the chairman decides to proceed with referring the bill to a subcommittee, it is considered in a subcommittee “mark-up” session, where subcommittee members can offer and vote on amendments to the bill. After subcommittee consideration, if the full Committee chooses to act on the bill, it may be “marked up” at full Committee without further hearings, or the full Committee can call further hearings if desired.

STAGE 3: BILL FINALIZED: After the full Committee votes to send the bill on for consideration by the Senate, no more co-sponsors can be added. Under the Chairman’s direction, Committee staff write a report on the bill, explaining its contents, fiscal implications and any changes that have been made since it was introduced. Members of the committee who oppose the bill may write dissenting views, which are included in the same report.

IJM’s goal at this stage is to get the Committee to report the bill to the full Senate for a vote.

III. Consideration

Once the Senate leadership determines that there is time for the bill on the legislative calendar, it can be considered by the full Senate. At this point, senators may debate the merit of the bill and propose additional amendments. (Since the bill will have followed a similar course in the House, the Senate and House versions of the bill may be different. Any differences must be resolved, usually by a conference committee, which sends the final version back to both bodies for a final vote.)

IJM’s goal at this stage is to get a majority of Senate members to vote in favor of the bill.

IV. Signature

The President either signs the bill into law or vetoes it and sends it back to Congress.

IJM’s goal at this stage is to get the President to sign the bill into law.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) is a crucial bill that will renew the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which established the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, authorized the annual Trafficking in Persons report, and established a global minimum standard for confronting trafficking and slavery.

The original legislation was also designed to combat trafficking in the U.S. by establishing it as a federal crime, and providing assistance programs for survivors, including visa protection for victims trafficked across international borders.

The TVPRA will extend this life-saving law for at least two more years.

The TVPRA in the House of Representatives

The TVPRA was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Howard Berman (D-CA) on August 30, 2011, and quickly gained a strong bi-partisan showing of support.

In response to concerns raised by a Health and Human Services' (HHS) decision not to award an anti-trafficking grant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Congressman Smith introduced a new version of the bill in December 2011. This new version of the TVPRA includes a "conscience clause," which prevents the federal government from denying a grant to an organization based on its moral or religious objections to providing particular services, such as abortion. The concept of a "conscience clause" is not new—it already applies to U.S. foreign aid—but is a new addition to domestic anti-trafficking grants. IJM has no objection to the inclusion of the conscience clause in the bill. Congressman Smith made another change that is more problematic to service providers, which was to remove the victim assistance program out of HHS altogether and place it within Department of Justice. This more far-reaching amendment has made Smith's version of the bill more controversial among Democrats, who are not currently supporting the new bill.

The TVPRA in the Senate

The TVPRA was introduced in the U.S. Senate on June 29, 2011, by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Brown (R-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Boxer (D-CA), Cardin (D-MD), and Wyden (D-OR), and now enjoys the support of more than 1/3 of the Senate.

On October 13th, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the TVPRA by a vote of 12-6, and now the bill is ready to be voted on by the full Senate.

The Senate bill includes a number of innovative provisions that strengthen global and domestic anti-trafficking programs and services, including:

Authorizing the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Office to negotiate child protection compacts with designated focus countries to increase resources and political will to eradicate child trafficking (the essential provisions of the Child Protection Compact Act).
Providing resources to allow the TIP Office to respond quickly to requests for technical assistance from foreign countries.
Instructing the State Department regional bureaus to designate anti-trafficking specialists in our Embassies abroad to collect information on trafficking and communicate U.S. concerns to foreign government officials.

Senate staff have indicated that a conscience clause is likely to be added to the Senate bill when and if it comes before the full Senate for a vote; it is unlikely to gain majority support without such a clause.

The best way to ensure the Senate passes this bill and gets it to President Obama for his signature is to generate maximum political support for the bill across the political spectrum. You can help! Contact your Senators today online or, even better, schedule a meeting with your Senator's local district office to ask them in person to co-sponsor the TVPRA and to urge that it be brought to the floor for a vote by the full Senate at the earliest possible opportunity.

Learn more about the TVPRA with these resources:

See if your Senators have demonstrated a commitment to slavery abolition by co-sponsoring the TVPRA: Click here
Bill Summary: Dive deep by exploring the full text of the bill: Click here