Legislative Authority

Legislative Authority

Under Section 212(b)(1) and Section 212(b)(2) of the Williams Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008: Authority to train Federal staff and State and local officials to improve identification and protection for trafficking victims. 22 U.S.C. 7105(c)(4) reads:

(4)  Training of Government personnel 

1. In general 

Appropriate personnel of the Department of State, including members of the Service (as such term is defined in section 3903 of this title), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Justice shall be trained in identifying victims of severe forms of trafficking and providing for the protection of such victims, including juvenile victims. The Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall provide training to State and local officials to improve the identification and protection of such victims.

(B)  Training components

Training under this paragraph shall include—

1. a distance learning course on trafficking-in-persons issues and the Department of State’s obligations under this Act, which shall be designed for embassy reporting officers, regional bureaus’ trafficking-in-persons coordinators, and their superiors;

2. specific trafficking-in-persons briefings for all ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission before such individuals depart for their posts; and

3. at least annual reminders to all personnel referred to in clauses (i) and

4. (ii), including appropriate personnel from other Federal departments and agencies, at each diplomatic or consular post of the Department of State located outside the United States of—

   1. key problems, threats, methods, and warning signs of trafficking in persons specific to the country or jurisdiction in which each such post is located; and

   2. appropriate procedures to report information that any such personnel may acquire about possible cases of trafficking in persons.

National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC)

Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (PL 106-386), Section 106(b), as amended at 22 U.S. Code § 7104

• Summary of Authority: Establish and carry out trafficking public awareness programs

• Delegated to OTIP (81 FR 31242)

• Text of the Authorization: PUBLIC AWARENESS AND INFORMATION.—The President, acting through the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State, shall establish and carry out programs to increase public awareness, particularly among potential victims of trafficking, of the dangers of trafficking and the protections that are available for victims of trafficking.

Public Law No: 115-398 (12/31/2018)

Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Act of 2018 or the SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2018

(Sec. 2) This bill provides statutory authority for and expands the Department of Health and Human Services program known as the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training Program or the SOAR to Health and Wellness Training Program.

The program trains health care and social service providers to:

• identify potential human trafficking victims,

• work with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with such victims,

• refer victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations, and

• provide such victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances.

The program must include the functions of the training program with the same name that was operating before this bill's enactment and the following initiatives:

• engaging stakeholders to develop a flexible training module,

• providing technical assistance relating to program activities,

• developing a methodology for collecting and reporting data on the number of human trafficking victims served through the program, and

• integrating program training with other types of training for health care and social service providers (e.g., training regarding sexual assault victims).