Bills
| 3.23.22

Stopping Human Trafficking: State Grants, Increased Fines, and Child Pornography as Child Abuse (H.R. 296)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 296?

(Updated May 22, 2020)

This legislation addresses human trafficking—for sexual purposes or otherwise—through creating a number of new initiatives and provisions and amending some existing laws. 

Notably, the bill would impose an additional $5,000 dollar fine on any person convicted of human trafficking, define child pornography as a form of child abuse, and provide state grants through the Department of Defense to state law enforcement agencies, for the purpose of combating human trafficking. 

The bill would also allot funds to support services for child pornography victims and establish the Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund, into which penalties for trafficking would be paid to help fund state grants programs. The states grants will require a state match of 30 percent in year one, 40 percent in year two, and 50 percent in year three.

Argument in favor

Federal funding for state-level agencies is essential for effectively combating trafficking. Traffickers deserve larger fines. Child pornography is indeed child abuse.

Argument opposed

States must foot part of the bill, making this legislation more expensive than it seems on the surface.

Impact

Victims of human trafficking; human traffickers; states and local law enforcement.

Cost of H.R. 296

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In Depth: According to the National Council of State Legislatures, the bill's aims are the: 
"Establishment or enhancement of specialized law enforcement, first responders, health care officials, child welfare officials, juvenile justice personnel, prosecutors, and judicial personnel training programs"
"Establishment or enhancement of dedicated anti-child human trafficking law enforcement units and task forces to investigate child human trafficking offenses and to rescue victims"
"Establishment or enhancement of problem solving court programs for child human trafficking victims"
"Establishment or enhancement of victims’ services programs including residential care, 24-hour social services response systems, and counseling and case management services."
Of Note: The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls and texts from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.
Phone: 1-888-373-7888
Text: HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733)

According to the United Nationals Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking is a $32 billion global industry. The U.S. State Dept. estimates 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into this country each year, with women accounting for 80 percent. Of those, 70 percent are forced into the commercial sex trade.

This bill is one of five recent pieces of legislation on human trafficking. The additional four are: