Federal Legislation
Join the Movement
Bills of Interest
On the federal level, there are numerous bills going through the lawmaking process in regard to anti-human trafficking efforts on a national level. Read about the latest pieces of legislation.
H.R.6552 - Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022
This bill provides resources for survivor employment and education including social services, case management, life-skills training, education, scholarships, and employment. These resources are essential to helping survivors rebuild their life and keep out of human trafficking. It also gives survivors opportunities to help others and break the chain of human trafficking. The bill provides for the strengthening of elementary and secondary education to prevent online grooming and trafficking of children. The nature of the internet and technology as vast marketplaces and communications tools make it an ideal place for predators to harm children, therefore education and awareness is crucial. The Act mandates training and code of conduct for anti-trafficking in American airlines, hotels, and foreign embassies. This section of the Act helps survivors find the help they need when and if they are being transported or held somewhere which is essential to getting them out faster and safer. This piece of legislation gives sweeping protections to survivors and advantages to the effort to end human trafficking, making it a necessity.
S.3538, The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 (EARN IT)
S.3538, The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 (EARN IT), provides a new framework for holding companies accountable for child sexual abuse materials circulated through their platforms. The National Commission on the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention will be created in an effort to develop procedures for online platforms to prevent and respond to online sexual exploitation of children. EARN IT also increases liability for computer services regarding child sexual exploitation and requires that providers report incidents with adequate information to locate perpetrators. Furthermore, language in the bill changes “child pornography” to “child sexual exploitation” to enhance the accuracy of language. This bill is essential to protecting our children online as the capability of technology to be used for ill-purposes increases. Predators will no longer be able to hide behind the corporations that facilitate these interactions knowingly or not.
S.3623 - Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed in 1993, mandates federal funding for studies on violence against women. At this point in time, martial rape was in the process of becoming a criminal offense, which points to the necessity of that research as domestic violence is an underreported issue. VAWA provides funds for rape prevention and education on domestic violence and rape upon completion of those studies to give adequate and evidence-based responses to violence against women. The VAWA also includes increased rights to sue perpetrators of sexual assault, which allows women to gain restitution for violence committed against them. IT further mandated that every state should recognize domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs) from other states which is crucial in cases when abusers follow their victims across state lines. By requiring equal DVPO protections, women are guaranteed a higher degree of safety regardless of their address. The Violence Against Women Act is also the first federal law against battering and stalking, crimes that make victims feel unsafe and can cause grievous psychological harm. The Act is reauthorized periodically, but sometimes it is a close call. This vital act must continue to be reauthorized to protect women and all other victims of domestic violence and rape including men and LGBTQ+ victims.
Write Your Legislators
STEP 1: FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE/SENATOR:
To advocate on a legislative level, it is important to know who represents you.
FIND OUT WHO YOUR U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE IS.
FIND OUT WHO YOUR SENATORS ARE.
STEP 2: WHAT BILL DO YOU HOPE TO SEE PASSED?
Think about what bills you hope to see passed. Is that bill currently in the House of Representatives or the Senate or BOTH? Write down why you want the bill to be made into law and what great things would happen if this bill did become a law.
Step 3: CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE.
Once you have discovered who represents you and what bills you want to focus on, it is now time to contact your representatives/senators. Contacting an elected official can seem intimidating, but these officials were elected by the people to serve the people. So let your voice be heard!
You can make the strongest impact by making an appointment to meet with your representative (or, more likely, one of their legislative aids).
Phone calls are also important. Be sure to have the number of the bill you want them to support and why it’s important to you.
Letters and emails can have an impact, as well. If you are not sure what to write, we have an easy template for you follow. GET TEMPLATE.
Our representatives won’t know what is important to us if we don’t tell them.