Human Trafficking Prioritization Act

Human Trafficking Prioritization Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking of the Department of State will be more effective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and can do so without an increase in either personnel or budget, if: (1) the Office's status is changed to that of a Bureau within State; and (2) the Office is headed by an Assistant Secretary with direct access to the Secretary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at-Large.

The bill amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to change the status of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to that of the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

State must submit to Congress a report detailing:

• for each current Assistant Secretary of State position, the exact title and length of designation as Assistant Secretary and whether that designation was legislatively mandated or authorized and, if so, the relevant statutory citation; and
• whether State intends to designate one of the Assistant Secretary of State positions as the Assistant Secretary of State to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the reasons for that decision.

The bill prohibits subsequent inclusion for more than one consecutive year on the special watch list of countries whose compliance with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking is full, partial, or insignificant of any country that:

• was included on the list for four consecutive years after enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and
• was subsequently included on the exclusive Tier 3 list of countries not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with such standards.

No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated for diplomatic and consular programs to carry out this bill.