Anti-Trafficking

Human trafficking is a heinous crime that impacts people of all ages in communities worldwide. It is estimated that over 25 million people are subjected to human trafficking and forced labor, an industry responsible for roughly $150 billion annually.

We must be vigilant in putting the criminals responsible behind bars and providing all-encompassing support to survivors. With collaboration among local, state, and federal partners and the private sector community, we can abolish these heinous crimes and restore the lives and livelihoods of those impacted.

In Congress, I have:

• Introduced H.R. 8672, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, legislation to give survivors a path to clear their criminal records of non-violent offenses committed as a direct result of having been a victim of trafficking. 
• Introduced H.R. 6911, the No Travel For Traffickers Act, legislation to bar from the visa waiver program any country that allows individuals to obtain citizenship by making an investment in that country.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 6544, the EARN IT Act, legislation to revise the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 8061, the Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act, legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a human trafficking offense or federal sex offense to file a civil action to recover damages.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 7181, the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, legislation to require the posting of contact information of the national human trafficking hotline in a visible place in all federal buildings; in the restrooms of each U.S. aircraft, airport, over-the-road bus, bus station, passenger train, and passenger railroad station; and at each port of entry.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 5884, the Child Rescue Act, legislation to create a national Working Group under the Attorney General tasked with studying proactive strategies and identifying the resources needed for the identification and rescue of children from sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 6480, the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Act, legislation to establish a program to train law enforcement officers at state and local levels to recognize human trafficking and funds the program with $2.3 million for the next 5 years.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 1198, the End Child Exploitation Act, legislation designed to extend the period of time that technology companies are required to preserve information about child sexual abuse images they report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). 
• Co-sponsored H.R. 3996, the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act, legislation to expand the authority of the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants Program to enable law enforcement agencies to compete for federal funding, specifically to develop and implement sex trafficking demand reduction programs.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 6544, the EARN It Act of 2022, legislation to establish the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention, and limits the liability of online service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws if they knowingly have CSAM on their site.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 1527, the Homeland Security Investigations Victims Assistance Act, legislation to formally authorize the Victim Assistance Program within Homeland Security Investigations.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 5150, Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2021, legislation to expand and authorize programs for survivors, including a program to prevent re-exploitation.
• Worked alongside Education and Labor Republican Leader Dr. Virginia Foxx to initiate a formal request to the Government Accountability Office to study and identify gaps in existing human trafficking laws so we know what is and isn’t working.
• Co-signed a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services regarding harms that may befall migrant children, including human trafficking, and demanded to know what the Department of Homeland Security is doing to protect them.

If you see signs of human trafficking, call the human trafficking hotline at 1-888-373- 7888 or visit humantraffickinghotline.org.

To see a full list of legislation sponsored and supported by Congressman Owens, click here.