Housing for Survivors of Sex Trafficking Act

Housing for Survivors of Sex Trafficking Act

This bill amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to include sex trafficking victims as eligible participants in the transitional housing assistance grant program.

The bill permits a grant recipient to condition the receipt of benefits or the provision of housing on a program participant's involvement in certain activities, including confidential counseling and evaluations, as necessary to ensure the accurate placement of the victim in the program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3942 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3942

    To amend the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to include sex 
   trafficking victims in the transitional housing assistance grant 
                    program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 2017

Mrs. Hartzler (for herself, Ms. Bordallo, and Mrs. Noem) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to 
      be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to include sex 
   trafficking victims in the transitional housing assistance grant 
                    program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Housing for Survivors of Sex 
Trafficking Act''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS IN TRANSITIONAL HOUSING 
              GRANT PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 40299 of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (34 U.S.C. 12351) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``, sex trafficking,'' 
                        after ``and other organizations, including 
                        domestic violence'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``, sex trafficking,'' 
                        after ``providers, domestic violence''; and
                            (iii) by inserting ``sex trafficking,'' 
                        after ``dating violence, sexual assault,''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``sex 
                trafficking,'' after ``sexual assault,'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(3)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``sex trafficking,'' after ``sexual 
                assault,''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``, except as 
                provided in subsection (e)'' after ``shall be 
                voluntary'';
            (3) in subsection (d)(2)(B), by inserting ``, except as 
        provided in subsection (e)'' after ``the victim's housing'';
            (4) by redesignating subsections (e), (f) and (g) as 
        subsections (f), (g) and (h), respectively;
            (5) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Exceptions.--A grant recipient under this section may 
condition the receipt of benefits or the provision of housing on a 
program participant's participation in certain programs, including 
counseling and evaluations, that are necessary to ensure the accurate 
placement of the victim in the program, provided that any communication 
provided in the course of such counseling or evaluation remains 
confidential.'';
            (6) in subsection (g)(1), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``under subsection (e)'' and inserting ``under subsection 
        (f)''; and
            (7) in subsection (g)(3)(D)(iii), by inserting ``sex 
        trafficking,'' after ``sexual assault,''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The heading for section 40299 of the 
Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12351) is amended by 
inserting ``sex trafficking,'' after ``sexual assault,''.
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