This bill establishes a program within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to provide outreach and training to HSI employees and partners who have been exposed to various forms of trauma in working with victims of human trafficking.
The bill also provides statutory authority for the HSI Victim Assistance Program.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9352 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9352
To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, in
Homeland Security Investigations, the Investigators Maintain Purposeful
Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma Program and the Victim
Assistance Program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 22, 2022
Mr. Joyce of Ohio (for himself, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Wagner, and Ms.
Slotkin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve services for trafficking victims by establishing, in
Homeland Security Investigations, the Investigators Maintain Purposeful
Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma Program and the Victim
Assistance Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. INVESTIGATORS MAINTAIN PURPOSEFUL AWARENESS TO COMBAT
TRAFFICKING TRAUMA PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--There is established, in Homeland Security
Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
Investigators Maintain Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking
Trauma Program (referred to in this Act as the ``IMPACTT Program'').
(b) Functions.--The IMPACTT Program shall--
(1) provide outreach and training to Homeland Security
Investigations employees and partners who have been exposed to
various forms of trauma in working with victims of human
trafficking, including--
(A) self-awareness training for the relevant
employees on recognizing the signs of burnout,
compassion fatigue, critical incident stress, traumatic
stress, posttraumatic stress, secondary traumatic
stress, and vicarious trauma;
(B) training material that provides mechanisms for
self-care and resilience, and notify of resources
available through the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Employee Assistance Program and other
relevant accredited programs, as available; and
(C) additional training to first line supervisors
of relevant employees on recognizing the signs referred
to in subparagraph (A) and the appropriate responses to
employees exhibiting such signs;
(2) include training modules that are carried out by--
(A) licensed and accredited clinicians who have
been trained on the exposure of various forms of trauma
and other stressors experienced in working with
victims; and
(B) additional subject matter experts, as
available; and
(3) be overseen and coordinated by the Homeland Security
Investigations Countering Human Trafficking Center to ensure
that--
(A) appropriate program materials are distributed;
(B) training is offered to all relevant employees;
and
(C) any needed travel and equipment is provided.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to amounts
otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there is authorized to be
appropriated $800,000 for each fiscal year to the Secretary of Homeland
Security to carry out this subsection.
SEC. 2. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Subtitle D of title IV of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 447. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Forensic interview specialist.--The term `forensic
interview specialist' is an interview professional who has
specialized experience and training in conducting trauma-
informed forensic interviews with victims of crime.
``(2) Victim assistance specialist.--The term `victim
assistance specialist' is a victim assistance professional
who--
``(A) has experience working with victims of crime
in a service capacity; and
``(B) has been trained on the exposure of various
forms of trauma and other stressors experienced in
working with victims.
``(b) In General.--There is established, in Homeland Security
Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Victim
Assistance Program.
``(c) Functions.--The Victim Assistance Program shall--
``(1) provide oversight, guidance, training, travel,
equipment, and coordination to victim assistance personnel
throughout the United States;
``(2) recruit not fewer than--
``(A) 1 forensic interview specialist and 1 victim
assistance specialist for each Homeland Security
Investigations Special Agent in Charge office; and
``(B) 1 victim assistance specialist for--
``(i) every Homeland Security
Investigations office participating in a human
trafficking task force;
``(ii) every Homeland Security
Investigations regional attache office; and
``(iii) every Homeland Security
Investigations office participating in a child
sexual exploitation task force;
``(3) provide training regarding victims' rights, victim-
related policies, roles of forensic interviewers and victim
assistance specialists, and an approach that is--
``(A) victim-centered;
``(B) trauma-informed; and
``(C) linguistically appropriate; and
``(4) provide sufficient funding for emergency expenditures
to purchase items needed to assist identified victims,
including food, clothing, hygiene products, transportation, and
temporary shelter that is not otherwise provided by a
nongovernmental organization.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $25,000,000 for each fiscal year to carry out this
section.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--The Homeland Security Act
of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) is amended--
(1) in section 1(b) (6 U.S.C. 101 note)--
(A) by striking the item relating to section 442
and inserting the following:
``Sec. 442. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.'';
and
(B) by inserting after the item relating to section
446 the following:
``Sec. 447. Homeland Security Investigations Victim Assistance
Program.'';
(2) in section 442--
(A) by amending the section heading to read as
follows: ``u.s. immigration and customs enforcement'';
(B) by striking ``bureau'' each place such term
appears (except in subsection (a)(1)) and inserting
``agency'';
(C) by striking ``the Bureau of Border Security''
each place such term appears and inserting ``U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement'';
(D) in subsection (a)--
(i) in the subsection heading, by striking
``of Bureau'';
(ii) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking
``affecting the Bureau of'' and inserting
``affecting U.S.''; and
(iii) in paragraph (4), by striking ``the
Bureau.'' and inserting ``the agency.''; and
(E) in subsection (b)(2)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ``Bureau of Border Security''
and inserting ``U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``the
Bureau of'' before ``Citizenship and
Immigration Services'' and inserting ``U.S.'';
and
(3) in section 443(2), by striking ``such bureau'' and
inserting ``such agency''.
SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall
submit a report to Congress that identifies, with respect to the
reporting period--
(1) the number of trainings that were provided through the
IMPACTT Program and the number of personnel who received such
training; and
(2) the number of potential human trafficking victims who
were assisted by the Homeland Security Investigations Victim
Assistance Program.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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