What This Bill Does
This bill creates two new programs within Homeland Security Investigations (a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to help employees and trafficking victims. The first program trains investigators who work with human trafficking victims to recognize and manage trauma they experience on the job. The second program hires specialists to support victims during criminal investigations and provides emergency aid like food, shelter and transportation.
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Who It Affects
* Homeland Security Investigations employees who work with trafficking victims
* Human trafficking victims receiving assistance from Homeland Security Investigations
* Supervisors of Homeland Security Investigations employees
* The Department of Homeland Security
* Congress (receives annual reports)
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Key Provisions
* The IMPACTT Program provides trauma awareness training to Homeland Security Investigations employees exposed to trafficking cases, including training on recognizing burnout, compassion fatigue, critical incident stress and other forms of trauma (Sec. 2)
* Training materials must describe self-care methods and notify employees about available support resources like the Employee Assistance Program, Peer Support Program and Chaplain Program, plus outside community and faith-based resources (Sec. 2)
* The Victim Assistance Program recruits forensic interview specialists and victim assistance specialists to work in Homeland Security Investigations offices, with at least one of each specialist assigned to each major regional office (Sec. 3)
* The Victim Assistance Program can purchase emergency items needed to help trafficking victims in criminal investigations, including food, clothing, hygiene products, transportation and temporary shelter (Sec. 3)
* The Secretary of Homeland Security must submit annual reports to Congress identifying the number of IMPACTT trainings provided, the number of employees trained and the number of trafficking victims assisted (Sec. 4)
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What Changes
The bill establishes two entirely new programs where none currently exist. Homeland Security Investigations will begin offering trauma training to its employees and hire dedicated specialists to support trafficking victims during investigations. These changes take effect once the bill becomes law.
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Important Definitions
* **Forensic interview specialist**: an interview professional with specialized experience and training in conducting trauma-informed forensic interviews (interviews focused on understanding how trauma affects victims) with victims of crime (Sec. 3)
* **Victim**: Not specified in bill text (the bill references another law's definition rather than defining it here)
* **Victim assistance specialist**: a victim assistance professional who has experience working with crime victims, has been trained on trauma and stressors victims experience, and may have worked with community organizations, victim advocacy centers, child welfare agencies or faith-based organizations (Sec. 3)
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1405
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 Pro-
gram.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 7, 2023
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 Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘IMPACTT Human
4
Trafficking Act’’.
5
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•HR 1405 IH
SEC. 2. INVESTIGATORS MAINTAIN PURPOSEFUL AWARE-
1
NESS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING TRAUMA
2
PROGRAM.
3
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, in
4
Homeland Security Investigations of U.S. Immigration
5
and Customs Enforcement, the Investigators Maintain
6
Purposeful Awareness to Combat Trafficking Trauma
7
Program (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘IMPACTT Pro-
8
gram’’).
9
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The IMPACTT Program shall—
10
(1) provide outreach and training to Homeland
11
Security Investigations employees who have been ex-
12
posed to various forms of trauma in working with
13
victims of human trafficking, including—
14
(A) self-awareness training for the relevant
15
employees on recognizing the signs of burnout,
16
compassion fatigue, critical incident stress,
17
traumatic stress, posttraumatic stress, sec-
18
ondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma;
19
(B) training material that—
20
(i) provides mechanisms for self-care
21
and resilience and notification of resources
22
that are available through U.S. Immigra-
23
tion and Customs Enforcement, such as
24
the Employee Assistance Program, the
25
Peer Support Program, the Chaplain Pro-
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•HR 1405 IH
gram, and other relevant accredited pro-
1
grams that are available; and
2
(ii) provides examples of potential re-
3
sources that are available outside of U.S.
4
Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
5
which may include, faith-based and com-
6
munity-based resources; and
7
(C) provide additional training to first line
8
supervisors of relevant employees on recog-
9
nizing the signs referred to in subparagraph
10
(A) and the appropriate responses to employees
11
exhibiting such signs;
12
(2) include training modules that are carried
13
out by—
14
(A) licensed and accredited clinicians
15
who—
16
(i) have been trained on the exposure
17
of various forms of trauma and other
18
stressors experienced in working with vic-
19
tims; and
20
(ii) may have experience working with
21
faith-based
organizations,
community-
22
based organizations, counseling programs,
23
or other social service programs; and
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•HR 1405 IH
(B) additional subject matter experts who
1
are available; and
2
(3) be overseen and coordinated by the Depart-
3
ment of Homeland Security Center for Countering
4
Human Trafficking to ensure that—
5
(A) appropriate program materials are dis-
6
tributed;
7
(B) training is offered to all relevant em-
8
ployees; and
9
(C) any needed travel and equipment is
10
provided.
11
SEC. 3. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM AS-
12
SISTANCE PROGRAM.
13
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title IV of the
14
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 251 et seq.)
15
is amended by adding at the end the following:
16
‘‘SEC. 447. HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS VICTIM
17
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
18
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
19
‘‘(1) FORENSIC INTERVIEW SPECIALIST.—The
20
term ‘forensic interview specialist’ is an interview
21
professional who has specialized experience and
22
training in conducting trauma-informed forensic
23
interviews with victims of crime.
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•HR 1405 IH
‘‘(2) VICTIM.—The term ‘victim’ has the mean-
1
ing given such term in section 503(e)(2) of the Vic-
2
tims’ Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C.
3
20141(e)(2)).
4
‘‘(3) VICTIM
ASSISTANCE
SPECIALIST.—The
5
term ‘victim assistance specialist’ is a victim assist-
6
ance professional who—
7
‘‘(A) has experience working with victims
8
of crime in a service capacity;
9
‘‘(B) has been trained on the exposure of
10
various forms of trauma and other stressors ex-
11
perienced in working with victims; and
12
‘‘(C) may have experience working with
13
local government and community-based organi-
14
zations, including victim advocacy centers, child
15
advocacy centers, child welfare agencies, faith-
16
based organizations, and other social service
17
programs.
18
‘‘(b) IN GENERAL.—There is established, in Home-
19
land Security Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Cus-
20
toms Enforcement, the Victim Assistance Program.
21
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Victim Assistance Program
22
shall—
23
‘‘(1) provide oversight, guidance, training, trav-
24
el, equipment, and coordination to Homeland Secu-
25
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•HR 1405 IH
rity
Investigations
victim
assistance
personnel
1
throughout the United States;
2
‘‘(2) recruit not fewer than—
3
‘‘(A) 1 forensic interview specialist and 1
4
victim assistance specialist for each Homeland
5
Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge
6
office;
7
‘‘(B) 1 victim assistance specialist for—
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‘‘(i) every Homeland Security Inves-
9
tigations office participating in a human
10
trafficking task force; and
11
‘‘(ii) every Homeland Security Inves-
12
tigations office participating in a child sex-
13
ual exploitation task force;
14
‘‘(3) support Homeland Security Investigations
15
regional attache´ offices, to the extent necessary;
16
‘‘(4) provide training regarding victims’ rights,
17
victim-related policies, roles of forensic interviewers
18
and victim assistance specialists, and an approach
19
that is—
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‘‘(A) victim-centered;
21
‘‘(B) trauma-informed; and
22
‘‘(C) linguistically appropriate, to the ex-
23
tent feasible; and
24
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•HR 1405 IH
‘‘(5) purchase emergency items that are needed
1
to assist identified victims in Homeland Security In-
2
vestigations criminal investigations, including food,
3
clothing, hygiene products, transportation, and tem-
4
porary shelter that is not otherwise provided by a
5
nongovernmental organization.’’.
6
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
7
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–
8
296) is amended—
9
(1) in section 1(b) (6 U.S.C. 101 note)—
10
(A) by striking the item relating to section
11
442 and inserting the following:
12
‘‘Sec. 442. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.’’; and
(B) by inserting after the item relating to
13
section 446 the following:
14
‘‘Sec. 447. Homeland Security Investigations Victim Assistance Program.’’;
(2) in section 442—
15
(A) by amending the section heading to
16
read as follows: ‘‘U.S. IMMIGRATION
AND
17
CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT’’;
18
(B) by striking ‘‘bureau’’ each place such
19
term appears (except in subsection (a)(1)) and
20
inserting ‘‘agency’’;
21
(C) by striking ‘‘the Bureau of Border Se-
22
curity’’ each place such term appears and in-
23
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•HR 1405 IH
serting ‘‘U.S. Immigration and Customs En-
1
forcement’’;
2
(D) in subsection (a)—
3
(i) in the subsection heading, by strik-
4
ing ‘‘OF BUREAU’’;
5
(ii) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking
6
‘‘affecting the Bureau of’’ and inserting
7
‘‘affecting U.S.’’; and
8
(iii) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘the
9
Bureau.’’ and inserting ‘‘the agency.’’; and
10
(E) in subsection (b)(2)—
11
(i) in the matter preceding subpara-
12
graph (A), by striking ‘‘Bureau of Border
13
Security’’ and inserting ‘‘U.S. Immigration
14
and Customs Enforcement’’; and
15
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking
16
‘‘the Bureau of’’ before ‘‘Citizenship and
17
Immigration
Services’’
and
inserting
18
‘‘U.S.’’; and
19
(3) in section 443(2), by striking ‘‘such bu-
20
reau’’ and inserting ‘‘such agency’’.
21
SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT.
22
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
23
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of
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•HR 1405 IH
Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress that
1
identifies, with respect to the reporting period—
2
(1) the number of trainings that were provided
3
through the IMPACTT Program and the number of
4
personnel who received such training; and
5
(2) the number of human trafficking victims
6
who were assisted by the Homeland Security Inves-
7
tigations Victim Assistance Program.
8
Æ
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