Maryland Rep. Mfume Pushes For Passing Of Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention And Reauthorization Act
Photos: Mfume Press|Wikimedia Commons WASHINGTON, DC – Thursday, Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ-04) spoke at a press conference alongside human trafficking prevention advocates to urge Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring their Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act up for a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee in July, 2025, with unanimous support . The bill would reauthorize and strengthen anti-human trafficking programs through 2030. It would provide grants to help schools identify child trafficking, support services for survivors of trafficking, and boost international efforts to combat forced labor and sexual exploitation. It would also extend safeguards to ensure that U.S. foreign assistance does not inadvertently contribute to trafficking, and continues a program requiring convicted sex offenders to be flagged as such when traveling abroad. “This bill is what Congress looks like when it works. When a Democrat from Baltimore and a Republican from New Jersey come together, it is because the cause before us is bigger than party – and the fight against human trafficking is exactly that,” said Rep. Mfume. “Frederick Douglass, after he escaped from bondage, spent the rest of his life devoted to a simple conviction: That no human being can be bought, sold, owned, or exploited. That principle, sadly, still demands action today, as there are millions of people trapped in forced sex labor here in the United States and worldwide. Those women and girls are counting on us to get this bill passed. We owe it to every survivor, and every potential victim, to see this through – and I promise to do everything in my power to make that happen.” “Today’s trafficking networks are more sophisticated, more global, and more brazen than ever, exploiting women, men, and children. That is why the legislation before us today is so urgent,” said Rep. Smith. “Survivors told us clearly: healing doesn’t end when someone exits a trafficking situation—it’s just beginning. This bill authorizes the first-ever housing program for survivors. It ensures wrap-around case management, including education, life skills training, mental health services, and employment assistance—all designed with input from survivors and their families. This legislation is of, by, and for survivors—to help heal, restore, and empower.” Supporting organizations include: National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE); Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT); National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; Polaris; NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT); 3Strands Global Foundation; Rights4Girls; World Without Exploitation; Sex Trade Survivor Caucus (STSC); Alliance to End Human Trafficking; No Trafficking Zone; Engage Together; Buckner International; Covenant House International; Pearl at the Mailbox; Altus Solutions; Shared Hope International; UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery; Catholic Charities USA; International Justice Mission (IJM). Click HERE to read the bill’s full text. Click HERE to view Congressman Mfume’s remarks.The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act would: Reauthorize through FY2029 programs and activities at various federal departments and agencies to combat international trafficking and reduce the prevalence of modern slavery; Reauthorize International Megan’s Law through FY2029 which, among other things, requires sex offenders to provide certain information about their intended travel outside of the United States; Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a new program to help victims of trafficking integrate or reintegrate into society; Require the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report to include information about trafficking in persons for the purposes of organ removal; Require counter-trafficking strategies, activities, and efforts to be further incorporated into U.S. foreign assistance.
Black News 
Photos: Mfume Press|Wikimedia Commons
WASHINGTON, DC – Thursday, Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ-04) spoke at a press conference alongside human trafficking prevention advocates to urge Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring their Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act up for a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee in July, 2025, with unanimous support .
The bill would reauthorize and strengthen anti-human trafficking programs through 2030. It would provide grants to help schools identify child trafficking, support services for survivors of trafficking, and boost international efforts to combat forced labor and sexual exploitation. It would also extend safeguards to ensure that U.S. foreign assistance does not inadvertently contribute to trafficking, and continues a program requiring convicted sex offenders to be flagged as such when traveling abroad.
“This bill is what Congress looks like when it works. When a Democrat from Baltimore and a Republican from New Jersey come together, it is because the cause before us is bigger than party – and the fight against human trafficking is exactly that,” said Rep. Mfume. “Frederick Douglass, after he escaped from bondage, spent the rest of his life devoted to a simple conviction: That no human being can be bought, sold, owned, or exploited. That principle, sadly, still demands action today, as there are millions of people trapped in forced sex labor here in the United States and worldwide. Those women and girls are counting on us to get this bill passed. We owe it to every survivor, and every potential victim, to see this through – and I promise to do everything in my power to make that happen.”
“Today’s trafficking networks are more sophisticated, more global, and more brazen than ever, exploiting women, men, and children. That is why the legislation before us today is so urgent,” said Rep. Smith. “Survivors told us clearly: healing doesn’t end when someone exits a trafficking situation—it’s just beginning. This bill authorizes the first-ever housing program for survivors. It ensures wrap-around case management, including education, life skills training, mental health services, and employment assistance—all designed with input from survivors and their families. This legislation is of, by, and for survivors—to help heal, restore, and empower.”
Supporting organizations include: National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE); Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT); National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; Polaris; NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT); 3Strands Global Foundation; Rights4Girls; World Without Exploitation; Sex Trade Survivor Caucus (STSC); Alliance to End Human Trafficking; No Trafficking Zone; Engage Together; Buckner International; Covenant House International; Pearl at the Mailbox; Altus Solutions; Shared Hope International; UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery; Catholic Charities USA; International Justice Mission (IJM).
Click HERE to read the bill’s full text.
Click HERE to view Congressman Mfume’s remarks.
The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act would:
- Reauthorize through FY2029 programs and activities at various federal departments and agencies to combat international trafficking and reduce the prevalence of modern slavery;
- Reauthorize International Megan’s Law through FY2029 which, among other things, requires sex offenders to provide certain information about their intended travel outside of the United States;
- Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a new program to help victims of trafficking integrate or reintegrate into society;
- Require the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report to include information about trafficking in persons for the purposes of organ removal;
- Require counter-trafficking strategies, activities, and efforts to be further incorporated into U.S. foreign assistance.
