Congress Helping to Stop Human Trafficking in Our Communities

Press Release

U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) has joined his colleagues in passing bipartisan legislation to help stop human trafficking and provide aid for victims of trafficking.

West Virginia had 19 cases of human trafficking reported in 2016, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Fourteen of those cases were instances of sex trafficking.

"Human trafficking isn't just happening overseas, it's happening here in West Virginia. I'm joining with my colleagues to help stop trafficking, increases resources for local law enforcement, and give aid to victims of this horrific crime. By working together, we can help raise awareness of human trafficking in our communities and make a difference in stopping this human rights crisis," Rep. Jenkins said.

The three bills passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday are:

H.R. 2664, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, which ensures that U.S. Labor Department employees are thoroughly trained to detect human trafficking activity and have a plan of action to report it to appropriate law enforcement.
H.R. 2480, the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act, which allows state and local law enforcement to use Byrne JAG grants to fight human trafficking.
H.R. 2200, the Fredrick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes funding for important domestic and international anti-trafficking programs, including aid for victims of trafficking.

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