Congresswoman Kat Cammack Introduces Human Trafficking Awareness Training Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL-03) introduced the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Act, a bill that expands the availability of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers' (FLETC) human trafficking awareness training courses to state, local, tribal, territorial, and educational institution law enforcement agencies.
The bill recognizes the importance of FLETC's training programs for first responders and their use in recognizing and properly responding to potential human trafficking situations.
"Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it has no place in our society," said Rep. Cammack. "Our first responders deserve the very best training on recognizing and preventing this horrible trade and this bill will ensure the experts at FLETC can share their knowledge with other law enforcement agencies across the country. I will continue working closely with my colleagues to do everything we can to putting an end to trafficking in the U.S."
"Our border is wide open and horrifically, one of the results is a boon in human trafficking with men, women and children being exploited and forced into labor or sexual exploitation against their will," said Rep. Bacon. "These training programs will make sure our federal officers are trained to recognize indicators of human trafficking, learn a victim-centered approach as a response measure, and other measures so this can be stopped at the point of entry. Once human smugglers get these people into our country, many are lost because the Biden administration is turning them out with just a 'promise to appear' at a federal hearing, many times with a date three to five years from now. That's too little too late. Let's put an end to this now."
"The Biden administration's disastrous border policy has supercharged the scourge of human trafficking to unprecedented levels. Now more than ever, it is critical for Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to provide trainees with the proper tools to identify, respond to, and eradicate human trafficking. It is beyond time that we modernize our nation's approach to combatting the growing issue of human trafficking, and I am proud to join Rep. Cammack in support of the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Act," said Rep. Donalds.
"Human trafficking continues to plague communities across our nation. To protect victims and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice, it's critical for our law enforcement agencies to have the necessary resources, capabilities, and expertise to respond to these crimes. That's why I’m supporting Congresswoman Cammack's Human Trafficking Awareness Training Act to authorize a human trafficking awareness training program through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. Access to this type of training will ensure our state and local law enforcement officers can effectively combat human traffickers and provide survivors the support they need," said Rep. González-Colón.
FLETC currently provides several training courses, including an in-depth understanding of the definition of human trafficking; information on industries and common locations known for human trafficking; human trafficking response measures; human trafficking reporting protocols; an overview of federal statutes and state law related to human trafficking; and others.
January marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Rep. Cammack introduced this same legislation during the 117th Congress in January 2022.
Bill cosponsors at the time of introduction include Reps. Jenniffer González-Colón, Byron Donalds, Mike Carey, Mike Waltz, Don Bacon, Maria Salazar, Mark Amodei, and Doug LaMalfa.
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