[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2744 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2744
To provide grants to transit operators and airports for human
trafficking awareness, education, and prevention efforts, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 7, 2023
Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide grants to transit operators and airports for human
trafficking awareness, education, and prevention efforts, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Reduce Human Trafficking through
Transportation Act''.
SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION
GRANTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation (referred to in
this section as the ``Secretary'') shall establish within the Office of
the Secretary a grant program to provide grants to transit operators
and airports to address human trafficking awareness, education, and
prevention efforts.
(b) Transit Operator Grants.--
(1) In general.--Of the amounts made available for each
fiscal year under subsection (d), the Secretary shall set aside
$10,000,000 to provide grants to entities described in
paragraph (2)(A) to address human trafficking awareness,
education, and prevention efforts, including by--
(A) coordinating human trafficking prevention
efforts across multimodal transportation operations
within a community; and
(B) accomplishing the best practices and
recommendations provided by the Department of
Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking.
(2) Distribution.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall distribute
amounts set aside under paragraph (1) to--
(i) the 75 transit operators in the United
States with the highest annual ridership, based
on the most recent data available; and
(ii) as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate, a transit operator not described
in clause (i) that serves an area with a high
prevalence of human trafficking, on application
of the transit operator.
(B) Priority; considerations.--In distributing the
amounts set aside under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall--
(i) give priority in grant amounts to
entities referred to in subparagraph (A) that
serve regions with a higher prevalence of human
trafficking; and
(ii) take into consideration the effect the
amounts would have on surrounding areas.
(C) Consultation.--In distributing the amounts set
aside under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult
with the Department of Transportation Advisory
Committee on Human Trafficking in determining the
amounts to be distributed to each recipient to ensure
the best use of the funds.
(c) Airport Grants.--
(1) In general.--Of the amounts made available for each
fiscal year under subsection (d), the Secretary shall set aside
$10,000,000 to provide grants to entities described in
paragraph (2)(A) to address human trafficking awareness,
education, and prevention efforts, including by--
(A) coordinating human trafficking prevention
efforts across multimodal transportation operations
within a community; and
(B) accomplishing the best practices and
recommendations provided by the Department of
Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking.
(2) Distribution.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall distribute
amounts set aside under paragraph (1) to--
(i) the 75 airports in the United States
with the highest number of passenger
enplanements annually, based on the most recent
data available; and
(ii) as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate, an airport not described in clause
(i) that serves an area with a high prevalence
of human trafficking, on application of the
airport.
(B) Priority; considerations.--In distributing the
amounts set aside under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall--
(i) give priority in grant amounts to
entities referred to in subparagraph (A) that
serve regions with a higher prevalence of human
trafficking; and
(ii) take into consideration the effect the
amounts would have on surrounding areas.
(C) Consultation.--In distributing the amounts set
aside under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult
with the Department of Transportation Advisory
Committee on Human Trafficking in determining the
amounts to be distributed to each recipient to ensure
the best use of the funds.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Office of the Secretary to carry out this section
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
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