Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4307) to direct the Secretary of Labor to train certain employees of Department of Labor how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their official duties, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 4307.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Lucy McBath, for her partnership on this important legislation.

In my time on the Committee on Education and Workforce, I have come to the realization that the Department of Labor employees have a frontline view to detect patterns of human trafficking and labor exploitation.

This is where my bill, H.R. 4307, comes into play. Specifically, this legislation directs the Department of Labor to educate appropriate staff in how to effectively detect instances of human trafficking, ensure personnel regularly receive information on current trends and best practices, and establish a clear course of action for referring suspected instances of human trafficking to law enforcement. In other words, it turns Department of Labor employees into an early warning system against human trafficking.

One of the greatest obstacles in the fight against human trafficking is a

lack of awareness. Too often, visible signs of human trafficking go unnoticed or unreported simply because individuals lack proper training.

By arming these employees with critical information on how to identify potential trafficking situations, we can strengthen our ability to intervene quickly and efficiently to hold traffickers accountable and protect those who are most vulnerable.

I am proud to say that, last Congress, this legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, with a vote of 407-0. Protecting more people from falling victim to the scourge of human trafficking is not political.

I urge my colleagues to put an end to this modern-day slavery and to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4307.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Moylan), a great member of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation and the policies it supports have been important to me for quite some time. That is because behind every statistic is a name, a face, and a heartbroken family.

Human trafficking doesn't just rob these individuals of their dignity. It robs them of their future.

Department of Labor personnel already interact with workplaces, review labor conditions, and identify irregularities. H.R. 4307 ensures that when red flags appear, they are recognized for what they are and are acted upon swiftly and responsibly.

The earlier they can intervene, the greater the chance we have to stop exploitation before it becomes prolonged abuse. That proactive approach is both compassionate and common sense.

This approach also utilizes resources and tools already in place. It supports law enforcement without expanding government unnecessarily. It honors taxpayers by making better use of the workforce we already have.

H.R. 4307 better arms DOL employees to disrupt criminal enterprises and uphold justice, but most importantly, it helps bring victims back home to safety.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act.

This bipartisan bill is led by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath). It directs the Secretary of the Department of Labor to develop and implement effective training to ensure that the Department of Labor enforcement personnel continue to be educated on identifying and responding to human trafficking.

It also ensures that Department of Labor employees are aware of how to refer potential cases of human trafficking to the Department of Justice and other appropriate authorities.

It requires a new annual report to Congress on the Department of Labor's trafficking prevention efforts, which will help guide the committee's future oversight efforts.

The Department of Labor's worker protection agencies play an essential role in enforcing Federal labor standards, ensuring workers are paid what they have been promised by their employers, and protecting health and safety in the workplace. Adequate training ensures that investigators are equipped to recognize red flags, such as confiscated identification documents, withheld wages, restricted movements, threats, coercion, and other indicators of forced labor.

These efforts should be appropriately funded, and the Department of Labor must continue to play a key role in fighting human trafficking. Wage and Hour investigators are often on the front lines and may be the only Federal officials in a position to encounter workers trapped in exploitative conditions.

Unfortunately, President Trump's fiscal 2026 budget request proposed cutting funding for the Wage and Hour Division by nearly 10 percent and reducing staffing by roughly 250 employees for non-H-1B activities.

Over the course of the past decade, the number of Wage and Hour staff has fallen from a little over 1,400 in fiscal year 2017 to just under 1,200 in fiscal year `25, an 18 percent decline, even as the Wage and Hour Division has tracked a 150-percent increase in child labor violations over the same period.

It is critical to follow up this authorization with additional funding because, without the additional funding, this bill could result in even fewer resources available for the Department to carry out their core missions because it imposes additional burdens on agency staff. Additional funding could allow the Department to continue its core functions and fulfill the responsibilities outlined in the bill.

No one should be forced to work under threats, abuse, or intimidation. This legislation recognizes the essential role the Department of Labor and worker protection agencies play in protecting vulnerable workers and holding traffickers accountable.

For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan proposal, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the introduction. I am very happy and pleased to be a cosponsor of this measure.

As we know, human trafficking is modern-day slavery, Mr. Speaker, and traffickers abuse and exploit millions of victims, especially children, girls, and women, all for commercial gain. This is a serious problem around the globe, Mr. Speaker, and even here at home.

We must do more to raise awareness of this crime.

The U.S. Department of Labor is on the front lines of detecting human trafficking. In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline's data showed that there were 21,865 victims, and that is only what we know was reported.

Mr. Speaker, one in six endangered runaways is a likely victim of child sex trafficking. We have a moral and ethical obligation to empower Federal agencies to prevent, detect, and address these horrific crimes.

This bipartisan, commonsense bill raises awareness of human trafficking and establishes effective and timely educational programs to train Department of Labor personnel.

This bill establishes a framework for employees to assist law enforcement, requires reports to Congress on the scope of the issue, and ensures U.S. DOL personnel have the tools they need to detect forced labor and sexual exploitation when they investigate labor law violations.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for this measure to help address, prevent, and crack down on this terrible practice.