WASHINGTON (OSV News) \u2013 A bipartisan pair of lawmakers announced July 30 they will form and co-chair a new caucus in the U.S. House aimed at the prevention of human trafficking.<\/p>\n
Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J. and Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., said the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus \u2014 named in honor of the abolitionist and statesman \u2014 will work to advance legislation to prevent human trafficking, prosecute traffickers, and strengthen support and protection for victims, and facilitate greater cooperation to prevent the trafficking through partnerships between government, law enforcement, private and faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8-6-26-human-trafficking-commission-300x259.jpg\")
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., is seen in a file photo speaking about ending human trafficking during a news conference in the House Triangle near the U.S. Capitol in Washington in this undated photo. On July 30, 2026, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Smith and Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., announced the formation of the bipartisan Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus in the House. (OSV News photo\/courtesy Rep. Chris Smith)<\/p>\n
\u201cI am honored to announce the formation of the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus alongside my Co-Chair, Rep. Mfume, who is fiercely committed to ending the modern-day slavery that is human trafficking,\u201d Smith, a longtime Catholic lawmaker, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Mfume noted they made the announcement on the annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman trafficking is modern-day slavery and a scourge on our collective humanity,\u201d Mfume said. \u201cNearly 27 million people worldwide are trapped in forms of forced labor and human bondage, and Americans in all 50 states have been victimized as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe owe it to every survivor and victim to pass comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation out of the Congress and send it to the President\u2019s desk,\u201d Mfume continued. \u201cThis Caucus and anti-trafficking organizations across the country represent proof of our collective intention to get that done, no matter how long it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith added, \u201cHuman trafficking is an ever-evolving crime, as traffickers are constantly finding new ways\u2014both in-person and virtually\u2014to exploit, manipulate, and abuse victims. To meet these changing and challenging demands, this Caucus will work tirelessly to advance new anti-trafficking legislation\u2014especially and including the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 (H.R. 1144), which Rep. Mfume and I introduced earlier this Congress\u2014that uplifts and empowers survivors and raises awareness of this global problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith and Mfume urged the House to promptly take up H.R. 1144 for debate and a vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe House passage of the Frederick Douglass TVPRA will bring us one step closer to finally eradicating this modern-day slavery,\u201d they said in a joint statement. \u201cDelay means denial for the millions of men, women, and children currently trapped in trafficking situations. We are working every single day\u2014especially and including World Day Against Trafficking in Persons\u2014to get this critical legislation over the finish line to protect critical funding and programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus will also be bicameral, Smith\u2019s office said, as Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., plans to form a complementary caucus in the Senate. Blackburn\u2019s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
If enacted, H.R. 1144 would \u201creauthorize and bolster anti-human trafficking programs across numerous federal agencies, including the State Department, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Health and Human Services; ensure robust prosecutions for human trafficking crimes, along with thorough investigations and jail time commensurate with the crime; and authorize the first-ever housing program for survivors ensuring wrap-around case management, including education, life skills training, mental health services, and employment assistance,\u201d Smith\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n
Among other provisions, it would also train teachers and students in grade schools on building situational awareness and self-esteem and give guidance on how to share resources to prevent, identify and respond to human trafficking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (OSV News) \u2013 A bipartisan pair of lawmakers announced July 30 they will form and co-chair a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":["post-260725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}