Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced a legislative package she helped secure to prevent human trafficking is headed to the president’s desk for signature after passing the House of Representatives.
“My important bipartisan measures to prevent human trafficking and make sure victims get critical assistance from law enforcement just passed the House,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m thrilled that these provisions are part of a bipartisan package to combat trafficking that is on its way to the president’s desk, and I’ll keep up the fight to prevent trafficking and help survivors heal.”
Senator Cortez Masto’s bipartisan provision in the Abolish Human Trafficking Reauthorization Act of 2022 will ensure that Department of Justice grant funding can be used for training to help law enforcement officers identify child trafficking cases and give critical assistance to victims. The bipartisan measure she secured in the Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 will help combat human trafficking activity on social media platforms, including Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram. Together, these two pieces of legislation will deliver significant resources to law enforcement and service providers combatting human trafficking across the U.S.
Senator Cortez Masto has been an outspoken advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. In 2020, she passed the bipartisan Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act to help address the epidemic of missing, murdered, and trafficked Indigenous women. She has repeatedly called on the administration to do more to address the epidemic of violence against Native women and girls, including securing federal funding to protect Native communities, urging the administration to draft a plan to address this issue, and requesting the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the federal response to this crisis. She has also introduced legislation to combat trafficking at transportation hubs.
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