,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bbhc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #f1 #bjac ,mr4 
,smith of ,new ,jersey introduced the   
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  ,a 
,,bill  ,to prioritize the fight against
 human trafficking within the           
,department of ,state according to      
congressional intent in the ,trafficking
 ,victims ,protection ,act of #bjjj     
without increasing the size of the      
,federal ,government1 and for other     
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,human ,trafficking 
,prioritization ,act4  #b4 ,findings    
,congress finds the following3  7#a7    
,the ,international ,labor ,organization
 estimates that nearly #ba1jjj1jjj      
people are subjected to modern slavery  
around the world at any given time and  
that the majority of the enslaved are   
women and girls4  7#b7 ,congress        
authorized the creation of a ,department
 of ,state ,office to ,monitor and      

,combat ,trafficking in ,persons in the 
,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act  
of #bjjj 7,public ,law #ajf-chf7 in     
order to directly assist the ,secretary 
of ,state in his or her effort to       
coordinate a ,united ,states ,government
 interagency response to domestic and   
international trafficking in persons4   
7#c7 ,the ,office to ,monitor and       
,combat ,trafficking in ,persons        
monitors trafficking worldwide and      
produces the online and printed versions
 of the annual ,trafficking in ,persons 
,report1 which is ,congress' primary    
resource for human trafficking          
reporting1 analysis1 and recommendations
 on the ,united ,states and #ahf        
countries around the world4  7#d7 ,the  
annual ,trafficking in ,persons ,report 
contains tier rankings of each country  
on which it reports1 and these tier     
rankings have become an essential       
diplomatic tool for promoting protection
 for victims1 prevention of trafficking1
 and prosecution of perpetrators4  7#e7 

,some countries have openly stated1 and 
many others have confided1 that dramatic
 improvements in the country's human    
trafficking record were directly related
 to avoidance of a low tier ranking in  
the annual ,trafficking in ,persons     
,report4  7#f7 ,ambassador ,mark ,lagon1
 former ,ambassador-at-,large to        
,monitor and ,combat ,trafficking in    
,persons 7#bjjg-bjji71 testified before 
the ,subcommittee on ,africa1 ,global   
,health1 ,global ,human ,rights1 and    
,international ,organizations of the    
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the  
,house of ,representatives on ,april    
#ah1 #bjac1 that ,the ,state ,department
 does a tremendous job in producing a   
report which tells it like it is1       
offering objective rankings4 ,yet at    
times it pulls punches1 typically due to
 the urging of regional specialists     
rather than the ,,tip ,office's         
dedicated experts on trafficking44  7#g7
 ,ambassador ,john ,miller1 former      
,ambassador-at-,large to ,monitor and   

,combat ,trafficking in ,persons        
7#bjjb-bjjf71 recently stated that1     
,upgrading the status of the ,office to 
a ,bureau will not create additional    
bureaucracy--it will simply give ,,jtip 
and the ,ambassador-at-large who heads  
it equal standing with regional and     
functional bureaus at the ,state        
,department4 ,that standing is          
absolutely essential for the issue to   
remain a priority1 especially when      
multiple ,u4,s4 interests are engaged44 
7#h7 ,the tier ranking process          
authorized by ,congress in the          
,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act  
of #bjjj has been in some instances     
compromised by the ,office to ,monitor  
and ,combat ,trafficking subordinate    
stature within the ,department of       
,state4  7#i7 ,it is essential for      
,congress and the ,secretary of ,state  
to be accurately informed regarding     
,united ,states and foreign country     
successes and failures in the fight     
against human trafficking4  7#aj7 ,the  

diplomatic power and credibility of the 
,trafficking in ,persons ,report is     
based on rigorous scholarship and       
scrupulous application of the minimum   
standards for the elimination of human  
trafficking and is undermined by        
political1 rather than factual1 tier    
rankings4  7#aa7 ,strong and effective  
anti-slavery policy requires that       
officials from the ,office to ,monitor  
and ,combat ,trafficking have equal     
hierarchical standing with ,state       
,department regional bureaus and direct 
access to the ,secretary of ,state4  #c4
 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the ,sense  
of ,congress that--  7#a7 the ,office to
 ,monitor and ,combat ,trafficking of   
the ,department of ,state will be more  
effective in carrying out duties        
mandated by ,congress in the            
,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act  
of #bjjj if the ,office status is       
changed to that of a ,bureau within the 
,department hierarchy2  7#b7 the ,office
 to ,monitor and ,combat ,trafficking   

will be more effective in carrying out  
duties mandated by ,congress in the     
,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act  
of #bjjj if the ,office is headed by an 
,assistant ,secretary with direct access
 to the ,secretary of ,state1 rather    
than an ,ambassador-at-,large2 and  7#c7
 the change in status from ,office to   
,monitor and ,combat ,trafficking with  
an ,ambassador-at-,large to a ,bureau   
led by an ,assistant ,secretary can be  
accomplished without increasing the     
number of personnel or the budget of the
 current ,office4  #d4 ,office to       
,combat ,trafficking in ,persons  7a7   
,in general ,section #aje7;e7 of the    
,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act  
of #bjjj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #gajc7;e77 is   
amended--  7#a7 in the heading1 by      
striking ,office to ,monitor and ,combat
 ,trafficking and inserting ,bureau to  
,combat ,trafficking in ,persons2  7#b7 
in paragraph 7#a7--  7,a7 in the first  
sentence1 by striking ,office to        
,monitor and ,combat ,trafficking and   

inserting ,bureau to ,combat            
,trafficking in ,persons2  7,b7 in the  
second sentence1--  7i7 by striking     
,office and inserting ,bureau2  7ii7 by 
striking ,director and inserting        
,assistant ,secretary of ,state2 and    
7iii7 by striking 1 with the rank of    
,ambassador-at-,large2 and  7,c7 in the 
third sentence1 by striking ,director   
and inserting ,assistant ,secretary of  
,state2  7,d7 in the fourth sentence1 by
 striking ,director and inserting       
,assistant ,secretary of ,state2  7,e7  
in the fifth sentence1 by striking      
,director and inserting ,assistant      
,secretary of ,state2 and  7,f7 in the  
sixth sentence1 by striking ,office and 
inserting ,bureau2 and  7#c7 in         
paragraph 7#b7--  7,a7 in subparagraph  
7,a71 by striking ,office to ,monitor   
and ,combat ,trafficking and inserting  
,bureau to ,combat ,trafficking in      
,persons2 and  7,b7 in subparagraph     
7,b71 by striking ,director and         
inserting ,assistant ,secretary of      

,state4  7b7 ,conforming amendments     
7#a7 ,in general ,any reference in the  
,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act  
of #bjjj or in any other ,act to--  7,a7
 the ,office to ,monitor and ,combat    
,trafficking shall be deemed to be a    
reference to the ,bureau to ,combat     
,trafficking in ,persons2 and  7,b7 the 
,director or ,ambassador-at-,large of   
the ,office to ,monitor and ,combat     
,trafficking in ,persons shall be deemed
 to be a reference to the ,assistant    
,secretary directing the ,bureau to     
,combat ,trafficking in ,persons4  7#b7 
,state ,department ,basic ,authorities  
,act of #aief ,section #a7;c77#a7 of the
 ,state ,department ,basic ,authorities 
,act of #aief 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4            
#bfea;a7c77#a77 is amended1 in the first
 sentence1 by striking #bd and inserting
 #be4