S. 2647 — International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025

This section establishes requirements for the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State acting through the Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to instruct the U.S. executive director of each multilateral development bank to encourage inclusion of counter-trafficking strategies—including risk assessments and mitigation—in proposed projects in countries listed on the Tier 2 Watch List, Tier 3, or as Special Cases in the most recent Trafficking in Persons Report (as categorized annually under 22 U.S.C. 7107(b) based on governmental compliance with minimum anti-trafficking standards). It further requires (1) a briefing by the Secretaries of the Treasury and State to the appropriate congressional committees within 180 days of enactment on implementation of these requirements; and (2) a Government Accountability Office report to those committees within two years of enactment detailing U.S. activities to combat human trafficking, including forced labor, within multilateral development projects. The section defines appropriate congressional committees as the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations and the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations.

This section amends foreign assistance policy under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) to promote counter-trafficking in persons efforts. Specifically, it (1) adds "effective counter-trafficking in persons policies and programs" as a new objective (subparagraph (H)) to the list of development assistance goals in FAA §102(b)(4); and (2) revises the flexibility policy for International Disaster Assistance (authorizing presidential assistance for foreign natural and man-made disasters under FAA §2292) to direct that, to the greatest extent possible, the President ensure such assistance does not increase trafficking risks for disaster-affected vulnerable persons and integrate appropriate protections into activity planning and execution (adding new subparagraph (B) to FAA §492(d)(1)).

This section revises provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) governing the annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which ranks countries into tiers based on government efforts to combat human trafficking (i.e., Tier 1 for fully meeting minimum standards; Tier 2 for significant efforts not fully meeting standards; Tier 2 Watch List for countries making significant efforts that warrant additional scrutiny due to large numbers of victims or other factors; and Tier 3 for insignificant efforts).(1) renames the "special watch list" as the "Tier 2 watch list" throughout TVPA section 110(b) (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)), revises criteria for inclusion to countries on Tier 2 that have very significant or significantly increasing trafficking victims without proportional actions or fail to show increasing efforts (e.g., more investigations, prosecutions, convictions, victim assistance, and reduced official complicity), and requires submission of the list with annual tier determinations; (2) modifies the special rule at TVPA section 110(b)(2)(F) to waive Tier 3 designation for countries on the Tier 2 watch list for more than two consecutive years (previously, special watch list criteria), updates related references, and limits post-waiver monitoring to the year after a waiver under subparagraph (D)(ii); (3) makes conforming terminology changes throughout TVPA section 110(b); (4) updates a cross-reference in the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018; and (5) corrects a citation in the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4205(b)(6)(E)(iii)) to the TVPA Tier 2 watch list provision.

This section modifies the Program to End Modern Slavery, administered by the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (i.e., grants by the Secretary of State for projects to achieve measurable reductions in modern slavery prevalence in partner countries). Specifically, it (1) extends the program through 2029 (from 2020); (2) extends reporting requirements to September 30, 2025, and September 30, 2029 (from September 30, 2018, and September 30, 2020); (3) requires grant recipients to publish subgrantee organization names on a public website or, for security concerns, relay them to the Secretary of State for annual transmittal in a classified annex to specified congressional committees; and (4) mandates competitive awards for all grants, subject to standard congressional notification procedures.

This section revises the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) to clarify the scope of nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance withheld from the central governments of countries that fail to comply with minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking or make significant efforts toward compliance. It (1) replaces the prior description of withheld assistance in TVPA Section 110(d)(1) to specify withholding such assistance for the subsequent fiscal year, including funding for government officials' participation in educational and cultural exchange programs, and directing U.S. Executive Directors at multilateral development banks and the International Monetary Fund to vote against loans to such countries (other than for humanitarian assistance, trade-related assistance, or development assistance that directly addresses basic human needs, is not administered by the central government, and does not benefit that government); and (2) replaces the prior definition of "nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance" in TVPA Section 103(10) to exclude specified categories, including assistance for International Disaster Assistance under 22 U.S.C. 2292(b) (general authority for disaster relief and rehabilitation) and 2292(c) (Emergency Food Security Program). (Thus, such disaster assistance—which authorizes the President to furnish relief, rehabilitation, preparedness, and emergency food aid (including through local procurement) to foreign countries, international organizations, or private voluntary organizations—may continue notwithstanding TVPA sanctions.)

This section expands protections for domestic workers holding A-3 or G-5 visas (i.e., personal attendants, servants, or employees of diplomats, foreign mission members, or international organization staff) by adding requirements to Section 203(b) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. Specifically, it directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to (1) administer nationally the Domestic Worker In-Person Registration Program, including providing such workers after U.S. arrival and annually with descriptions of their rights under federal and state law, copies of the pamphlet developed under section 202 of that Act (i.e., on fair labor standards), and National Human Trafficking Hotline contact information; and (2) inform embassies, foreign missions, and international organizations of those rights and potential consequences for violations—including suspension of A-3/G-5 visas, immunity waiver requests, criminal prosecution, civil damages, and revocation or nonrenewal of employer visas—and require annual wage reporting by such employers.

This section sets the effective date for sections 204(b) and 206, and the amendments made by those sections, as the first day (i.e., April 1) of the first full reporting period (April 1 through March 31) for the annual Trafficking in Persons Report required under 22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1) after enactment. (Thus, those provisions take effect no earlier than the April 1 following enactment, aligning with the start of the next complete annual assessment period of foreign governments' anti-trafficking efforts.)

This section extends and increases annual authorizations of appropriations under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7110) for Department of State anti-trafficking programs as follows: (1) for the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to support the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to $17,000,000 for FY2026 through 2030 (from $13,822,000 for FY2018 through 2021); and (2) for international assistance to combat trafficking in persons (i.e., victim protection, prevention, prosecution, and training), to $102,500,000 for FY2026 through 2030 (from $65,000,000 for FY2018 through 2021), of which not more than $37,500,000 may be available for programs to end modern slavery.

This section extends the authorization of appropriations for the International Megan’s Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders—which requires the United States to notify destination countries in advance of international travel by registered U.S. sex offenders—to $6 million for each of FY2025 through FY2029 (from FY2018 through FY2021).

This section requires the Secretary of State to brief the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs not later than 30 days after the public designation of country tier rankings and publication of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report)—which ranks countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking—on (1) countries downgraded or upgraded in the report and (2) U.S. efforts to improve counter-trafficking in those countries, including foreign governments' efforts to meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.

This section requires the Secretary of State, not later than 30 days after the President determines to issue a waiver under section 110(d)(5) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(d)(5)), to brief the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on (1) each country that received a waiver, (2) the justification for each such waiver, and (3) a description of the efforts made by each country to meet the minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking. (Thus, the provision enhances congressional oversight of presidential waivers from restrictions on nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance to governments not fully complying with anti-trafficking standards.)