{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415788", "On World Day Against Trafficking in PersonsReps. Smith, Mfume form new Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus in the House", "2026-07-30", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Reps. Smith (R-NJ) and Mfume (D-MD) speak at their Capitol Hill press conference on the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 (HR 1144) on April 23, 2026.\n\nOn World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) announced that they will be co-chairing the new, bipartisan Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nReps. Smith and Mfume also noted that they will be working alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who plans to form a complimentary Caucus in the Senate.\n\nThe Caucus\u2014named in honor of famed abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass\u2014will serve as a bicameral effort and the principal forum in Congress dedicated to advancing legislation that prevents human trafficking, protects victims and survivors, prosecutes traffickers, and strengthens partnerships with survivors across government, civil society, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, and the private sector.\n\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 said Rep. Chris Smith, the author of the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) (PL 106-386).\n\n\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 (HR 1144), which Rep. Mfume and I introduced earlier this Congress\u2014that uplifts and empowers survivors and raises awareness of this global problem.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday, on the annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, I am proud to stand alongside Representative Chris Smith as we form this bipartisan Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus,\u201d said Congressman Kweisi Mfume.\n\n\u201cHuman trafficking is modern-day slavery and a scourge on our collective humanity. Nearly 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. We 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. This 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 he continued.\n\nIn addition to announcing the formation of the Caucus, Reps. Smith and Mfume urged the U.S. House of Representatives to quickly take up HR 1144 for debate and a vote.\n\n\u201cThe House passage of the Frederick Douglass TVPRA will bring us one step closer to finally eradicating this modern-day slavery,\u201d said the two lawmakers. \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\n\nHR 1144, developed in close collaboration with several survivor-leaders, upgrades and expands the U.S. government\u2019s toolkit for fighting human trafficking by authorizing more than $1.2 billion in federal funding over the next five years. Once enacted, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025 will:\n\nReauthorize 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;\n\nEnsure robust prosecutions for human trafficking crimes, along with thorough investigations and jail time commensurate with the crime;\n\nAuthorize the first-ever housing program for survivors, ensuring wrap-around case management, including education, life skills training, mental health services, and employment assistance;\n\nContinue funding the Angel Watch Center, a program mandated by Smith\u2019s International Megan\u2019s Law (PL 114-119) that prevents convicted child sex offenders from exploiting and abusing children abroad;\n\nTrain instructors and students within elementary and secondary schools, in an age-appropriate manner, on building situational awareness, self-esteem, and resources to prevent, identify, and respond to human trafficking; and\n\nStrengthen partnerships among federal, state, and local authorities.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-31T07:49:23Z", "2026-07-31T07:50:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415788"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9126678816974163, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}