Blackburn and Klobuchar bill would create national human trafficking database

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn introduced a new bipartisan bill Thursday to establish a national human trafficking database housed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The database would compile state-level trafficking crime data, streamline connections with anti-trafficking and survivor support organizations, and prompt state law enforcement agencies to communicate their data.

“Human trafficking prosecutions have skyrocketed in recent years, and the federal government must use every tool available to convict criminals who have yet to be identified in our communities,” said Blackburn, R- Tennessee, in a press release. “The National Human Trafficking Database Act would help combat this heinous crime by incentivizing states to identify human trafficking risks in their counties and track the number of prosecutions filed nationwide. of State.

If passed by Congress and signed into law, the National Human Trafficking Database Act would create a public database hosted on the FBI's website that would include a human trafficking risk assessment index human rights for each county in each participating state, names, and anti-trafficking services provided. organizations in each county and the total number of human trafficking prosecutions at the state level.

The legislation would also establish a federal grant program to support agencies collecting and reporting traffic data.

The risk assessment index proposed in the bill is based on the success of a state-level data collection program in Tennessee facilitated by the Belmont University Data Collaborative, in collaboration with the anti-trafficking group Engage Together.

Blackburn sponsored the bipartisan bill with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota.

“We must do everything we can to prevent human trafficking. That means ensuring we have the best data and tools available,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “This bipartisan legislation will establish a national database to fill critical information gaps, help streamline collaboration among those fighting to end trafficking and ultimately save lives.” »

Last year, Blackburn and Klobuchar introduced legislation authorizing $50 million in new federal funding for grants to support efforts by state and local governments and nonprofit organizations to end trafficking and trafficking of women and girls across the U.S. border. The U.S. State Department estimates that between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the country each year.

According to a news release from Blackburn's office, the legislation introduced Thursday was endorsed by a number of Tennessee-based organizations that fight human trafficking and serve trafficking survivors, including Nashville-based Thistle Farms , Ancora TN (formerly EndSlavery Tennessee), Engage Together, and Memphis-based Restore Corps. It also has the support of national organizations, including Shared Hope International, the National Child Protection Task Force and Raven.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X at @Vivian_E_Jones.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Blackburn bill seeks to create national human trafficking database.