§7114. Efforts to end modern slavery

(a) Actions by the Secretary of Defense

(1) In general

Not later than 90 days after December 23, 2016, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the policies and guidance of the Department of Defense with respect to the education and training on human slavery and the appropriate role of the United States Armed Forces in combatting trafficking in persons that is received by personnel of the Armed Forces, including uniformed personnel and civilians engaged in partnership with foreign nations.

(2) Elements

The briefing required under paragraph (1) shall address-

(A) resources available for Armed Forces personnel who become aware of instances of human slavery or trafficking in persons while deployed overseas; and

(B) guidance on the requirement to make official reports through the chain of command, the roles and responsibilities of military and civilian officials of the United States Armed Forces and host nations, circumstances in which members of the Armed Forces are authorized to take immediate action to prevent loss of life or serious injury, and the authority to use appropriate force to stop or prevent sexual abuse or exploitation of children.

(b) Grant authorization

The Secretary of State is authorized to make a grant or grants of funding to provide support for transformational programs and projects that seek to achieve a measurable and substantial reduction of the prevalence of modern slavery in targeted populations within partner countries (or jurisdictions thereof).

(c) Monitoring and evaluation

Any grantee shall-

(1) develop specific and detailed criteria for the monitoring and evaluation of supported projects;

(2) implement a system for measuring progress against baseline data that is rigorously designed based on international corporate and nongovernmental best practices;

(3) ensure that each supported project is regularly and rigorously monitored and evaluated, on a not less than biennial basis, by an independent monitoring and evaluation entity, against the specific and detailed criteria established pursuant to paragraph (1), and that the progress of the project towards its stated goals is measured by such entity against baseline data;

(4) support the development of a scientifically sound, representative survey methodology for measuring prevalence with reference to existing research and experience, and apply the methodology consistently to determine the baseline prevalence in target populations and outcomes in order to periodically assess progress in reducing prevalence; and

(5) establish, and revise on a not less than annual basis, specific and detailed criteria for the suspension and termination, as appropriate, of projects supported by the grantee that regularly or consistently fail to meet the criteria required by this section.

(d) Auditing

(1) In general

Any grantee shall be subject to the same auditing, recordkeeping, and reporting obligations required under subsections (e), (f), (g), and (i) of section 4413 of this title.

(2) Comptroller General audit authority

(A) In general

The Comptroller General of the United States may evaluate the financial transactions of the grantee as well as the programs or activities the grantee carries out pursuant to this section.

(B) Access to records

Any grantee shall provide the Comptroller General, or the Comptroller General's duly authorized representatives, access to such records as the Comptroller General determines necessary to conduct evaluations authorized by this section.

(e) Annual report

Any grant recipient shall submit a report to the Secretary of State annually and the Secretary shall transmit it to the appropriate congressional committees within 30 days. Such report shall include the names of each of the projects or sub-grantees receiving such funding pursuant to this section and the amount of funding provided for, along with a detailed description of, each such project.

(f) Rule of construction regarding availability of fiscal year 2016 appropriations

The enactment of this section is deemed to meet the condition of the first proviso of paragraph (2) of section 7060(f) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Appropriations ¹ Act, 2016 (division K of Public Law 114–113), and the funds referred to in such paragraph shall be made available in accordance with, and for the purposes set forth in, such paragraph.

(g) Authorization of appropriations; sunset

(1) Authorization of appropriations for fiscal years 2017 through 2020

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State for the purpose of making a grant or grants authorized under this section, for each fiscal year from 2017 through 2020, $37,500,000.

(2) Sunset

The authorities of subsections (b) through (f) shall expire on September 30, 2020.

(h) Comptroller General review of existing programs

(1) In general

Not later than September 30, 2018, and September 30, 2020, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on all of the programs conducted by the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense, and the Department of the Treasury that address human trafficking and modern slavery, including a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of such programs in limiting human trafficking and modern slavery and specific recommendations on which programs are not effective at reducing the prevalence of human trafficking and modern slavery and how the funding for such programs may be redirected to more effective efforts.

(2) Consideration of report

The Comptroller General of the United States shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on the report submitted under paragraph (1). The appropriate congressional committees shall review and consider the reports and shall, as appropriate, consider modifications to authorization levels and programs within the jurisdiction of such committees to address the recommendations made in the report.

(i) Appropriate congressional committees defined

In this section, the term "appropriate congressional committees" means-

(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

( Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XII, §1298, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2563 .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 7060(f)(2) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2016, referred to in subsec. (f), is section 7060(f)(2) of div. K of Pub. L. 114–113, Dec. 18, 2015, 129 Stat. 2809 , which is not classified to the Code.

Codification

Section was enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, and not as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 which comprises this chapter.

¹ So in original. Probably should be preceded by "Programs".