U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Thursday introduced a new bipartisan bill that seeks 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 create incentives for state law enforcement agencies to report data.
“Human trafficking prosecutions have skyrocketed in recent years, and the federal government must use every available tool to convict criminals that have not yet been identified in our communities,” Blackburn, R-Tennessee, said in a statement. “The National Human Trafficking Database Act would help combat this heinous crime by incentivizing states to identify the risks of human trafficking in their counties and track the number of prosecutions statewide.”
Blackburn sponsored the bipartisan bill with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota.
“We must do all we can to prevent human trafficking. This means making sure that 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 between those fighting to end trafficking, and ultimately save lives.”
