Humanity United Action applauds the bipartisan introduction of the Leveraging Information on Foreign Traffickers (LIFT) Act by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) as an amendment to S. 4049, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 21.

The LIFT Act takes important steps to support human trafficking survivors and strengthens the U.S. government’s efforts to continue addressing this horrific crime. Significantly, the LIFT Act grants authority for trafficking survivors sitting on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to receive compensation for the work they do on the Advisory Council.

The Advisory Council, established in 2015 and comprised of survivors of human trafficking, plays an important role advising the U.S. government and recommending policies and programs to address human trafficking. The Advisory Council engages with the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President’s Interagency Task Force. It is tasked with publishing an annual report reviewing the anti-trafficking work of the federal government, and it helps connect federal agencies with the diverse community of human trafficking survivors.

Humanity United Action strongly supports the LIFT Act’s provisions providing authority for the Advisory Council members to receive compensation for their work, as well as extending the authorization for the Advisory Council through 2025. It is critical that trafficking survivors play a role shaping policies and programs to address trafficking, and the Advisory Council is an important way survivors are able to inform the federal government’s efforts.

Humanity United Action thanks Senators Blumenthal and Hawley for their leadership on this important issue. The bipartisan LIFT Act was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) as H.R. 5664. We strongly urge Congress to support trafficking survivor leadership and pass the LIFT Act.