text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Human Trafficking Prioritization 
  Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) The International Labor Organization estimates that 
          nearly 21 million people are subjected to modern slavery around 
          the world at any given time and that the majority of the 
          enslaved are women and girls.
              (2) Congress authorized the creation of a Department of 
          State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in 
          the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Division A of 
          Public Law 106-386) in order to directly assist the Secretary 
          of State in his or her effort to coordinate a United States 
          Government interagency response to domestic and international 
          trafficking in persons.
              (3) The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons 
          monitors trafficking worldwide and produces the online and 
          printed versions of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report, 
          which is Congress' primary resource for human trafficking 
          reporting, analysis, and recommendations on the United States 
          and 186 countries around the world.
              (4) The annual Trafficking in Persons Report contains tier 
          rankings of each country on which it reports, and these tier 
          rankings have become an essential diplomatic tool for promoting 
          protection for victims, prevention of trafficking, and 
          prosecution of perpetrators.
              (5) Some countries have openly stated, and many others have 
          confided, that dramatic improvements in the country's human 
          trafficking record were directly related to avoidance of a low 
          tier ranking in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report.
              (6) Ambassador Mark Lagon, former Ambassador-at-Large to 
          Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (2007-2009), 
          testified before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 
          Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the 
          Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on 
          April 18, 2013, that ``[T]he State Department does a tremendous 
          job in producing a report which tells it like it is, offering 
          objective rankings. Yet at times it pulls punches, typically 
          due to the urging of regional specialists rather than the TIP 
          Office's dedicated experts on trafficking.''.
              (7) Ambassador John Miller, former Ambassador-at-Large to 
          Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (2002-2006), recently 
          stated that, ``Upgrading the status of the Office to a Bureau 
          will not create additional bureaucracy--it will simply give 
          JTIP and the Ambassador-at-Large who heads it equal standing 
          with regional and functional bureaus at the State Department. 
          That standing is absolutely essential for the issue to remain a 
          priority, especially when multiple U.S. interests are 
          engaged.''.
              (8) The tier ranking process authorized by Congress in the 
          Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 has been in some 
          instances compromised by the Office to Monitor and Combat 
          Trafficking subordinate stature within the Department of State.
              (9) It is essential for Congress and the Secretary of State 
          to be accurately informed regarding United States and foreign 
          country successes and failures in the fight against human 
          trafficking.
              (10) The diplomatic power and credibility of the 
          Trafficking in Persons Report is based on rigorous scholarship 
          and scrupulous application of the minimum standards for the 
          elimination of human trafficking and is undermined by 
          political, rather than factual, tier rankings.
              (11) Strong and effective anti-slavery policy requires that 
          officials from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking 
          have equal hierarchical standing with State Department regional 
          bureaus and direct access to the Secretary of State.
  
  SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
  
      It is the sense of Congress that--
              (1) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking of the 
          Department of State will be more effective in carrying out 
          duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims 
          Protection Act of 2000 if the Office status is changed to that 
          of a Bureau within the Department hierarchy;
              (2) the change in status from Office to Monitor and Combat 
          Trafficking to a Bureau can be accomplished without increasing 
          the number of personnel or the budget of the current Office;
              (3) a Bureau to Monitor and Combat Trafficking would be 
          more effective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress in 
          the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 if the Bureau 
          were headed by an Assistant Secretary with direct access to the 
          Secretary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at-Large; and
              (4) the Secretary of State should review the current use of 
          the 24 Assistant Secretary positions authorized by section 
          1(c)(1) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 
          (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)) and make appropriate revisions, 
          consolidations, and eliminations, to ensure that those 
          positions reflect the highest Departmental needs and foreign 
          policy priorities of the United States, including efforts to 
          combat trafficking in persons.
  
  SEC. 4. BUREAU TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS.
  
      (a) In General.--Section 105(e) of the Trafficking Victims 
  Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103(e)) is amended--
              (1) in the heading, by striking ``Office to Monitor and 
          Combat Trafficking'' and inserting ``Bureau To Combat 
          Trafficking in Persons'';
              (2) in paragraph (1)--
                      (A) in the first sentence, by striking ``Office to 
                  Monitor and Combat Trafficking'' and inserting ``Bureau 
                  to Combat Trafficking in Persons'';
                      (B) in the second sentence, by striking ``Office'' 
                  and inserting ``Bureau''; and
                      (C) in the sixth sentence, by striking ``Office'' 
                  and inserting ``Bureau''; and
              (3) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2), by striking 
          ``Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking'' and inserting 
          ``Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons''.
      (b) Reference.--Any reference in the Trafficking Victims Protection 
  Act of 2000 or in any other Act to the Office to Monitor and Combat 
  Trafficking shall be deemed to be a reference to the Bureau to Combat 
  Trafficking in Persons.
  
  SEC. 5. REPORT REGARDING DESIGNATION OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE TO 
                COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS.
  
      Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
  the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
  of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 
  of the Senate a report detailing--
              (1) for each current Assistant Secretary of State 
          position--
                      (A) the title of that Assistant Secretary of State;
                      (B) how long that particular Assistant Secretary 
                  designation has been in existence; and
                      (C) whether that particular Assistant Secretary 
                  designation was legislatively mandated or authorized 
                  and, if so, the relevant statutory citation for such 
                  mandate or authorization; and
              (2) whether the Secretary intends to designate one of the 
          Assistant Secretary of State positions authorized by section 
          1(c)(1) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 
          (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)) as the Assistant Secretary of State to 
          Combat Trafficking in Persons, and the reasons for that 
          decision.
  
  SEC. 6. COUNTRIES ON SPECIAL WATCH LIST FOR 4 CONSECUTIVE YEARS THAT 
                ARE DOWNGRADED AND REINSTATED ON SPECIAL WATCH LIST.
  
      Section 110(b)(2) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 
  (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                      ``(F) Countries on special watch list for 4 
                  consecutive years that are downgraded and reinstated on 
                  special watch list.--Notwithstanding subparagraphs (D) 
                  and (E), a country that--
                              ``(i) was included on the special watch 
                          list described in subparagraph (A) for 4 
                          consecutive years after the date of the 
                          enactment of the William Wilberforce 
                          Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization 
                          Act of 2008; and
                              ``(ii) was subsequently included on the 
                          list of countries described in paragraph 
                          (1)(C),
                  may not thereafter be included on the special watch 
                  list described in subparagraph (A) for more than 1 
                  consecutive year.''.
  
  SEC. 7. COST LIMITATION.
  
      No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated for 
  ``Diplomatic and Consular Programs'' to carry out the provisions of 
  this Act.
target: Human Trafficking Prioritization Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking of the Department of State will be more effective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and can do so without an increase in either personnel or budget, if: (1) the Office's status is changed to that of a Bureau within State; and (2) the Office is headed by an Assistant Secretary with direct access to the Secretary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at-Large. The bill amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to change the status of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to that of the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons.  State must submit to Congress a report detailing:   for each current Assistant Secretary of State position, the exact title and length of designation as Assistant Secretary and whether that designation was legislatively mandated or authorized and, if so, the relevant statutory citation; and whether State intends to designate one of the Assistant Secretary of State positions as the Assistant Secretary of State to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the reasons for that decision.   The bill prohibits subsequent inclusion for more than one consecutive year on the special watch list of countries whose compliance with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking is full, partial, or insignificant of any country that:  was included on the list for four consecutive years after enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and was subsequently included on the exclusive Tier 3 list of countries not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with such standards.   No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated for diplomatic and consular programs to carry out this bill.
feat_title: Human Trafficking Prioritization Act