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GILLIBRAND, HYDE-SMITH STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF THEIR LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) released the following statement on the House’s unanimous passage of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which would enable survivors of human trafficking to have nonviolent offenses that they were forced to commit vacated and expunged:

“We applaud the House’s passage of our Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which represents a monumental step forward in supporting victims of human trafficking. This bill would help stop a vicious cycle that leaves trafficking survivors vulnerable to further exploitation, protecting those who escape their horrible circumstances from subsequently having to face criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and related problems finding employment and housing. We urge our Senate colleagues to pass this bill and get it to the president’s desk without delay.”

Senator Gillibrand first introduced the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act with a bipartisan group of colleagues in 2016. She has reintroduced the bill in every subsequent Congress, most recently with Senator Hyde-Smith in July 2025.

In addition to allowing survivors of human trafficking to have nonviolent criminal convictions or arrest records they incurred while being trafficked vacated and expunged, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act would also:

• Allow for an individual’s status as a victim of trafficking to be a mitigating factor for courts to consider when imposing a prison sentence for violent crimes.
• Require U.S. attorneys to submit a report one year after enactment detailing the number of motions filed under the law.
• Ensure that grant funding provided by the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office on Violence Against Women can be used for legal representation for post-conviction relief activities.