Senate approves Hatch bill to establish special human trafficking advisory council

The Senate passed a bill on Tuesday spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that would create an advisory council of leaders from private organizations and nonprofits dedicated to combatting human trafficking in order to help shape federal policy.

The Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council would be comprised of up to 14 experts in fighting human trafficking and helping to rehabilitate human trafficking victims under Hatch’s bill.

“Nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit groups like Utah’s Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) have done incredible work in fighting the scourge of human trafficking and bringing this critical fight to the forefront,” Hatch said. “I believe that with better cooperation and partnership with federal government agencies, they can do even more, and the key to that is coordination.”

The council would serve as a resource for federal agencies drafting programs and policies related to human trafficking, and it would issue assessments and recommendations for federal policies based on best practices.

“This Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council allows government agencies to draw from the unique knowledge and experience of groups like O.U.R., allowing us to leverage government resources to fight human trafficking around the world,” Hatch concluded.

The council would report to congressional committees with any recommendations or action items, and it would sunset in September 2020 under Hatch’s legislation.

“I am grateful for Senator Hatch’s leadership on this very important bill,” Tim Ballard, the founder and CEO of O.U.R., said. “Human trafficking is a critical issue, and to more efficiently eradicate the problem, nonprofit groups need increased coordination with the federal government. This bill establishes a way to share successful anti-human trafficking strategies between federal agencies and organizations like Operation Underground Railroad.”