Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a demonstration project to train K-12 students, teachers, and school staff to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking and exploitation in children and youth.
• The program would award grants to schools and nonprofits to implement age-appropriate, evidence-based training curricula developed by approved nonprofit vendors, with priority given to areas with the highest trafficking rates or most at-risk youth populations.
• The bill authorizes $15 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2029, totaling $60 million over four years, to fund the demonstration project.
• Schools receiving grants must develop protocols for working with law enforcement and referring identified trafficking survivors and exploited children to social service agencies.
• The program requires annual reporting to Congress on the number of people trained, victims identified and served, at-risk students flagged, and best practices discovered, all while protecting individually identifiable information.