Time to Act: Survivors Call for Vote on the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act
On Thursday, April 23rd, 2026, advocates, survivors, and lawmakers gathered for a press conference on Capitol Hill to call for the passage of HR 1144, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act. The bipartisan bill would reauthorize and strengthen the government’s anti-trafficking architecture, and provide needed support services for trafficking survivors.
Led by the bill cosponsors, Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Kwesi Mfume (D-MD), the event brought together advocates and survivors from across the country, including PACT. Speakers highlighted the urgent need to strengthen and modernize the nation’s response to human trafficking and called on Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote. A nearly identical version of the bill passed the House in 2024 with a 414-11 margin.
Building on more than 25 years of progress under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), speakers at the press conference emphasized the law’s impact in securing nearly 5,000 convictions and helping tens of thousands of survivors reclaim their freedom, while also underscoring the evolving nature of trafficking networks that demands updated tools and strategies.
Marking the recent 25th anniversary of the TVPA, Aram Schvey, Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations at PACT, highlighted the enduring responsibility to sustain and strengthen this legacy: “Twenty-five years ago, the United States became a leader in the global fight against human trafficking, both at home and around the world. The 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act has become a gold standard, and over the years Congress has acted to reauthorize and update the law.
But the TVPA’s authorization lapsed in 2021–five years ago–and for those five years Congress has failed to take on the essential task of renewing and modernizing its commitment to end human trafficking. Survivors and advocates are looking to Congress to act.”
PACT’s Survivors’ Council and Board member, Katrina Massey, also spoke, emphasizing the importance of prevention: “This isn’t a policy issue. It’s a human issue. Behind every statistic is a person, a story, a life that deserves dignity, protection, and an opportunity to thrive...As a survivor of trafficking, I urge you to vote yes for TVPA, to recognize that prevention and victim assistance are not separate from public safety. They are the foundation of it.”
PACT Survivors’ Council member, Gina Cavallo, shared her story and urged action: “I was once left to rebuild a life with no roadmap, few resources, and wounds that no one could see. Even after I escaped the trafficking, the punishment did not end. I carried the weight of stigma, trauma, barriers, long after the abuse stopped. This is the reality for far too many survivors in our country…Let us be the generation that ended the silence.”
For 35 years, PACT has worked to protect children from sexual exploitation and trafficking and strongly supports the bipartisan Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1144). The bill would reauthorize the centerpiece of the federal government’s anti-trafficking architecture, supporting and modernizing programs to prevent trafficking, protect survivors, and prosecute perpetrators.
Previous versions of the bill passed the House almost unanimously, and House leadership should permit the current version – H.R. 1144 – to come to the floor for a vote.
