On Tuesday, January 30, Representatives Russell Fry (SC-07), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), and Robert Garcia (D-CA) introduced the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. 

The legislation aims to:

• Provide federal relief for human trafficking survivors with non-violent offenses, establishing an affirmative defense against charges linked to their victimization. 
• Provide relief that includes vacatur, expungement, and sentencing mitigation for those convicted. To qualify, defendants must prove offenses resulted from trafficking victimization. 
• Rectify the unjust incarceration of survivors forced into criminal activity. 

Rep. Fry highlighted the urgent need for this legislation, citing almost 30 million global trafficking victims. AAHOA's President & CEO, Laura Lee Blake, applauded the legislation, emphasizing the hotel industry's role in fighting human trafficking and underscoring AAHOA’s staunch involvement in human trafficking education and prevention.

Read the full press release

Read CNN’s exclusive coverage of the bill