Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S105-106; text of measure as introduced: CR S106-107)
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 8, 2015
Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015
Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to sex trafficking of children, to: (1) subject to criminal prosecution buyers, as well as sellers, of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims; (2) provide that in prosecutions of sex trafficking crimes, the government is not required to prove that a sex trafficking defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that a victim was under age 18; (3) equalize the period of supervised release for sex trafficking offenders convicted of conspiracy; (4) expand wiretap authority for investigating crimes related to sex trafficking, including slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor; (5) grant crime victims the right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea agreement or deferred prosecution agreement; and (6) require an appellate court to apply ordinary standards of review in reviewing appeals filed by crime victims.
Requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prepare and report annually on: (1) the rates of arrests by state law enforcement officers for sex trafficking crimes involving buyers of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims, and (2) prosecutions and convictions for such crimes in state courts.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Read full official summaryShow less
Directs the Attorney General to ensure that: (1) DOJ anti-human trafficking training programs, including programs for law enforcement officers, include technical training on effective methods for investigating and prosecuting individuals who obtain, patronize, or solicit a commercial sex act involving a person subject to severe forms of human trafficking and on facilitating the provision of physical and mental health services by health care providers to persons subject to severe forms of human trafficking; (2) federal law enforcement officers are engaged in activities, programs, or operations involving the detection, investigation, and prosecution of such offenses; and (3) DOJ anti-human trafficking programs for U.S. attorneys or other federal prosecutors include training on seeking restitution for peonage, slavery, and human trafficking offenses to ensure that each such attorney, upon obtaining a conviction for such an offense, requests a specific amount of restitution for each victim without regard to whether the victim requests it. Requires the Federal Judicial Center to provide training to judges relating to the application of mandatory restitution provisions regarding ordering restitution for victims of such offenses.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S105-106; text of measure as introduced: CR S106-107)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Bill text & related measures
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze S.140 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine S.140 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine S.140 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine S.140 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.