[3] Other experts say that there are as many as 300,000 cases of sex trafficking in the United States a year, with potentially 25 percent of them having a connection to Texas in some manner.

[5] The bill would amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a determination, based on credible evidence, that a covered individual (i.e., a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident) has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking.

[5] The bill would amend the federal criminal code to: (1) increase restitution for victims of human trafficking; (2) set forth provisions for combating aggravated human trafficking racketeering; (3) allow state and local prosecutors to obtain wiretap warrants in state courts for investigations into human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and child pornography production; (4) increase penalties for offenses involving enticement into slavery, sex trafficking of children, child exploitation, and repeat sex offenders; and (5) revise the definition of the crime of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct to facilitate prosecutions of such crime.

[5] The bill would direct the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Innocence Lost National Initiative engage in activities, programs, or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of law enforcement personnel in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex.

[5] The bill would require the Attorney General to audit grants awarded under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005.

[1] The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2013 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on November 19, 2013 by Rep. Ted Poe (R, TX-2).

[2] The organization Shared Hope International supported the bill, referring to it as "crucial legislation" in a letter they wrote for citizens to send to their representatives.