The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on March 3 that would require the Department of Labor to train its employees on identifying and assisting law enforcement in preventing human trafficking.
The Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, H.R. 4307, directs the Secretary of Labor to train certain department employees on how to effectively detect human trafficking and support law enforcement efforts during their official duties. The bill was introduced by House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI).
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the House Select Committee on China, cited the country as a primary driver of the global trafficking crisis.
“China makes billions of dollars from human trafficking and forces hundreds of thousands of people into imprisonment and labor camps,” Moolenaar said. “The Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act is a strong step forward in ensuring that our law enforcement officials have the training they need to fight this horrific practice and stop human trafficking.”
The legislation comes months after the State Department released its annual human trafficking report in October 2025, which identified China as one of 13 countries with a pattern of trafficking activity. The report estimated that 3.9 million individuals are exploited through state-imposed forced labor in China and several other countries, with such exploitation generating an estimated $236 billion in illegal proceeds annually.
The State Department report also warned that complex global supply chains can link legitimate businesses and consumers to human rights abuses tied to forced labor.
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.