There are two bills with bipartisan support circulating Congress. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and several other lawmakers are pushing legislation to help prevent human trafficking.

The first proposed bill is the ‘National Human Trafficking Database Act’. States would be able to report any information regarding the exploitation of men, women and children to the Office for Victims of Crime with the Department of Justice. There would also be incentives for law enforcement agencies to report data and help prevent human trafficking.

The seconds bill is the ‘Combating Trafficking and Transportation Act’. This proposed legislation would send funding to states that will put up signs on interstate highways and at rest stops. The goal of the bill is to spread awareness, and also inform people about the signs of human trafficking. Available resources to help victims would also be included on the signs.

U.S. Senator Klobuchar says traffickers are not using air traffic as frequently for their victims. Instead they are relying on interstate roads.

“Traffickers oftentimes don’t wanna risk being in a plane and they will use other resources like trucking,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “In 2023 alone, there were nearly 17,000 trafficking victims in the U.S. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 100,000 reports on its cyber tip line every single day.”

According to a 2023 report, The National Human Trafficking Hotline says there was an estimated 108 victims. Drew Evans with Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) says making the public aware of trafficking is also one of the key ways to ending the crime.

“Trafficking is an issue in all 50 states. It’s not limited to the highways, but it’s certainly is facilitated by our highways. It’s been historically difficult for us to track the information with what we’re actually seeing with trafficking. The numbers can spike up and down,” Evans said. “The database that’s being contemplated, would bring some clarity to us as to what we’re seeing across the United States.”

Here are some of the signs to be on the lookout for if you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking.

Red flags to be on the lookout for:

• Lack of knowledge of their community or where they are.
• Restricted or controlled communication – not allowed to speak for self.
• Not in control of own identification documents.
• Signs of branding or tattooing of trafficker’s name (often on the neck).

If you see any of these red flags, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 for specialized victim services referrals or to report the situation.