SAVE Girls Act

Summary#

This bill creates a federal grant program to fight the smuggling and trafficking of children and young women. The Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may award grants to States, Indian tribes, units of local government, and nonprofit victims' service organizations. The grants would focus on preventing smuggling of people aged 12 through 24 across U.S. borders and on providing support for people aged 12 through 24 who have been smuggled into the United States or who have been or are at risk of child sex trafficking or other severe forms of trafficking. The bill also adds a rule saying nothing in the subsection creates a private cause of action against the United States or its officers or employees.

What it means for you#

• State, tribal, and local governments, and nonprofit victim service groups could apply for grant money to fund prevention and support programs for people aged 12–24.
• The program covers both efforts to stop cross-border smuggling and services for young people already smuggled or at risk of sex trafficking.
• The Attorney General and HHS would run the grant program with input from the Secretary of State.
• The bill does not allow private lawsuits against the United States or federal officers based on this subsection.

Expenses#

The bill authorizes $50,000,000 to be appropriated to the Attorney General for the grants, and that money would remain available until spent. No publicly available information on other costs, administrative expenses, or matching requirements is provided in the text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.