HR7234-119

What This Bill Does

The Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act of 2026 adds a Blue Campaign Certification Program to the Homeland Security Act. Within one year, DHS, acting through the Director of the Blue Campaign, must create a certificate program for private employers in industries that DHS determines have relatively high human-trafficking prevalence and where awareness training could have significant impact. Each year DHS must solicit applications from no later than January 31 until at least April 30, consult Homeland Security Investigations in reviewing applications, require employers to describe employee training to recognize and respond to suspected trafficking, and issue one-year certificates to eligible employers. DHS must recognize recipients in the Federal Register. Employers may not publicly display a certificate to falsely imply they completed the program or received certification for a year they did not. Beginning within two years, DHS must report annually to House and Senate homeland-security committees on applications, fees collected, proposed fee changes, certificates awarded, recipient names, administration costs, and other matters. DHS may charge reasonable application fees to cover program costs. The bill also expands the existing Blue Campaign to coordinate with private-sector, academic, and covered-industry experts.

Who Benefits and How

Employers in covered industries, employees receiving trafficking-awareness training, trafficking victims who may be identified by trained workers, Homeland Security Investigations, DHS Blue Campaign staff, anti-trafficking organizations, and consumers who value certified businesses benefit from a recognizable training certificate, Federal Register listing, and stronger coordination with industry and academic experts. Certified employers can display a one-year recognition that signals anti-trafficking training participation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

DHS Blue Campaign staff, Homeland Security Investigations reviewers, covered-industry employers, private applicants, compliance teams, and congressional oversight committees face application, training-documentation, fee, review, certification, Federal Register, false-display compliance, annual-reporting, and program-cost burdens. Employers that falsely display the certificate or imply certification for the wrong year face a statutory prohibition.

Key Provisions

• Requires DHS to establish a Blue Campaign Certification Program within one year.
• Requires annual application windows beginning by January 31 and ending no earlier than April 30.
• Requires employers to document training for recognizing and responding to suspected human trafficking.
• Requires HSI consultation, one-year certificates, and Federal Register recognition of recipients.
• Prohibits false public display of Blue Campaign certification.
• Requires annual congressional reports on applications, fees, awards, recipients, and program costs.
• Authorizes reasonable application fees and expands Blue Campaign coordination with private-sector, academic, and covered-industry experts.