Trafficking Survivors Relief Act
Latest action. Became public lawWhat a bill becomes when enacted, numbered by Congress and order of enactment: Public Law 119-4 is the 4th law of the 119th Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) No: 119-73.
Trafficking Survivors Relief Act
This act establishes a process to vacate convictions and expunge arrest records for certain criminal offenses committed by victims of human trafficking that directly result from or relate to having been a trafficking victim.
It defines the offenses eligible to be vacated or expunged and sets forth procedures for filing a motion.
The Government Accountability Office must assess the impact of this process, including the number of human trafficking survivors who file motions to vacate convictions or expunge records.
Under the act, U.S. Attorneys' Offices must report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the number of motions to vacate convictions or expunge arrest records that are filed. Additionally, the DOJ must report to Congress on professional training received by U.S. Attorneys on indicators of human trafficking during the preceding 12-month period.
The act permits certain grants for legal representation to be used to seek post-conviction relief.
Finally, the act allows a defendant to establish, as a defense, that the offenses were committed under duress by demonstrating that he or she was a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Public Law" stage on January 23, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
This bill has been enacted. It is law.
The record's latest action, on January 23, 2026: Became Public Law No: 119-73.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Russell Fry (R-SC) introduced it on July 10, 2025, and 19 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 8 Democrats, 11 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePassed
- SenatePassed
- PresidentSigned into law