This section relates to the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States (in this section referred to as the “Committee”).
Not later than 2 years after September 29, 2014, the Secretary shall establish and appoint all members of the Committee.
The Committee shall be composed of not more than 21 members whose diverse experience and background enable them to provide balanced points of view with regard to carrying out the duties of the Committee.
The Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and National Governors Association, shall appoint the members to the Committee. At least 1 Committee member shall be a former sex trafficking victim. 2 Committee members shall be a Governor of a State, 1 of whom shall be a member of the Democratic Party and 1 of whom shall be a member of the Republican Party.
The Committee shall advise the Secretary and the Attorney General on practical and general policies concerning improvements to the Nation’s response to the sex trafficking of children and youth in the United States.
Within 2 years after the establishment of the Committee, the Committee shall develop 2 tiers (referred to in this subparagraph as “Tier I” and “Tier II”) of recommended best practices for States to follow in combating the sex trafficking of children and youth. Tier I shall provide States that have not yet substantively addressed the sex trafficking of children and youth with an idea of where to begin and what steps to take. Tier II shall provide States that are already working to address the sex trafficking of children and youth with examples of policies that are already being used effectively by other States to address sex trafficking.
The best practices shall be based on multidisciplinary research and promising, evidence-based models and programs as reflected in State efforts to meet the requirements of sections 101 and 102 of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act.
The Committee, in coordination with the National Governors Association, Secretary and Attorney General, shall ensure that State Governors and child welfare agencies are notified and informed on a quarterly basis of the best practices and recommendations for States, and notified 6 months in advance that the Committee will be evaluating the extent to which States adopt the Committee’s recommendations.
Within 3 years after the establishment of the Committee, the Committee shall submit to the Secretary and the Attorney General, as part of its final report as well as for online and publicly available publication, a description of what each State has done to implement the recommendations of the Committee.
The Secretary shall direct the head of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to provide all necessary support for the Committee.
The Committee will meet at the call of the Secretary at least twice each year to carry out this section, and more often as otherwise required.
The Committee may establish subcommittees or working groups, as necessary and consistent with the mission of the Committee. The subcommittees or working groups shall have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the Committee, nor shall they report directly to any official or entity listed in subsection (d).
The records of the Committee and any subcommittees and working groups shall be maintained in accordance with appropriate Department of Health and Human Services policies and procedures and shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
The Committee shall terminate 5 years after the date of its establishment, but the Secretary shall continue to operate and update, as necessary, an Internet website displaying the State best practices, recommendations, and evaluation of State-by-State implementation of the Secretary’s recommendations.
For the purpose of this section, the term “sex trafficking” includes the definition set forth in section 7102(10) [1] of title 22 and “severe form of trafficking in persons” described in section 7102(9)(A) [1] of title 22.