# 119-hr-4732: Orphanage Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act

119-hr-4732, Orphanage Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ); status introduced (as of 2026-07-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4732
- As of: 2026-07-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4732
- Congress: 119
- Title: Orphanage Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-19

## Summary

**Expands the legal definition of a “severe form of trafficking” to explicitly cover the recruitment, transfer, or exploitation of minors in orphanages and other residential care settings.** This bill would amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to treat the recruitment, harboring, transportation, transfer, or receipt of children under 18 in public or private residential facilities by fraud, coercion, force, or abuse of vulnerability as trafficking for profit or exploitation. - Children and families: Children living in institutions like orphanages, boarding schools, or group homes would be explicitly recognized as potential trafficking victims when exploited in those settings. The bill cites about 5.4 million children in institutional care globally. - Law enforcement and prosecutors: Federal investigators and prosecutors would be able to apply the TVPA’s tools to cases tied to residential care settings. Covered conduct includes forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, child labor, and sex trafficking. - U.S. foreign policy and accountability: The change could strengthen U.S. reporting and accountability on orphanage-related exploitation and tie enforcement to existing anti-trafficking frameworks. The bill references State Department Trafficking in Persons reports and the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption for context.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Mfume, Kweisi [D-MD-7] (D-MD), 2025-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2025-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger trafficking rules for kids in care: benefit, low. This bill would add orphanage and residential-care trafficking to the list of severe human trafficking. It would cover people under 18 who are orphaned, abandoned, or living in public or private residential facilities. It would apply when someone recruits, harbors, transports, transfers, or receive…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1144: Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1269: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-4732 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4732)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-1144: Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorizatio…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1144)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [119-hr-1269: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1269)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4732 (as of 2026-07-19).