# 119-s-2255: Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025

119-s-2255, Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2255
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2255
- Congress: 119
- Title: Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Creates a federal post-conviction relief pathway for trafficking survivors.** This bill would let people whose criminal conduct flowed from being trafficked seek vacatur of convictions or expungement of arrests and adds a duress defense in covered federal prosecutions. - Survivors and defendants: Survivors could move to vacate certain convictions (defined as level A) or expunge arrests for level A and some level B offenses when the conduct was directly related to trafficking. Motions may rely on affidavits, clinician or service-provider testimony, and other credible evidence. - Court process and privacy: Motions are filed under seal with no filing fee and decided by a preponderance of the evidence. The government must respond within 30 days and, if it opposes, a hearing must be held within 15 days. - Sentencing relief: Courts may reduce prison terms for covered prisoners when the offense was a direct result of trafficking after a particularized sentencing review and consideration of public safety. - Oversight and training: U.S. Attorneys must report on motions within 1 year, a Government Accountability Office assessment is required within 3 years, and training for prosecutors on trafficking indicators must be reported. - Grants and program access: Justice and Violence Against Women grant programs may not bar funds from being used for post-conviction legal representation. Failure to assert the new defense cannot be used to deny participation in federally funded victim services.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2025-10-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH] (R-OH), 2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-12-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Clear records for trafficking survivors: benefit, high. If enacted, you could ask a court to vacate non‑violent federal convictions that resulted from being trafficked. You could also ask to expunge arrests for certain violent or non‑violent offenses when tied to trafficking, but some expungements for violent offenses require conditions like acquittal,…
- Shorter prison terms for trafficking victims: benefit, high. If enacted, a court could reduce a prison term for a person whose federal offense directly resulted from being trafficked. The court must find this by a preponderance of the evidence and consider public safety and the usual sentencing factors. The government must get notice and victims' rights prot…
- Trafficking duress defense in federal cases: benefit, high. If enacted, defendants could assert a trafficking‑based duress defense to covered federal charges by showing they were victims when the offense occurred. Parts of proceedings about the defense could be sealed until a conviction. Not using the defense at trial would not stop later use of trafficking…
- Faster private relief motions process: benefit, medium. If enacted, motions to vacate or expunge must be filed in writing and kept under seal. Courts would use a preponderance‑of‑the‑evidence standard and must consider affidavits or testimony from trafficking service providers or clinicians. You would not have to pay any filing, processing, or other fee…
- Grants, reporting, and victims' protections: benefit, medium. If enacted, DOJ must report to Congress within 1 year on training U.S. Attorneys received about trafficking indicators. Each U.S. Attorney must report within 1 year on motions filed and outcomes in their district. GAO must assess the law's impact within 3 years. The Office of Justice Programs and t…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-s-339: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.

## Sources
- [119-s-2255 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2255)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1261)
- [119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1032)
- [119-s-339: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-339)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2255 (as of 2026-08-11).