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H.R. 4259: End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act of 2012

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H.R. 4259: End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act of 2012

112th Congress · introduced 2012-03-26 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2012-03-26 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Lankford, James [R-OK-5] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act of 2012

Plain summary

End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act of 2012 - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to expand the authority of a federal agency to terminate a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement involving grantees or contractors who engage in severe forms of trafficking in persons to include grantees or contractors who: (1) engage in acts that directly support or advance trafficking in persons, (2) destroy an employee's immigration documents or fail to repatriate such employee upon the end of employment, (3) solicit persons for employment under false pretenses, (4) charge recruited employees exorbitant placement fees, or (5) provide inhumane living conditions. Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to monitor all known cases and activities involving trafficking in persons that are reported to certain officials of the Department of Defense (DOD). Prohibits the head of an executive agency from entering into a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement valued at $1 million or more if performance will predominantly be conducted overseas unless a representative of the recipient of such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement certifies that the recipient has implemented a plan and procedures to prevent trafficking in persons. Requires a contracting or grant officer of an executive agency who receives credible evidence that a recipient of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement has engaged in trafficking in persons or other prohibited activities to request the agency's Inspector General to investigate allegations of trafficking and to take remedial actions, including the suspension of payments under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to five years on any individual who knowingly and with intent to defraud recruits, solicits, or hires a person outside the United States, or attempts to do so, to work on on a government contract performed on government facilities outside the United States by means of materially false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises regarding such employment.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act of 2012

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Lankford, James [R-OK-5] · 24 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Darrell Issa (R-CA), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Steve Womack (R-AR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Lankford, James [R-OK-5] reported raising $1.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-hr4259 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112