OKC Standard

Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma has introduced a new bill aimed at addressing human trafficking within government contracts. The proposed legislation, titled the Ensuring Accountability and Dignity in Government Contracting Act of 2025, seeks to close existing gaps in federal regulations that allow such activities to persist. It also aims to enhance oversight, accountability, and reporting requirements for agencies involved in government contracting.

The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire. In the House of Representatives, Representative David Valadao from California's 22nd district has taken the lead on introducing the legislation.

Senator Lankford emphasized the importance of this initiative by stating, "It is unthinkable that taxpayer dollars would fund human and labor trafficking." He pointed out that current standards and procedures have allowed traffickers to exploit vulnerable individuals. "This bill puts proactive measures in place to make sure that no taxpayer funds are spent on federal contracts that don’t safeguard against trafficking," he added.

Senator Klobuchar highlighted the bipartisan nature of the effort: "We must do everything we can to prevent human trafficking. This bipartisan legislation is another step in the fight to end trafficking, by ensuring federal contractors have a plan to prevent human trafficking and to look into further contracting reform to stop trafficking."

Representative Valadao echoed these sentiments, stressing the need for accountability: "The United States has a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking, yet recent reports make it clear that federal agencies are failing to take meaningful action to prevent trafficking in government contracts." He expressed pride in introducing a bill designed to ensure contractors implement anti-trafficking compliance plans and face consequences when violations occur. "American taxpayers should never be complicit in human trafficking, and this legislation takes critical steps to prevent that from happening," Valadao stated.

The proposed act outlines several measures intended to address these issues effectively.