CPAC’s Center for Combating Human Trafficking Drives Landmark State-Level Legislation to Support Survivors

The Conservative Political Action Coalition’s (CPAC) Center for Combating Human Trafficking is transforming the fight against modern-day slavery by championing survivor-centered legislation across the country. Through bipartisan advocacy, strategic coalition-building, and engagement with lawmakers, the Center has played a pivotal role in the passage of several groundbreaking state laws that redefine how America addresses the needs of trafficking survivors and strengthens justice.

Among the Center’s most notable legislative victories is Texas SB 1278, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. Passed last month, this legislation creates a streamlined path for survivors by establishing an affirmative defense in the law to assist those who overcome abuse. For decades, many survivors were left permanently stigmatized by criminal records for offenses they were forced to commit under coercion and threat. SB 1278 corrects that injustice and helps restore dignity and opportunity to victims.

In Arkansas, CPAC’s Center was instrumental in supporting SB 620, the Child Trafficking Victims Protection and Restoration Act. This vital law not only ensures that child trafficking victims are diverted from the criminal justice system and into the hands of professional victim support services, but it also establishes trauma-informed care requirements and robust restorative resources. SB 620 is a model for how conservative principles of justice and redemption can be applied to protect the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, CPAC championed HB 582, the Survivor Justice Act. This law empowers judges to consider a defendant’s status as a trafficking survivor during sentencing, offering an avenue for reduced penalties or alternatives to incarceration. It reflects a growing recognition that criminal justice reform must include provisions for those coerced into illegal activity under trafficking conditions or exploitation – and is identical to legislation passed in Oklahoma, yet another bedrock of conservative principles.

The Center for Combating Human Trafficking’s success reflects CPAC’s broader commitment to meaningful conservative leadership in criminal justice. By focusing on victim restoration, limited government overreach, and the rule of law, CPAC is reshaping the national narrative—proving that public safety and survivor protection are not mutually exclusive.