The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act proposes to amend the Public Health Service Act by establishing a new demonstration project. This initiative, overseen by the Director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons, aims to equip students, teachers, and school personnel in elementary and secondary schools with the knowledge and skills to understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human trafficking and exploitation in children and youth. The bill highlights the critical need for increased awareness and early identification in school settings.

To achieve its goals, the Director will approve qualified nonprofit organizations as verified vendors. These vendors will be responsible for developing or making available age-appropriate, culturally competent, and evidence-based curricula, and for implementing the training programs. Vendor approval prioritizes organizations with demonstrated expertise in curriculum development, training, and the ability to create a scalable "Train the Trainer" program, often engaging survivors and various governmental partners.

Furthermore, the project authorizes the Director to award grants to eligible entities, including schools and nonprofit organizations, to implement these training programs. Grant allocation will prioritize geographic areas with a high prevalence of reported human trafficking instances involving children or significant populations of at-risk youth, such as homeless or foster youth. The bill mandates robust data collection and reporting to Congress on the project's effectiveness, including the number of individuals trained, survivors identified, and best practices.

The Director is also tasked with developing a methodology for collecting data on identified survivors and at-risk students while ensuring privacy. Grantees will be assisted in developing protocols for working with law enforcement and referring survivors to appropriate social services or survivor service agencies. For the demonstration project, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $15,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2029.