GOP Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing a bill on Tuesday to create a federal law that would help survivors of human trafficking expunge their criminal records for crimes committed as a direct result of being a victim, according to a copy of the legislation provided first to CNN.

The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act would help eliminate the barriers that exist for survivors of human trafficking with a criminal record from re-entering society.

While most states have laws that provide a way for trafficking survivors to clear their records of offenses that resulted from being trafficked, no statute exists at the federal level. The legislation would create a process for survivors to defend against any prosecution for criminal activity they were coerced into committing and provides critical relief for survivors who have already been convicted. The bill would also require each United States attorney to submit a report to the attorney general detailing the number of vacatur or expungement petitions filed within one year of the legislation being enacted.

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