Battered Women's Shelters and Services Act

Summary: Battered Women's Shelters and Services Act - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to mandate that State grant applications document specific involvement in application development of the State domestic violence coalition and other knowledgeable individuals and interested organizations. 
Revises minimum fund allotment and proportionality guidelines. 
Cites circumstances under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services may award grants to nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations for technical assistance and training initiatives for special issue resource centers.  Expands such resource centers' specialization areas to include:  (1) providing technical assistance and training to local domestic violence programs that provide shelter or related assistance; (2) improving access to services, information, and training within Indian tribes and organizations; and (3) responding to emerging domestic violence issues identified in consultation with advocates representing local shelter or related assistance programs, State domestic violence coalitions, and national domestic violence organizations.  Authorizes appropriations. 
Modifies grant amounts for State coalitions and for State domestic violence coalitions, including:  (1) model leadership grants for domestic violence intervention in underserved communities; (2) direct emergency assistance; and (3) technical assistance and training for State and local domestic violence programs. 
Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2003 for family violence prevention and services.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Battered Women's Shelters and 
Services Act''.

SEC. 2. FVPSA IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) State Demonstration Grants.--Section 303(a)(2) of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10402(a)(2)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (H); 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
            ``(G) provide documentation, including memoranda of 
        understanding, of the specific involvement of the State 
        domestic violence coalition and other knowledgeable individuals 
        and interested organizations, in the development of the 
        application; and''.
    (b) Minimum Allotment.--Section 304(a) of the Family Violence 
Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10403(a)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after ``grant authorized under section 
        303(a)'' the following: ``$500,000, with the remaining sums to 
        be allotted to each State in''; and
            (2) by striking ``except that--'' and all that follows and 
        inserting the following: ``except that Guam, American Samoa, 
        the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust 
        Territory of the Pacific Islands shall each be allotted not 
        less than one-eighth of 1 percent of the amounts available for 
        grants under section 303(a) for the fiscal year for which the 
        allotment is made.''.
    (c) Reallotment.--Section 304(d) of the Family Violence Prevention 
and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10403(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting after ``to such State in grants 
                under section 303(a)'' the following: ``or to Indian 
                tribes, tribal organizations, or other entities under 
                section 303(b)'';
                    (B) by inserting after ``failure of such State'' 
                the following: ``and Indian tribes, tribal 
                organizations, and other entities'';
                    (C) by inserting after ``such amount to States'' 
                the following: ``or Indian tribes, tribal 
                organizations, or other entities''; and
                    (D) by inserting after ``which meet such 
                requirements'' the following: ``in proportion to the 
                original allocation made under subsection (a) or (b) of 
                section 303, respectively''; and
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3) and 
        inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
    ``(2) If, at the end of the sixth month of any fiscal year for 
which sums are appropriated under section 310, the amount allotted to 
an entity has not been made available to such entity in grants under 
section 308 or 311 because of the failure of such entity to meet the 
requirements for a grant or because the limitation on expenditure has 
been reached, the Secretary shall reallot such amount to States and 
Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and other entities that meet such 
requirements in proportion to the original allocation made under 
subsection (a) or (b) of section 303, respectively.''
    (d) Secretarial Responsibilities.--Section 305(a) of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10404(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``an employee'' and inserting ``one or more 
        employees'';
            (2) by striking ``title.'' and inserting ``title, including 
        evaluation and monitoring.''; and
            (3) by striking ``individual'' and inserting 
        ``individuals''.
    (e) Grants for Information and Technical Assistance Centers.--
Section 308(a)(2) of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act 
(42 U.S.C. 10407(a)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``on providing training and technical 
        assistance'' after ``focusing''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``The Secretary may 
        award grants to nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations for 
        technical assistance and training initiatives on the subject 
identified in subsection (c), if such initiatives do not duplicate the 
work of the entities funded under subsection (c) and if the total 
amount awarded for such initiatives does not exceed $500,000.''
    (f) Special Issue Resource Centers.--Section 308(c) of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10407(c)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``service providers,'' and inserting 
        ``service providers on emerging issues in domestic violence 
        service, prevention, or law,'';
            (2) by striking ``areas of domestic violence service, 
        prevention, or law:'' and inserting ``areas:'';
            (3) by adding the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(8) Providing technical assistance and training to local 
        domestic violence programs that provide shelter or related 
        assistance.
            ``(9) Improving access to services, information, and 
        training within Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
            ``(10) Responding to emerging issues in the field of 
        domestic violence that the Secretary may identify in 
        consultation with advocates representing local programs 
        providing shelter or related assistance, State domestic 
        violence coalitions, and national domestic violence 
        organizations.''; and
            (4) by inserting after paragraph (10), as added by 
        paragraph (3), the following:
``Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Secretary from making 
multiple grants to any nonprofit, nongovernmental entity to fulfill the 
purposes of this section.''.
    (g) Reporting.--Section 308(e) of the Family Violence Prevention 
and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10407(e)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: ``Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of the Battered Women's Shelters and Services Act, each entity 
receiving a grant under this section shall prepare and submit a report 
to the Secretary that evaluates the effectiveness of the use of amounts 
received under the grants by the entity and containing such other 
information as the Secretary may prescribe. The Secretary shall publish 
any such reports and provide at least 90 days for notice and 
opportunity for public comment prior to awarding or renewing any such 
grant.''.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations for Grants Under Section 308.--
Section 310(c) of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 
U.S.C. 10409(c)) is amended by inserting after ``for each fiscal 
year,'' the following: ``the lesser of $7,500,000 or''.
    (i) Grants for State Coalitions.--Section 310(d) of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10409(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``not less than'' and inserting ``the 
        lesser of $22,000,000 or''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``At such time as 
        the appropriation under this subsection exceeds $11,000,000, 
        the Secretary shall designate that of the amounts appropriated 
        under this subsection up to 20 percent of such funds shall be 
        made available in the amounts necessary to State domestic 
        violence coalitions for the specific purpose of providing 
        technical assistance, training, and direct assistance in the 
        areas specified in section ____ or for such other priorities 
        that may be determined by the Secretary in consultation with 
        State domestic violence coalitions and programs that provide 
        shelter or related assistance.''.
    (j) Grants for State Domestic Violence Coalitions.--Section 311 of 
the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10410) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Model Leadership Grants; Direct Emergency Assistance; 
Technical Assistance and Training.--
            ``(1) In general.--For any fiscal year for which the amount 
        made available to carry out this section exceeds $11,000,000, 
        the Secretary shall use not more than 20 percent of such 
        available amount to award grants to State domestic violence 
        coalitions, consistent with paragraphs (2) through (4), or in 
        accordance with such other requirements and priorities as may 
        be determined by the Secretary in consultation with State 
        domestic violence coalitions and programs that provide shelter 
        or related assistance.
            ``(2) Model leadership grants for domestic violence 
        intervention in underserved communities.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award grants 
                for up to 3 years to not more than 10 State domestic 
                violence coalitions, and not more than 10 local 
                domestic violence programs providing shelter or related 
                assistance, to develop model strategies to address 
                domestic violence in underserved populations (as that 
                term is defined in section 2003 of the Omnibus Crime 
                Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg-
                2)). Such grants shall be used to assess the needs of 
                underserved populations in the State, build 
                collaborative relationships with community-based 
                organizations serving underserved populations, and 
                develop and implement model community intervention 
                strategies to decrease the incidence of domestic 
                violence in underserved populations.
                    ``(B) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a 1-year 
                model leadership grant under this paragraph, an 
                applicant shall demonstrate--
                            ``(i) a plan for assessing the needs of 
                        underserved populations and identifying a 
                        specific population for development of an 
                        intervention strategy in year 1 of the grant; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) inclusion of representatives from 
                        community-based organizations in underserved 
                        communities in planning, designing, and 
                        disseminating the needs assessment instruments.
                    ``(C) Eligibility for continued funding.--To be 
                eligible for continued funding of up to 2 additional 
                years, an applicant shall provide--
                            ``(i) a plan for implementing the model 
                        strategies which includes collaborative 
                        partnerships with community-based organizations 
                        within the underserved populations identified; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) a plan for disseminating the model 
                        strategy throughout the State or to other 
                        States during year 3 of the grant.
                    ``(D) Priority for collaborative funding.--In 
                awarding grants under this paragraph, the Secretary 
                shall give preference to State domestic violence 
                coalitions and local domestic violence shelters and 
                programs that submit applications in collaboration with 
                community-based organizations serving underserved 
                populations. A grant may not be made under this 
                subparagraph in an amount less than $100,000 for each 
                fiscal year.
            ``(3) Direct emergency assistance to victims of domestic 
        violence.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award grants 
                to each State domestic violence coalition for the 
                purpose of administering an emergency assistance fund 
                for victims of domestic violence. Funds received under 
                this paragraph may be used only to provide emergency 
                assistance directly to victims of domestic violence who 
                are in the process of fleeing an abusive situation. 
                Emergency assistance shall include transportation, 
                housing, and other expenses associated with relocation. 
                Funds shall be made available to domestic violence 
                shelters and programs on behalf of victims.
                    ``(B) Application.--Prior to receipt of emergency 
                assistance funds under this section, a State domestic 
                violence coalition shall provide to the Secretary--
                            ``(i) a detailed description of the process 
                        for receiving and reviewing applications for 
                        emergency assistance;
                            ``(ii) a detailed description of the 
                        process for notifying domestic violence 
                        shelters and programs about the availability of 
                        emergency assistance funds;
                            ``(iii) an application form that includes 
                        the type of assistance requested, a statement 
                        of need for the funds, a statement about the 
                        impact of the funds on the victim's ability to 
                        escape domestic violence, and other such 
                        information that would be helpful in disbursing 
                        emergency assistance funds;
                            ``(iv) the process that will be used to 
                        make payments to recipients; and
                            ``(v) a statement of procedures that will 
                        be used to protect the confidentiality of 
                        recipients.
                    ``(C) Reporting.--A State domestic violence 
                coalition receiving a grant under this paragraph shall 
                file an annual report to the Secretary describing the 
                distribution of funds to victims of domestic violence 
                by type and amount of assistance provided. For reasons 
                of safety and confidentiality, such report shall not 
                contain individually identifying information.
            ``(4) Technical assistance and training for state and local 
        domestic violence programs.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award grants 
                to a State domestic violence coalition (or multiple 
                coalitions) for the purpose of providing training and 
                technical assistance for State domestic violence 
                coalitions and other nonprofit, nongovernmental State 
                and local domestic violence programs. Funds received 
                under this paragraph shall be used to conduct regional 
                training and technical assistance initiatives to be 
                developed and implemented by a nonprofit, 
                nongovernmental State domestic violence coalition or 
                coalitions within each of the regions administered by 
                the Department of Health and Human Services. Funds 
                shall be used to prioritize, plan, and implement 
                solutions to regional problems experienced by domestic 
                violence coalitions and programs providing shelter or 
                related assistance within the region.
                    ``(B) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant 
                under this paragraph, a State domestic violence 
                coalition shall demonstrate that it has the support of 
                the majority of State domestic violence coalitions 
                within the region and shall have its principal place of 
                operation within the region. Nothing in this paragraph 
                shall be construed to prohibit domestic violence 
                programs within Indian tribes from receiving technical 
                assistance and training under this paragraph. Grantees 
                shall be encouraged to work in collaboration with 
                domestic violence advocates and organizations outside 
                of the region, and with the national resource center 
                and special issue resource centers established under 
                section 308, in order to gain expertise in delivering 
                training and technical assistance within the region.
                    ``(C) Reporting.--A State domestic violence 
                coalition receiving a grant under this paragraph shall 
                file an annual report to the Secretary describing the 
                recipients of the technical assistance and training 
                provided under this paragraph and the type of technical 
                assistance and training provided.''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION 
              AND SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 310(a) of the Family Violence Prevention 
and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10409(a)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this title--
            ``(1) $120,000,000 for fiscal year 1999;
            ``(2) $160,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
            ``(3) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2001;
            ``(4) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; and
            ``(5) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.''.
    (b) Section 308.--Section 310(c) of the Family Violence Prevention 
and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10409(c)) is amended by inserting after 
``for each fiscal year,'' the following: ``the lesser of $7,500,000 
or''.
    (c) Grants for State Coalitions.--Section 310(d) of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10409(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Of the amounts'' and inserting ``Subject 
        to section 311(i), of the amounts''; and
            (2) by striking ``not less than'' and inserting ``the 
        lesser of $22,000,000 or''.
    (d) Evaluation, Monitoring, and Administration.--Section 310 of the 
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10409) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Evaluation, Monitoring, and Administration.--Of the amounts 
appropriated under subsection (a) for each fiscal year, not less than 
$1,200,000 shall be used in carrying out this title for Federal 
evaluation, monitoring, and administrative costs.''.