I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1895

To amend Federal crime grant programs relating to domestic violence to 

encourage States and localities to implement gun confiscation policies, 

reform stalking laws, create integrated domestic violence courts, and 

hire additional personnel for entering protection orders, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2003

Mr. ROTHMAN (for himself, Mr. HOLT, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. 

CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. 

SLAUGHTER, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. CROWLEY, 

Mr. MCNULTY, Ms. BALDWIN, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. 

SERRANO, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. 

MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. 

DOGGETT, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, and Mr. CUMMINGS) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL

To amend Federal crime grant programs relating to domestic 

violence to encourage States and localities to implement 

gun confiscation policies, reform stalking laws, create 

integrated domestic violence courts, and hire additional 

personnel for entering protection orders, and for other 

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Domestic Violence Vic3 tim Protection Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ENCOURAGEMENT OF GUN CONFISCATION POLI5 CIES IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES. 

6 Section 2101(c) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

7 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796hh(c)) is amend8 ed—

9 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

10 (3); 

11 (2) by striking the period at the end of para12 graph (4) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

14 paragraph: 

15 ‘‘(5) certify that their laws or official policies—

16 ‘‘(A) provide that a law enforcement officer 

17 who has probable cause that an act of domestic 

18 violence has been committed may—

19 ‘‘(i) question persons present to deter20 mine whether there are weapons on the 

21 premises; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) upon observing or learning that a 

23 weapon is present on the premises, seize 

24 any weapon that the officer reasonably be25 lieves would expose the victim or any other 
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1 household member to a risk of serious bod2 ily injury; 

3 ‘‘(B) provide that a court, as part of the 

4 relief provided in a protection order—

5 ‘‘(i) may order that the defendant is 

6 prohibited from possessing any firearm or 

7 other weapon; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) may order that any location may 

9 be searched for such a weapon, and such 

10 weapon may be seized, if the court has rea11 sonable cause to believe that a firearm or 

12 other weapon of the defendant is at that 

13 location.’’. 

14 SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF SPECIFIC INTENT TO CAUSE FEAR 

15 FROM THE ELEMENTS OF THE OFFENSE OF 

16 STALKING. 

17 Section 40602 of the Violence Against Women Act 

18 of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14031) is amended by adding at the 

19 end the following new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(c) ELEMENTS OF STALKING OFFENSE.—To be eli21 gible to receive a grant under subsection (a), a State or 

22 unit of local government shall, in addition to the require23 ments of subsection (b), certify that its laws or official 

24 policies relating to the offense of stalking require, as ele25 ments of the offense, not more than the following: that 
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1 the defendant has on more than one occasion harassed or 

2 threatened the victim.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. ENCOURAGEMENT OF INTEGRATED DOMESTIC VIO4 LENCE COURTS. 

5 Section 40412 of the Violence Against Women Act 

6 of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13992) is amended—

7 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ at the 

8 beginning; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub10 section: 

11 ‘‘(b) INTEGRATED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURTS.—

12 Training provided pursuant to grants made under this 

13 subtitle may include training in the context of establishing 

14 and maintaining courts that provide, wherever practicable, 

15 for domestic matters (whether civil or criminal) that arise 

16 out of the same family or domestic circumstance to be as17 signed to a judicial unit for the processing of those mat18 ters on a coordinated basis.’’. 

19 SEC. 5. HIRING AND MAINTAINING OF ADDITIONAL PER20 SONNEL FOR ENTERING PROTECTION OR21 DERS. 

22 (a) GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE ARREST POLICIES.—

23 Section 2101(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

24 Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796hh(b)) is amended 

25 by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
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1 ‘‘(9) To hire and maintain additional personnel 

2 for entering information relating to protection or3 ders.’’. 

4 (b) GRANTS RELATING TO STALKING AND DOMESTIC

5 VIOLENCE.—Section 40602 of the Violence Against 

6 Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14031) is amended by 

7 striking the period at the end of subsection (a) and insert8 ing the following: ‘‘, which may include hiring and main9 taining additional personnel for entering such data.’’.

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