In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 17, 2018. 

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 717) entitled 

‘‘An Act to promote pro bono legal services as a critical way 

in which to empower survivors of domestic violence.’’, do pass 

with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pro bono Work to Em3 power and Represent Act of 2018’’ or the ‘‘POWER Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Extremely high rates of domestic violence, 

7 dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking exist at 

8 the local, State, tribal, and national levels and such 

9 violence or behavior harms the most vulnerable mem10 bers of our society. 

11 (2) According to a study commissioned by the 

12 Department of Justice, nearly 25 percent of women 

13 suffer from domestic violence during their lifetime. 

14 (3) Proactive efforts should be made available in 

15 all forums to provide pro bono legal services and 
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1 eliminate the violence that destroys lives and shatters 

2 families. 

3 (4) A variety of factors cause domestic violence, 

4 dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and a 

5 variety of solutions at the local, State, and national 

6 levels are necessary to combat such violence or behav7 ior. 

8 (5) According to the National Network to End 

9 Domestic Violence, which conducted a census includ10 ing almost 1,700 assistance programs, over the course 

11 of 1 day in September 2014, more than 10,000 re12 quests for services, including legal representation, 

13 were not met. 

14 (6) Pro bono assistance can help fill this need by 

15 providing not only legal representation, but also ac16 cess to emergency shelter, transportation, and 

17 childcare. 

18 (7) Research and studies have demonstrated that 

19 the provision of legal assistance to victims of domestic 

20 violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking 

21 reduces the probability of such violence or behavior re22 occurring in the future and can help survivors move 

23 forward. 

24 (8) Legal representation increases the possibility 

25 of successfully obtaining a protective order against an 
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1 attacker, which prevents further mental and physical 

2 injury to a victim and his or her family, as dem3 onstrated by a study that found that 83 percent of 

4 victims represented by an attorney were able to ob5 tain a protective order, whereas only 32 percent of 

6 victims without an attorney were able to do so. 

7 (9) The American Bar Association Model Rules 

8 include commentary stating that ‘‘every lawyer, re9 gardless of professional prominence or professional 

10 workload, has a responsibility to provide legal services 

11 to those unable to pay, and personal involvement in 

12 the problems of the disadvantaged can be one of the 

13 most rewarding experiences in the life of a lawyer’’. 

14 (10) As leaders in their legal communities, 

15 judges in district courts should encourage lawyers to 

16 provide pro bono resources in an effort to help victims 

17 of such violence or behavior escape the cycle of abuse. 

18 (11) A dedicated army of pro bono attorneys fo19 cused on this mission will inspire others to devote ef20 forts to this cause and will raise awareness of the 

21 scourge of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 

22 assault, and stalking throughout the country. 

23 (12) Communities, by providing awareness of 

24 pro bono legal services and assistance to survivors of 

25 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 
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1 stalking, will empower those survivors to move for2 ward with their lives. 

3 SEC. 3. DISTRICT COURTS TO PROMOTE EMPOWERMENT 

4 EVENTS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for a pe7 riod of 4 years, the chief judge, or his or her designee, for 

8 each judicial district shall lead not less than one public 

9 event, in partnership with a State, local, tribal, or terri10 torial domestic violence service provider or coalition and 

11 a State or local volunteer lawyer project, promoting pro 

12 bono legal services as a critical way in which to empower 

13 survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual as14 sault, and stalking and engage citizens in assisting those 

15 survivors. 

16 (b) DISTRICTS CONTAINING INDIAN TRIBES AND TRIB17 AL ORGANIZATIONS.—During each 2-year period, the chief 

18 judge, or his or her designee, for a judicial district that con19 tains an Indian tribe or tribal organization (as those terms 

20 are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 

21 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) shall lead 

22 not less than one public event promoting pro bono legal 

23 services under subsection (a) of this section in partnership 

24 with an Indian tribe or tribal organization with the intent 

25 of increasing the provision of pro bono legal services for 
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1 Indian or Alaska Native victims of domestic violence, dat2 ing violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 

3 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—Each chief judge shall— 

4 (1) have discretion as to the design, organiza5 tion, and implementation of the public events re6 quired under subsection (a); and 

7 (2) in conducting a public event under sub8 section (a), seek to maximize the local impact of the 

9 event and the provision of access to high-quality pro 

10 bono legal services by survivors of domestic violence, 

11 dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 

12 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

13 (a) REPORT TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE ADMINISTRA14 TIVE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS.—Not later 

15 than October 30 of each year, each chief judge shall submit 

16 to the Director of the Administrative Office of the United 

17 States Courts a report detailing each public event conducted 

18 under section 3 during the previous fiscal year. 

19 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1 of 

21 each year, the Director of the Administrative Office of 

22 the United States Courts shall submit to Congress a 

23 compilation and summary of each report received 

24 under subsection (a) for the previous fiscal year. 
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1 (2) REQUIREMENT.—Each comprehensive report 

2 submitted under paragraph (1) shall include an anal3 ysis of how each public event meets the goals set forth 

4 in this Act, as well as suggestions on how to improve 

5 future public events. 

6 SEC. 5. FUNDING. 

7 The Administrative Office of the United States Courts 

8 shall use existing funds to carry out the requirements of 

9 this Act. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 717 

AMENDMENT