II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 717 

To promote pro bono legal services as a critical way in which to empower 

survivors of domestic violence. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 23, 2017 

Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Ms. HEITKAMP, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, 

Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. DAINES) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To promote pro bono legal services as a critical way in 

which to empower survivors of domestic violence. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pro bono Work to Em5 power and Represent Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘POWER Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Extremely high rates of domestic violence, 

9 dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking exist at 

10 the local, State, and national levels and such vioVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S717.IS S717

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1 lence or behavior harms the most vulnerable mem2 bers of our society. 

3 (2) According to a study commissioned by the 

4 Department of Justice, nearly 25 percent of women 

5 suffer from domestic violence during their lifetime. 

6 (3) Proactive efforts should be made available 

7 in all forums to provide pro bono legal services and 

8 eliminate the violence that destroys lives and shat9 ters families. 

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

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

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

13 levels are necessary to combat such violence or be14 havior. 

15 (5) According to the National Network to End 

16 Domestic Violence, which conducted a census includ17 ing almost 1,700 assistance programs, over the 

18 course of 1 day in September 2014, more than 

19 10,000 requests for services, including legal rep20 resentation, were not met. 

21 (6) Pro bono assistance can help fill this need 

22 by providing not only legal representation, but also 

23 access to emergency shelter, transportation, and 

24 childcare. 


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1 (7) Research and studies have demonstrated 

2 that the provision of legal assistance to victims of 

3 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 

4 and stalking reduces the probability of such violence 

5 or behavior reoccurring in the future and can help 

6 survivors move forward. 

7 (8) Legal representation increases the possi8 bility of successfully obtaining a protective order 

9 against an attacker, which prevents further mental 

10 and physical injury to a victim and his or her family, 

11 as demonstrated by a study that found that 83 per12 cent of victims represented by an attorney were able 

13 to obtain a protective order, whereas only 32 percent 

14 of victims without an attorney were able to do so. 

15 (9) The American Bar Association Model Rules 

16 include commentary stating that ‘‘every lawyer, re17 gardless of professional prominence or professional 

18 workload, has a responsibility to provide legal serv19 ices to those unable to pay, and personal involve20 ment in the problems of the disadvantaged can be 

21 one of the most rewarding experiences in the life of 

22 a lawyer’’. 

23 (10) As representatives of the Department of 

24 Justice, the duty of United States Attorneys is to 

25 present ‘‘equal and impartial justice to all its citiVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S717.IS S717

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1 zens’’, which should include, especially, survivors of 

2 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 

3 and stalking who might not otherwise know how to 

4 seek advice and protection. 

5 (11) As Federal leaders who have knowledge of 

6 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 

7 and stalking in their localities, United States Attor8 neys should encourage lawyers to provide pro bono 

9 resources in an effort to help victims of such vio10 lence or behavior escape the cycle of abuse. 

11 (12) A dedicated army of pro bono attorneys fo12 cused on this mission will inspire others to devote ef13 forts to this cause and will raise awareness of the 

14 scourge of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 

15 assault, and stalking throughout the country. 

16 (13) Communities, by providing awareness of 

17 pro bono legal services and assistance to survivors of 

18 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 

19 and stalking, will empower those survivors to move 

20 forward with their lives. 

21 SEC. 3. U.S. ATTORNEYS TO PROMOTE EMPOWERMENT 

22 EVENTS. 

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

24 date of enactment of this Act, and not less often than once 

25 each year thereafter, each United States Attorney, or his 


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1 or her designee, for each judicial district shall lead not 

2 less than 1 public event, in partnership with a State, local, 

3 tribal, or territorial domestic violence service provider or 

4 coalition and a State or local volunteer lawyer project, pro5 moting pro bono legal services as a critical way in which 

6 to empower survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, 

7 sexual assault, and stalking and engage citizens in assist8 ing those survivors. 

9 (b) DISTRICTS CONTAINING INDIAN TRIBES AND

10 TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—During each 3-year period, a 

11 United States Attorney, or his or her designee, for a judi12 cial district that contains an Indian tribe or tribal organi13 zation (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the In14 dian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 

15 (25 U.S.C. 5304)) shall lead not less than 1 public event 

16 promoting pro bono legal services under subsection (a) of 

17 this section in partnership with an Indian tribe or tribal 

18 organization with the intent of increasing the provision of 

19 pro bono legal services for Indian or Alaska Native victims 

20 of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 

21 stalking. 

22 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—Each United States Attorney 

23 shall— 


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1 (1) have discretion as to the design, organiza2 tion, and implementation of the public events re3 quired under subsection (a); and 

4 (2) in conducting a public event under sub5 section (a), seek to maximize the local impact of the 

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

7 bono legal services by survivors of domestic violence, 

8 dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 

9 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

10 (a) REPORT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.—Not 

11 later than October 30 of each year, each United States 

12 Attorney shall submit to the Attorney General a report 

13 detailing each public event conducted under section 3 dur14 ing the previous fiscal year. 

15 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

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

17 each year, the Attorney General shall submit to Con18 gress a compilation and summary of each report re19 ceived under subsection (a) for the previous fiscal 

20 year. 

21 (2) REQUIREMENT.—Each comprehensive re22 port submitted under paragraph (1) shall include an 

23 analysis of how each public event meets the goals set 

24 forth in this Act, as well as suggestions on how to 

25 improve future public events. 


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1 SEC. 5. FUNDING. 

2 The Department of Justice shall use existing funds 

3 to carry out the requirements of this Act. 

Æ 


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