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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10099 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10099

  To establish a National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan to 
expand, intensify and coordinate domestic violence prevention programs 
        in the United States of America, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 1, 2024

Ms. Wexton (for herself and Mr. Joyce of Ohio) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
                               Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To establish a National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan to 
expand, intensify and coordinate domestic violence prevention programs 
        in the United States of America, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``National Domestic Violence 
Prevention Action Plan''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Domestic violence is a serious public health problem 
        and more than 12 million individuals experience domestic 
        violence in the United States each year.
            (2) According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual 
        Violence Survey, in the United States more than 2 in 5 women 
        and nearly 1 in 4 men will experience contact sexual violence, 
        physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and 
        experience an intimate partner violence related impact in their 
        lifetime, and approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men 
        experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in 
        their lifetime.
            (3) More than half of female homicides were connected to 
        intimate partner violence and in a domestic violence situation 
        the presence of a gun increases the risk of homicide by 500 
        percent.
            (4) While Domestic violence can affect anyone, research 
        indicates that communities of color, individuals with 
        disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized 
        communities can be disproportionately impacted.
            (5) Domestic violence leads to the loss of nearly 8 million 
        days of work each year and costs the United States $3.6 
        trillion.
            (6) The United Nations has urged countries to adopt 
        national action plans to combat gender-based violence and 
        violence against women, including domestic violence, and 
        approximately 50 countries, including Canada, the United 
        Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Spain, and Ireland, have adopted 
        such plans.
            (7) The United States does not have a national plan of 
        action on domestic violence or gender-based violence, making it 
        a global outlier.
            (8) While the Violence Against Women Act and Family 
        Violence Prevention and Services Act are the United States 
        landmark pieces of domestic violence legislation and has many 
        of the hallmarks of a national action plan on domestic violence 
        prevention, the United States does not have a whole-of-
        government, goal-oriented, community-informed, forward looking 
        national plan of action for domestic violence prevention.
            (9) The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) created the 
        Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) in 1995 to administer 
        financial and technical assistance to communities across the 
        United States that are working to develop and maintain 
        programs, policies, and practices devoted to ending domestic 
        violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
            (10) None of the programs administered by the Office on 
        Violence Against Women (OVW) focus solely on prevention of 
        domestic violence.
            (11) The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act 
        authorizes three major activities: domestic violence prevention 
        activities through a program known as Domestic Violence 
        Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances 
        (DELTA), the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and domestic 
        violence shelters, victims' services, and program support.
            (12) Since 1996, the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention has awarded Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement 
        and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) funding to State 
        Domestic Violence Coalitions (SDVCs) to coordinate specific 
        prevention activities. However, only ten states currently 
        benefit from this funding.
            (13) According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, DELTA focuses on implementing three strategies--
        engage influential adults and peers, create protective 
        environments, and strengthen economic supports for families--
        with the goal of addressing and decreasing community and 
        societal level risk, identifying factors in communities that 
        may lead to intimate partner violence, and increasing 
        protective factors that prevent it.
            (14) In 1993, the National Resource Center on Domestic 
        Violence was established through the Department of Health and 
        Human Services funding to (1) support community awareness and 
        educational efforts of domestic violence programs through the 
        Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP), (2) promote and 
        support the leadership of women of color at the local, state, 
        and national levels through the Women of Color Network, (3) 
        promote holistic programming and policy response through 
        Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence, and 
        connect individuals to research on emerging issues related to 
        domestic violence, sexual violence, public policy, and primary 
        prevention through VAWnet.
            (15) Many Federal agencies address domestic violence by 
        providing formula-based and discretionary grants to local, 
        State, and tribal governments, courts, nonprofits 
        organizations, community-based organizations, secondary 
        schools, institutions of higher education, special-issue 
        resource centers and State and tribal coalitions for the 
        purpose of supporting victims and holding perpetrators 
        accountable for their actions associated with domestic violence 
        with a lack of focus on prevention:
                    (A) The Department of Defense administers the 
                congressionally mandated Family Advocacy Program (FAP) 
                which is devoted to providing clinical assessment, 
                supportive services, and treatment in response to 
                domestic violence, as well as, report domestic abuse in 
                military families annually to Congress.
                    (B) The Department of State supports numerous 
                programs that address domestic violence globally 
                through its human rights and humanitarian activities, 
                including those housed in the Office of Global Women's 
                Issues that supports anti-gender-based violence (GBV) 
                programs and promotes awareness.
                    (C) Through their agency-wide efforts to address 
                gender inequality and gender-based violence, the U.S. 
                Agency for International Development (USAID) supports 
                programs that aim to prevent and respond to domestic 
                violence globally through its work in development, 
                global health, and humanitarian assistance.
                    (D) The Indian Country Crimes Unit (ICCU) at the 
                Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is responsible 
                for developing and implementing strategies, programs, 
                and policies to address identified crimes problems in 
                Indian country, including but not limited to, 
                initiatives related to domestic violence and sex 
                offenses, program management, and support for the Safe 
                Trails Task Force.
                    (E) The Office of Justice Services at the Bureau of 
                Indian Affairs (BIA-OJS) has shared Federal 
                jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
                (FBI) in handling crimes, including domestic violence, 
                on tribal lands.
                    (F) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 
                collects national domestic violence crime statistics, 
                including through the National-Incident Based Reporting 
                System.
                    (G) The Department of Education administers the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title IV-
                A Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grants 
                to local education agencies (LEAs) that could be used 
                to support initiatives to address domestic violence and 
                teen dating violence in schools.
                    (H) The Higher Education Act (HEA) requires 
                institutions of higher education (IHE) to include in 
                their annual security report (ASR) a statement of 
                policy regarding the IHE's programs to prevent domestic 
                violence, dating violence, and other related crimes, 
                and procedures that the IHE will follow once an 
                incident of domestic or dating violence has been 
                reported.
                    (I) The Department of Housing and Urban Development 
                (HUD), in conjunction with the Department of Health and 
                Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice 
                (DOJ), funds housing programs for individuals and 
                families who are fleeing or attempting to flee their 
                home due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or 
                stalking, as well as, oversees the Domestic Violence 
                Housing Technical Assistance Consortium through the 
                Safe Housing Partnership that provides technical 
                assistance to community providers on housing and 
                domestic violence.
                    (J) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
                (USCIS) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
                accepts applications and assist survivors of domestic 
                violence in becoming lawful permanent residents through 
                Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions.
            (16) According to the National Institutes of Health, 
        responses to domestic violence have focused, to date, primarily 
        on intervention after the problem has already been identified 
        and harm has occurred. However, there are prevention strategies 
        and prevention approaches from the public health field that can 
        serve as models for further development of domestic violence 
        prevention, such as a public health campaign that identifies 
        and addresses the underlying causes of the issues.
            (17) According to the National Institutes of Health, 
        domestic violence prevention should be addressed along a 
        continuum of possible harm: (1) primary prevention to reduce 
        the incidence of the problem before it occurs; (2) secondary 
        prevention to decrease the prevalence after early signs of the 
        problem; and (3) tertiary prevention to intervene once the 
        problem is already clearly evident and causing harm.
            (18) According to the National Institutes of Health, 
        Primary prevention include school-based programs that teach 
        students about domestic violence and alternative conflict-
        resolution skills, and public education campaigns to increase 
        awareness of the harms of domestic violence and of services 
        available to victims.
            (19) According to the National Institutes of Health, 
        Secondary prevention programs could include home visiting for 
        high-risk families and community-based programs on dating 
        violence for adolescents referred through child protective 
        services (CPS).
            (20) According to the National Institutes of Health, 
        tertiary prevention includes the many targeted intervention 
        programs already in place.
            (21) According to the National Institutes of Health, early 
        evaluations of existing prevention programs show promise, but 
        results are still preliminary, and programs remain small, 
        locally based, and scattered throughout the United States.
            (22) According to the National Institutes of Health, the 
        United States needs a broadly based, comprehensive prevention 
        strategy that is supported by sound research and evaluation, 
        receives adequate public backing, and is based on a policy of 
        zero tolerance for domestic violence.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN STEERING 
              COMMITTEE.

    (a) Steering Committee.--With the goal of establishing a National 
Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan to expand, intensify, and 
coordinate domestic violence prevention programs and activities in the 
United States of America, the Department of Health and Human Services 
shall establish a steering committee which shall create, facilitate the 
activities, and further the goals of the National Domestic Violence 
Prevention Action Plan. Such committee shall consist of:
            (1) The commissioner at the Administration on Children, 
        Youth and Families (ACYF) at the Administration for Children 
        and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
        Services (HHS), who shall serve as Chair.
            (2) The administrator of the Family Violence Prevention and 
        Services Program at the Department of Health and Human 
        Services, who shall serve as Vice-Chair.
            (3) The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at 
        the Department of Health and Human Services.
            (4) The administrator of the Office on Violence Against 
        Women at the Department of Justice.
            (5) The administrator of the Division of Violence 
        Prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
            (6) The administrator of the Division of Injury Prevention 
        at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
            (7) The administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
        Delinquency Prevention at the Department of Justice.
            (8) The administrator of the Office of Victim of Crimes at 
        the Department of Justice.
            (9) The Under Secretary of Education at the Department of 
        Education.
            (10) Such other subject matter experts the Chair of the 
        National Domestic Violence Prevention Steering Committee deems 
        necessary for the creation of the functions of the National 
        Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
    (b) Role of Membership Chair.--The Chair of the National Domestic 
Violence Prevention Action Plan Steering Committee shall convene and 
preside at the meetings of the Steering Committee, set its agenda, 
coordinate its work, and, may, as appropriate to deal with particular 
subject matters, establish subcommittees of the Steering Committee.
    (c) Coordination of Stakeholders.--In establishing the National 
Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan, the Steering Committee shall 
collaborate with government and non-government stakeholders who may be 
affected by the plan, including but not limited to, Federal, State, 
local, and tribal officials, public health agencies, health care 
providers, early childhood and child care providers, domestic violence 
advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, educational agencies, 
military branches, and community-based and culturally specific child 
and family serving organizations.
    (d) State and Local Commitment.--The Steering Committee shall seek 
support and commitment of Federal, State, local, and tribal officials 
in formulation and implementation of the National Domestic Violence 
Prevention Action Plan.
    (e) Strategy Based on Evidence.--The Steering Committee shall 
ensure the National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan is based 
on the best available evidence regarding the policies and programs most 
effective in preventing, reducing the prevalence, and spreading 
awareness of any and all forms of domestic violence.
    (f) Administration.--To the extent permitted by law and subject to 
the availability of appropriations, the Administrator may provide the 
National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan Steering Committee 
with administrative services, facilities, staff, and other support 
services necessary for the creation of the functions of the National 
Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
    (g) Exisiting Authorities and Responsibilities.--The establishment 
and operation of the National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan 
shall not be construed to diminish, supersede, or replace the 
responsibilities, authorities, or role of any officer, component, or 
department official.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Action Plan Promulgation.--In establishing the National 
Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan, the Steering Committee shall 
promulgate the National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan, which 
shall set forth a comprehensive plan to expand, intensify, and 
coordinate domestic violence prevention programs and activities in the 
United States of America.
    (b) Content of the Action Plan.--The National Domestic Violence 
Prevention Action Plan shall include but not limited to:
            (1) Mission statement detailing the major functions of the 
        National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
            (2) Objectives to the National Domestic Violence Prevention 
        Action Plan including but not limited to:
                    (A) Expand coordination of domestic violence 
                prevention efforts among Federal, State, local, and 
                tribal government agencies and with other relevant 
                stakeholders to ensure a whole-of-government, goal-
                oriented, community-informed, forward-looking approach 
                in addressing domestic violence prevention in the 
                United States.
                    (B) Intensify domestic violence prevention efforts 
                by addressing the continuum of possible harm--
                            (i) primary prevention to reduce the 
                        incidence of the problem before it occurs;
                            (ii) secondary prevention to decrease the 
                        prevalence after early signs of the problem; 
                        and
                            (iii) tertiary prevention to intervene once 
                        the problem is already clearly evident and 
                        causing harm.
                    (C) Boost implementation of existing domestic 
                violence prevention efforts throughout Federal, State, 
                local, and tribal government agencies, as well as, 
                public health agencies, health care providers, early 
                childhood and childcare providers, domestic violence 
                advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, educational 
                agencies, military branches, and community-based and 
                culturally specific child and family serving 
                organizations.
                    (D) Improve evaluation of domestic violence 
                prevention through targeted collection and analysis of 
                data and research to enhance effectiveness and long-
                term benefits of domestic violence prevention programs 
                and efforts.
                    (E) Enhance public awareness of domestic violence 
                prevention programs by establishing a national 
                awareness campaign focused primarily on education and 
                prevention.
            (3) Comprehensive, research-based, long-range, quantifiable 
        goals for expanding, intensifying, and coordinating domestic 
        violence prevention programs and activities.
            (4) Annual quantifiable and measurable objectives and 
        specific targets to accomplish long-term quantifiable goals 
        that the Steering Committee determines may be achieved during 
        each year beginning on the date on which the National Domestic 
        Violence Prevention Action Plan is submitted.
            (5) Five-year projections and budget priorities for the 
        National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
            (6) Clear descriptions of the Steering Committee member's 
        roles in facilitating the development and fulfilling the goals 
        of the National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
            (7) A review of international, Federal, State, local, and 
        private sector domestic violence prevention programs and 
        activities to ensure that the United States pursues coordinated 
        and effective domestic violence prevention programs and 
        activities at all levels of government.
            (8) A description of how each goal established under 
        subparagraph (c) was determined, including--
                    (A) a description of each required consultation as 
                pursuant to Section 3(3) and a description of how such 
                consultation was incorporated; and
                    (B) data, research, or other information used to 
                inform the determination to establish the goal.
            (9) A description of how each goal established under 
        subparagraph (c) will be achieved, including for each goal--
                    (A) a list of each relevant national domestic 
                violence agencies and each such agencies' related 
                programs, activities, and the role of each such program 
                and activity in achieving such goal;
                    (B) a list of Federal, State, local, tribal related 
                programs, activities, and the role of each such program 
                and activity in achieving such goal;
                    (C) a list of relevant stakeholders and each such 
                stakeholder's role in achieving such goal;
                    (D) an estimate of Federal funding and other 
                resources needed to achieve such goal;
                    (E) a list of each existing or new coordinating 
                mechanism needed to achieve such goal; and
                    (F) a description of the Steering Committee's role 
                in facilitating the achievement of such goal.
            (10) A list identifying existing data sources, or a 
        description of data collection needed to evaluate performance, 
        including a description of how the Steering Committee will 
        obtain such data.
            (11) A list of any anticipated challenges to achieving the 
        goals of the National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan 
        and planned actions to address such challenges.
            (12) A description of the current prevalence and severity 
        of any and all forms of domestic violence in the United States.
            (13) A description of the current prevalence of domestic 
        violence prevention programs in the United States.
            (14) Such other statistical data and information as the 
        Steering Committee considers appropriate to demonstrate and 
        assess trends relating to any and all forms of domestic 
        violence and domestic violence prevention, and the 
        implementation of the National Domestic Violence Prevention 
        Action Plan.
            (15) Methods of implementation for the National Domestic 
        Violence Prevention Action Plan.
            (16) Recommendations on research, programs, activities, and 
        resources necessary to achieve the goals of the National 
        Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
    (c) Program of Activities.--The National Domestic Violence 
Prevention Action Plan shall include a coherent, comprehensive, and 
sustained program of activities that include actions to expand, 
intensify, and coordinate meaningful and effective prevention programs 
in all states, tribal and U.S. territories. Such programs will:
            (1) Embrace a human rights-based approach that acknowledges 
        that domestic violence is a violation of human rights and 
        accounts for the disparate impact of domestic violence on 
        marginalized communities.
            (2) Address prevention of any and all forms of domestic 
        violence, including all violence that happens across the life 
        course; violence in public and private spheres; violence in the 
        workplace, including within U.S. Armed Forces; and violence in 
        national contexts.
            (3) Address the root causes, prevalence, and impact of any 
        and all forms of domestic violence, including social and 
        cultural norms and other associated factors.
            (4) Tailor strategies to address factors, including but not 
        limited to, race, color, religion, national or social origin, 
        marital status, housing status, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS 
        status, migrant or refugee status, age, disability, or any 
        other relevant characteristics and any of these in combination 
        that contribute to higher rates of any and all forms of 
        domestic violence.
            (5) Identify gaps in any and all existing domestic violence 
        prevention programs with the goal of addressing the gaps in 
        future work.
            (6) Support government and non-government organizations and 
        community networks to drive activity at the State and local 
        level and ensure coordinated action across all states and 
        localities.
            (7) Support independent research on emerging issues that 
        impact any and all forms of domestic violence.
            (8) Collect, communicate, and analyze comprehensive 
        qualitative and quantitative data, disaggregated by sex, race, 
        age, ethnicity, and other relevant characteristics, on the 
        nature, prevalence, and impact of any and all forms of domestic 
        violence.
            (9) Build quantity and quality of professionals involved in 
        the prevention of any and all forms of domestic violence.
            (10) Support broader efforts to ensure gender equality and 
        engage people of all genders and sexualities in combating any 
        and all forms of domestic violence.
    (d) Media Campaign.--The National Domestic Violence Prevention 
Action Plan shall include a media campaign led by the Department of 
Health and Human Services to facilitate direct, ongoing, and meaningful 
engagement with the public as it relates to domestic violence 
prevention.
            (1) Purpose of media campaign.--
                    (A) educate the public on prevention of any and all 
                forms of domestic violence;
                    (B) engage with the public on bystander empowerment 
                and education;
                    (C) teach safe and healthy relationship skills 
                through social-emotional learning;
                    (D) create protective environments through improved 
                school climate, workplace climate, community climate, 
                as well as, Federal, State, local, tribal, and 
                organizational policies;
                    (E) disrupt the developmental pathways towards 
                domestic violence through parenting and family 
                relationship programs, treatment for at-risk children, 
                faith-based programs, and other culturally specific 
                programming; and
                    (F) combat the stigmas associated with any and all 
                forms of domestic violence.
            (2) Content of media campaign.--The Department of Health 
        and Human Services shall create a media campaign or enter into 
        a contract with an outside agency using strategies demonstrated 
        to be the most effective at achieving the goals and 
        requirements of paragraph (a), which shall include, but not 
        limited to:
                    (A) The development of national, local, regional, 
                or population specific messaging, including messaging 
                specific to professional groups, such as public health 
                leaders, health care providers, early childhood and 
                child care providers, domestic violence providers, 
                faith-based leaders, educators, military leaders, and 
                community-based and culturally specific child and 
                family serving organizations.
                    (B) The development of social media campaigns to 
                reach targeted populations.
                    (C) The development of a website to publicize and 
                disseminate information.
                    (D) The development of informational and 
                educational pamphlets and brochures.
                    (E) The development of webinars to educate and 
                provide support.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Department of Health and Human 
        Services to carry out this section, $25,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2025 through 2029.

SEC. 5. STRENGTHEN INFORMATION TO STATE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COALITIONS 
              WITH RESPECT TO THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION 
              ACTION PLAN.

    (a) Dissemination of Information.--The National Domestic Violence 
Prevention Action Plan Steering Committee, acting through the 
Department of Health and Human Services, shall develop and disseminate 
to State domestic violence coalitions information on the National 
Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan and its respected Media 
Campaign.

SEC. 6. ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION 
              ACTION PLAN.

    (a) Reporting Requirements.--Not later than the first Monday in 
October following the year of enactment, and biannually thereafter, the 
National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan Steering Committee 
shall submit to Congress in the form of written correspondence a 
National Domestic Violence Prevention Action Plan.
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