I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8196 

To establish an Interagency Task Force to examine the conditions and experiences of Black women and girls in education, economic development, 

healthcare, labor and employment, housing, justice and civil rights, to 

promote community-based methods for mitigating and addressing harm 

and ensuring accountability, and to study societal effects on Black women 

and girls, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Ms. KELLY of Illinois (for herself, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. BASS, and Mr. FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish an Interagency Task Force to examine the conditions and experiences of Black women and girls in 

education, economic development, healthcare, labor and 

employment, housing, justice and civil rights, to promote 

community-based methods for mitigating and addressing 

harm and ensuring accountability, and to study societal 

effects on Black women and girls, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Protect Black Women 

5 and Girls Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) The United States Commission on Civil 

9 Rights (USCCR) advises Congress, as well as the 

10 President and the American public, on ‘‘discrimina11 tion or denials of equal protection of the laws under 

12 the Constitution of the United States because of 

13 color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national 

14 origin, or in the administration of justice’’. 

15 (2) The USCCR routinely has difficulties col16 lecting information from Federal agencies despite 

17 having the power to take depositions, issue interrog18 atories and subpoenas, and broad authority language 

19 for the collection of information from Federal agen20 cies. 

21 (3) The activities mandated herein for the 

22 USCCR are explicitly authorized by section 3 of the 

23 Civil Rights Commission Act of 1983 (42 U.S.C. 

24 1975a). 


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1 (4) An interagency task force is a task force or2 ganized in collaboration with two or more Federal 

3 agencies, using government-wide resources, and ex4 pertise to— 

5 (A) examine a particular problem, issue, or 

6 event; 

7 (B) discuss strategies as a collective group 

8 to address such problem, issue, or event; 

9 (C) identify programs, policies, and fund10 ing; and 

11 (D) make recommendations for changes in 

12 public policy. 

13 (5) Implicit bias on the basis of race is experi14 enced by all Black people, and demonstrated more 

15 clearly, in the troubling conditions for Black women 

16 and girls in our school discipline policies and the 

17 connections to the school-to-prison pipeline for chil18 dren of color with disabilities. 

19 (6) Black girls are suspended and expelled from 

20 school at rates that exceed other girls and all other 

21 boys except Black boys. 

22 (7) In studying the conditions of confinement 

23 for women in prison, Black women are admitted to 

24 prison at 3.9 times the rate of White women. 


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1 (8) Black women and girls are individuals who 

2 identify as a woman, female, or femme. 

3 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON BLACK WOMEN AND 

4 GIRLS. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, 

7 in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 

8 Services, shall establish an Interagency Task Force on 

9 Black women and girls (referred to in this Act as the 

10 ‘‘Task Force’’) to carry out the purposes and duties de11 scribed in subsections (c) and (d), in compliance with re12 quirements and restrictions under law, as applicable, in13 cluding those prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 

14 race and sex. 

15 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall consist of 

16 members appointed as follows: 

17 (1) The head of each of the following agencies 

18 shall appoint at least one officer or employee, but no 

19 more than two, from a relevant office of the fol20 lowing: 

21 (A) The Department of Health and 

22 Human Services. 

23 (B) The Department of Education. 

24 (C) The Department of Labor. 

25 (D) The National Institutes of Health. 


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1 (E) The Department of Justice. 

2 (F) The Department of Housing and 

3 Urban Development. 

4 (2) The Attorney General shall appoint the fol5 lowing: 

6 (A) One officer or employee of the Federal 

7 Public Defenders. 

8 (B) Two representatives of community9 based organizations that have expertise working 

10 on culturally specific issues unique to the needs 

11 of Black women and girls. 

12 (3) The term of a member of the Task Force 

13 shall be 4 years, and they shall be eligible for con14 secutive reappointment by the head of their respec15 tive agency or the Attorney General. 

16 (c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Task Force is to 

17 examine the conditions and experiences of Black women 

18 and girls, to identify and assess the efficacy of policies 

19 and programs of Federal, State, and local governments de20 signed to improve outcomes for Black women and girls, 

21 and to make recommendations to improve such policies 

22 and programs as necessary. 

23 (d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Task Force are as 

24 follows: 


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1 (1) EDUCATION.—The Task Force shall iden2 tify and recommend programs, policies, and incen3 tives for adoption by Federal, State, or local govern4 ments with respect to the following: 

5 (A) Community-led educational and sup6 port programs for Black school-age girls, which 

7 shall include the following: 

8 (i) Social and emotional learning pro9 grams offered in elementary and secondary 

10 schools to children in grades 7 through 12, 

11 including— 

12 (I) affinity spaces for particularly 

13 impacted students; and 

14 (II) facilitators trained in iden15 tity-based dialogue to attend to such 

16 an affinity space or social and emo17 tional learning program. 

18 (ii) Support for school-age girls who 

19 have a parent or guardian who is incarcer20 ated or has a substance use disorder. 

21 (iii) Support for a college scholarship 

22 fund and programs to increase access to 

23 post-secondary education for children of in24 carcerated parents. 


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1 (iv) Classroom and after school em2 powerment programs for Black girls. 

3 (v) Community-led civic engagement 

4 and community organizing education. 

5 (vi) Classroom and community-led art, 

6 theater, and STEM learning centers. 

7 (vii) School-based and community-led 

8 programs to eliminate the detention and 

9 incarceration of school-aged children. 

10 (viii) Household access to school-based 

11 communication technologies. 

12 (ix) School-based or community-based 

13 restorative justice programs to address ex14 pulsion of girls from school. 

15 (x) Curriculum, tutoring, and activi16 ties support for homeschooling and virtual 

17 learning families. 

18 (B) Community-led educational programs 

19 for Black women, including providing household 

20 access to information and communication tech21 nologies to narrow the digital divide and en22 hance access to higher education. 

23 (C) School-based and neighborhood restor24 ative and transformative justice curriculums 

25 and spaces. 


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1 (2) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.—The Task 

2 Force shall identify and recommend programs, poli3 cies, and incentives for adoption by Federal, State, 

4 or local governments with respect to the following: 

5 (A) Pre-apprenticeship and career explo6 ration programs for careers as skilled building 

7 tradeswomen. 

8 (B) Programs that award not less than 10 

9 percent of their yearly and multi-year contract 

10 dollars to Black women-owned businesses on an 

11 annual basis. 

12 (C) Entrepreneurship and cooperative busi13 ness training for Black women. 

14 (D) Incidental support for low income 

15 Black women workers. 

16 (E) Career mentorship for Black women. 

17 (F) Support for older Black women work18 ers to enter the workforce. 

19 (G) Support for Black women who leave 

20 the workforce to care for a dependent (such as 

21 an elderly relative or child) to re-enter the 

22 workforce after a significant absence. 

23 (H) Increase in sustainable employment 

24 for women headed households. 


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1 (I) Limitation of barriers to occupational 

2 licensure for Black women. 

3 (J) Establishment of vocational training 

4 and career technical education. 

5 (3) HEALTHCARE.—The Task Force shall iden6 tify and recommend programs, policies, and incen7 tives for adoption by Federal, State, or local govern8 ments with respect to the following: 

9 (A) Developing a study of the health, in10 cluding the mental health, of Black women and 

11 girls. 

12 (B) Programs to improve maternal health 

13 and infant mortality outcomes for Black moth14 ers. 

15 (C) Neighborhood-based, on demand men16 tal health and trauma services. 

17 (D) Gender-responsive domestic and inter18 personal violence responders. 

19 (E) Local neighborhood safe houses. 

20 (F) Long-term, on demand, substance use 

21 disorder treatment. 

22 (G) Neighborhood-based emergency re23 sponse teams for women and girls. 

24 (H) Access to comprehensive well-women 

25 care for Black women and girls, including local 


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1 testing for mammograms, papsmears, and other 

2 medical testing. 

3 (I) Local neighborhood COVID-19 testing. 

4 (4) JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS.—The Task 

5 Force shall identify and recommend programs, poli6 cies, and incentives for adoption by Federal, State, 

7 or local governments with respect to the following: 

8 (A) Reentry assistance and reunification 

9 planning and community-based programming 

10 for women victims of the war on drugs, sexual 

11 or domestic violence, mental illness, or sub12 stance abuse. 

13 (B) Programs for Black women and girls 

14 that promote the treatment of underlying prob15 lems instead of incarceration, including the ex16 pansion of the use of parole and diversion pro17 grams and preventing the incarceration of 

18 mothers who are primary caretakers of minor 

19 children. 

20 (C) Access to legal assistance provided by 

21 the Office on Violence Against Women of the 

22 Department of Justice for child custody and pa23 rental termination proceedings. 

24 (D) Funding that enables communities to 

25 reimagine community-based programming. 


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1 (E) Support for formerly incarcerated 

2 Black women, in collaboration with community3 led organizations. 

4 (F) Permitting formerly incarcerated and 

5 convicted women (not including incarceration or 

6 convictions for violent offenses, human traf7 ficking, or sex offenses) to be eligible to serve 

8 as a foster parent. 

9 (G) Judicial discretion in sentencing and 

10 procedures for resentencing. 

11 (H) Examination of policies to reform and 

12 limit laws requiring mandatory minimum sen13 tences. 

14 (I) Examination of vacatur and 

15 expungement laws for criminal offenses com16 mitted by victims of human and sex trafficking. 

17 (5) HOUSING.—The Task Force shall identify 

18 and recommend programs, policies, and incentives 

19 for adoption by Federal, State, or local governments 

20 with respect to the following: 

21 (A) Increasing access to the following: 

22 (i) Permanent and transitional hous23 ing for women with children, formerly in24 carcerated women, women with disabilities, 

25 and elderly women. 


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1 (ii) Legal representation for women 

2 with children and the elderly facing evic3 tion. 

4 (iii) Homeownership assistance funds 

5 for Black women. 

6 (B) Increasing accessibility and availability 

7 of long-term neighborhood transitional and per8 manent supportive housing for Black women re9 entering the community following incarceration. 

10 (e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 

11 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 

12 thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to Congress a re13 port on— 

14 (1) the activities conducted under this section; 

15 and 

16 (2) the activities conducted under this section 

17 that are ongoing or are in continuation of existing 

18 Federal programs, including information on addi19 tional work undertaken in response to duties of the 

20 Task Force under subsection (d). 

21 (f) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than two years 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

23 thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to Congress, the 

24 President, and to each chief executive of a State or local 

25 government recommendations on policies, practices, proVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:54 Sep 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8196.IH H8196

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1 grams, and incentives that may be adopted to improve out2 comes for Black women and girls. 

3 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS RE4 PORT ON ISSUES IMPACTING BLACK WOMEN 

5 AND GIRLS. 

6 (a) DUTIES.—Not later than one year after the date 

7 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

8 United States Commission on Civil Rights shall conduct 

9 a comprehensive study and collect data with respect to the 

10 effects on Black women and girls of the following: 

11 (1) The lack of contract opportunities with the 

12 Federal Government, for Black women. 

13 (2) The wage gap and pay equity for Black 

14 women in comparison to other individuals. 

15 (3) The high maternal mortality rate and the 

16 steps needed to reduce such rate. 

17 (4) The high infant mortality rate of Black 

18 girls. 

19 (5) The impact of screening for breast cancer 

20 at an earlier age than 40 years of age for Black 

21 women. 

22 (6) The school-to-prison pipeline and its impact 

23 on Black women and girls. 


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1 (7) Housing stability, homelessness, and access 

2 to affordable rental housing and home loans for 

3 Black women. 

4 (8) The prevalence and rate of violence against 

5 Black women and girls, including Black transgender 

6 women and girls, and the effect of prevention strate7 gies, barriers to service, and increased lethality for 

8 these individuals. 

9 (9) Excessive use of force by law enforcement, 

10 including where death results, against Black women 

11 and girls, including Black transgender women and 

12 girls. 

13 (10) The over-incarceration of Black women 

14 and girls, including Black transgender women and 

15 girls, in the juvenile and adult justice system. 

16 (11) Restoring Federal parole. 

17 (12) Establishing a moratorium on building 

18 new women’s prisons or jails. 

19 (13) Ending contracts for private prisons and 

20 electronic monitoring. 

21 (14) Repealing of the Adoption Safe Families 

22 Act of 1997 (Public Law 105–89; 111 Stat. 2115). 

23 (15) Repealing any policy or law that creates 

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1 ated people from living with family members in pub2 lic or private housing. 

3 (16) Neighborhood family reunification support. 

4 (17) The high rate of sex trafficking of Black 

5 women and girls, and the impact of State vacatur 

6 and expungement laws for victims of human and sex 

7 trafficking. 

8 (18) Any additional items described in section 

9 3(d) that the Commission determines appropriate. 

10 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

12 United States Commission on Civil Rights shall submit to 

13 Congress, the President, and make publicly available on14 line, a report outlining the Commission’s activities and 

15 findings under subsection (a). 

16 (c) INFORMATION SHARING.—All relevant entities of 

17 the United States Government, including the Department 

18 of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Serv19 ices, the Department of Education, the Department of 

20 Labor, and the National Institutes of Health, shall provide 

21 information to the United States Commission on Civil 

22 Rights in order for the Commission to carry out its duties 

23 under this section. 


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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as 

3 may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 

Æ 


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