II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 3110

To ensure that victims of domestic violence get the help they need in a

single phone call

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 26 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2000

Mr. WELLSTONE (for himself, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. BAYH, and Mr. KENNEDY)

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To ensure that victims of domestic violence get the help

they need in a single phone call.

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 ‘‘National Domestic Vio5 lence Hotline Enhancement Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress makes the following findings:

8 (1) There are 2,000 domestic violence shelters

9 in the United States.
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1 (2) The National Domestic Violence Hotline

2 has received close to 500,000 calls from victims of

3 domestic violence nationwide since 1996 and con4 tinues to receive 11,000 to 13,000 calls per month.

5 (3) Access to shelter that will address the spe6 cific needs of battered women and their children is

7 critical for women who are trying to escape violence.

8 (4) In Minnesota, the only State that has a

9 statewide, online network of domestic violence shel10 ters, being able to make a single phone call to access

11 the most appropriate shelter has led to significant

12 improvement for survivors and their families in re13 ceiving the most appropriate services for their

14 unique needs.

15 (5) Having an online network of shelters in

16 Minnesota has also allowed survivors and their chil17 dren to relocate to a broader number of areas in the

18 State so that they can be as safe as possible.

19 (6) Having an online network has also reduced

20 the number of calls women need to make to find

21 shelter.

22 (7) In Minnesota, 99 percent of women and

23 children are assured to receive the services they need

24 when they need them and where they need them in

25 a single call.
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1 (8) The National Network to End Domestic Vi2 olence estimates that only 43 percent of domestic vi3 olence shelters in the United States have access to

4 the Internet.

5 SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

6 The purposes of this Act are—

7 (1) to provide funds to a nonprofit organization

8 to develop a fully secure, continuously updated net9 work of available domestic violence shelters and serv10 ices around the United States, which shall be made

11 available to the National Domestic Violence Hotline

12 and member shelters nationwide to enable these pro13 grams to connect victims of domestic violence to the

14 most safe, appropriate, and convenient shelter while

15 the caller remains on the line; and

16 (2) to ensure that victims of domestic violence

17 get the help they need in a single phone call.

18 SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and

20 Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec21 retary’’) shall award a grant to a nonprofit organization

22 to establish and operate an Internet website (referred to

23 in this Act as the ‘‘Website’’), which—
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1 (1) shall link, to the greatest extent possible,

2 the National Domestic Violence Hotline and every

3 domestic violence shelter in the United States;

4 (2) shall be highly secure;

5 (3) shall, to the maximum extent practicable,

6 contain continuously updated information as to

7 available services and space in domestic violence

8 shelters around the United States; and

9 (4) shall be made available to the National Do10 mestic Violence Hotline and domestic violence shel11 ters around the United States so the Hotline and

12 shelters will be able to connect victims of domestic

13 violence to the most safe, appropriate, and conven14 ient domestic violence shelter while the caller re15 mains on the line or in the most efficient way pos16 sible.

17 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a

18 grant under this section, a nonprofit organization shall

19 submit to the Secretary an application, which shall—

20 (1) demonstrate the experience of the applicant

21 in successfully developing and managing a tech22 nology-based network of domestic violence shelters;

23 (2) demonstrate a record of success of the ap24 plicant in meeting the specific shelter needs of vic25 tims of domestic violence and their families, as well
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1 as the general needs of victims of domestic violence

2 and their families; and

3 (3) include a certification that the applicant

4 will—

5 (A) implement the highest level security

6 system to ensure the confidentiality of the

7 Website;

8 (B) have established the Website and,

9 within 5 years, have linked—

10 (i) the Hotline;

11 (ii) domestic violence shelters around

12 the United States; and

13 (iii) other domestic violence organiza14 tions that receive calls for shelter, such as

15 national and State domestic violence coali16 tions, that the grantee determines can

17 practically and safely be given access to

18 the Website;

19 (C) consult with the national, State, and

20 local domestic violence organizations in devel21 oping and implementing the site and providing

22 Internet connections; and

23 (D) otherwise comply with the require24 ments of this section.
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1 (c) USE OF GRANT AWARD.—The recipient of a

2 grant award under this section shall—

3 (1) collaborate with the National Domestic Vio4 lence Hotline in developing and implementing the

5 network;

6 (2) ensure that the Website is continuously up7 dated;

8 (3) ensure that the Website provides informa9 tion describing the services each domestic violence

10 shelter can provide, such as services for individuals

11 with limited English proficiency, access to medical

12 care, social services, and other relevant services so

13 that Hotline callers and callers to shelters can re14 ceive the most appropriate placement for their indi15 vidual needs;

16 (4) ensure that the Website, to the maximum

17 extent practicable, provides up-to-the-minute infor18 mation on available bed space in shelters around the

19 United States;

20 (5) provide training to the staff of the Hotline

21 and to staff of shelters nationally regarding how to

22 use the Website to best meet the needs of callers;

23 (6) provide Internet access to the maximum ex24 tent practicable, to domestic violence shelters in the
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1 United States that do not have the appropriate tech2 nology; and

3 (7) ensure that after the third year of the

4 project, the grantee will develop a plan to expand

5 the sources of funding for the Website to include

6 funding from public and private entities, although

7 nothing in this paragraph shall preclude a grantee

8 from raising funds from other sources at any time

9 during the 5-year grant period.

10 (d) DURATION OF GRANT.—The term of the grant

11 under this section be for 5 years. The grant may be re12 newed after 5 years for 1 or more additional 5-year peri13 ods.

14 (e) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall annually—

15 (1) conduct an evaluation of the grant program

16 under this section and the confidentiality of the

17 Website; and

18 (2) submit to Congress a report on the results

19 of that evaluation.

20 (f) OVERSIGHT.—The Secretary shall monitor and

21 help ensure the security of the Website.

22 (g) WAIVER.—The Secretary will have discretion to

23 waive the 5-year time limit if the Secretary finds that

24 more time is necessary to complete the project.
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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro3 priated to carry out this Act—

4 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; and

5 (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of

6 fiscal years 2003 through 2006.

7 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the amount made

8 available to carry out this Act in each fiscal year the Sec9 retary may use not more than 2 percent for administrative

10 costs associated with the grant program, of which 5 per11 cent shall be used to assist the National Domestic Violence

12 Hotline in participating in the establishment of the

13 Website.

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