I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1267
To amend the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and chapter 
89 of title 5, United States Code, to provide research on the health 
impact and prevention of family violence; to provide training for health 
care professionals, behavioral and public health staff, and community 
health centers regarding identification and treatment for families experi-
encing family violence; and to provide coverage for domestic violence 
identification and treatment under the Maternal and Child Health Serv-
ices Block Grant Program, the Medicaid Program, the Federal Employ-
ees Health Benefits Program, and the Community Health Centers Pro-
gram. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 13, 2003
Mrs. CAPPS (for herself, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. WAXMAN, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. 
BROWN of Ohio, Mr. STARK, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of 
California, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ 
of California, Ms. LEE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. CORRINE 
BROWN of Florida, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Ms. 
DELAURO, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. ABER-
CROMBIE, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FROST, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. 
SERRANO, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, 
Mr. BAIRD, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. BISHOP
of New York, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Mr. OWENS, Mr. ACKERMAN, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDON-
ALD, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, 
Mr. RANGEL, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. REYES, 
Mr. 
KILDEE, 
Mr. 
DAVIS
of 
Illinois, 
Mr. 
GUTIERREZ, 
Mr. 
FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. MCDERMOTT, and 
Mr. CASE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Government Reform, 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 amend the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security 
Act, and chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, 
to provide research on the health impact and prevention 
of family violence; to provide training for health care 
professionals, behavioral and public health staff, and 
community health centers regarding identification and 
treatment for families experiencing family violence; and 
to provide coverage for domestic violence identification 
and treatment under the Maternal and Child Health 
Services Block Grant Program, the Medicaid Program, 
the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and 
the Community Health Centers Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Domestic Violence 
Screening, Treatment, and Prevention Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Nearly one-third of American women (31 
percent) report being physically or sexually abused 
by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their 
lives, and about 1200 women are murdered every 
year by their intimate partner, nearly 3 each day. 
(2) 85 percent of violent victimizations are ex-
perienced by women.
(3) 37 percent of all women who sought care in 
hospital emergency rooms for violence-related inju-
ries were injured by a current or former spouse, boy-
friend, or girlfriend. 
(4) In addition to injuries sustained during vio-
lent episodes, physical and psychological abuse are 
linked to a number of adverse physical and mental 
health effects. Women who have been abused are 
much more likely to suffer from chronic pain, gas-
trointestinal disorders, diabetes, depression, unin-
tended pregnancies, substance abuse and sexually 
transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. 
(5) Medical services for abused women cost an 
estimated $857,300,000 every year and health plans 
spend an average of $1,775 more a year on abused 
women than on general enrollees. 
(6) Each year, at least six percent of all preg-
nant women, about 240,000 pregnant women, in this 
country are battered by the men in their lives. This 
battering leads to complications of pregnancy, in-
cluding low weight gain, anemia, infections, and first 
and second trimester bleeding. 
(7) Pregnant and recently pregnant women are 
more likely to be victims of homicide than to die of 
any other cause, and evidence exists that a signifi-
cant proportion of all female homicide victims are 
killed by their intimate partners. 
(8) Children who witness domestic violence are 
more likely to exhibit behavioral and physical health 
problems including depression, anxiety, and violence 
towards peers. They are also more likely to attempt 
suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from 
home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit 
sexual assault crimes. 
(9) Fifty percent of men who frequently assault 
their wives frequently assault their children. The 
U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect 
suggests that domestic violence may be the single 
major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities 
in this country. 
(10) Currently, about 10 percent of primary 
care physicians routinely screen for intimate partner 
abuse during new patient visits and nine percent 
routinely screen during periodic checkups. 
(11) Recent clinical studies have proven the ef-
fectiveness of a 2-minute screening for early detec-
tion of abuse of pregnant women. Additional longitu-
dinal studies have tested a 10-minute intervention 
that was proven highly effective in increasing the 
safety of pregnant abused women. Comparable re-
search does not yet exist to support the effectiveness 
of screening men. 
(12) 70 to 81 percent of the patients studied 
reported that they would like their healthcare pro-
viders to ask them privately about intimate partner 
violence.
TITLE I—RESEARCH ON HEALTH 
AND FAMILY VIOLENCE 
SEC. 101. HEALTH RESEARCH ON FAMILY VIOLENCE. 
Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
part: 
‘‘PART R—HEALTH RESEARCH ON FAMILY VIO-
LENCE; 
HEALTH 
PROFESSIONALS 
EDU-
CATION 
‘‘SEC. 399AA. DEFINITION. 
‘‘In this part the term ‘family violence’ means any 
act or threatened act of violence, including any forceful 
detention of an individual, that—
‘‘(1) results or threatens to result in physical 
injury and/or sexual assault; and 
‘‘(2) is committed by a person against another 
individual (including an elderly individual or a 
child)—
‘‘(A) to whom such person is or was re-
lated by blood or marriage or is otherwise le-
gally related; 
‘‘(B) with whom such person is or was law-
fully residing; or 
‘‘(C) with whom such person is or has been 
in a social relationship of a romantic or inti-
mate nature. 
‘‘SEC. 399AA–1. FAMILY VIOLENCE RESEARCH CENTERS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall provide 
for the establishment of family violence research and edu-
cation centers to conduct research and disseminate infor-
mation, including professional and public education, con-
cerning family violence. 
‘‘(b) LINKAGES.—In establishing centers under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall ensure that at least—
‘‘(1) one center is affiliated with the National 
Institutes of Health; 
‘‘(2) one center is affiliated with the Agency for 
Health Care Research and Quality; and 
‘‘(3) each center is linked to national, State, 
and local community resources, including domestic 
violence state coalitions and local shelter-based do-
mestic violence programs, community health centers, 
health care delivery systems, and domestic and sex-
ual assault hotlines, through which information may 
be distributed. 
‘‘(c) GENERAL DUTIES.—Each center established 
under subsection (a) may provide for the conduct of family 
violence research, including—
‘‘(1) research concerning the prevalence and 
characteristics of different forms of family violence, 
including child abuse, domestic violence, and elder 
abuse; 
‘‘(2) research concerning the effects that family 
violence and childhood exposure to family violence 
have on health behaviors, health conditions and the 
health status of individuals, families, and popu-
lations, and the health care utilization and costs at-
tributable to family violence; 
‘‘(3) research on effective interventions for 
adults and children exposed to family violence; 
‘‘(4) research concerning the development, im-
plementation, evaluation, and dissemination of ap-
propriate curricula for health professional training 
in the area of family violence; 
‘‘(5) research concerning the effectiveness of 
different educational methodologies that are used to 
present the curricula described in paragraph (4);
‘‘(6) research concerning the effects of manda-
tory domestic violence reporting requirements, in-
cluding the effects of such requirements on—
‘‘(A) the prevalence and incidence of family 
violence; 
‘‘(B) victim and dependent safety and self-
efficacy; 
‘‘(C) referral and treatment patterns; and 
‘‘(D) access to health care, legal, and advo-
cacy services; and 
‘‘(7) research and testing of best messages and 
strategies to mobilize public action concerning the 
prevention of family violence. 
‘‘(d) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 
(a), the Secretary may make grants to and enter 
into contracts with public and nonprofit private enti-
ties capable of conducting the research funded under 
this section. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION FOR AWARD.—The Secretary 
may make an award of a grant or contract under 
paragraph (1) only if an application for the award 
is submitted to the Secretary and the application is 
in such form, is made in such manner, and contains 
such agreements, assurances, and information as the
Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out 
the purposes for which the award is to be made. 
‘‘(e) ADVISORY BOARD.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish an advisory board to make recommendations 
concerning the research agenda carried out by the 
research centers under this section. 
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—
‘‘(A) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—The advisory 
board shall be composed of 19 members to be 
appointed by the Secretary as follows: 
‘‘(i) Twelve members shall be ap-
pointed from among individuals who are 
scientific or health care experts in the 
areas of elder abuse, domestic violence, 
child abuse, mental health, epidemiology, 
social work, or health education. 
‘‘(ii) Seven members shall be ap-
pointed from among nationally recognized 
experts in domestic violence, child abuse, 
and elder abuse who have a documented 
history of effective and respected work in 
their respective field, of which—
‘‘(I) at least one member shall be 
an expert in domestic violence and 
dating violence; 
‘‘(II) at least one member shall 
be an expert in child abuse; 
‘‘(III) at least one member shall 
be an expert in elder abuse; 
‘‘(IV) at least one member shall 
be an expert in the impact of family 
violence on children and youth; and 
‘‘(V) at least one member shall 
be an expert in domestic violence 
against older or disabled women. 
‘‘(B) EX
OFFICIO
MEMBERS.—The fol-
lowing shall be ex-officio members of the advi-
sory board: 
‘‘(i) The Assistant Secretary for 
Health. 
‘‘(ii) The Director of the National In-
stitutes of Health. 
‘‘(iii) The Director of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention. 
‘‘(iv) The Assistant Secretary for 
Children and Families.
‘‘(v) The Assistant Secretary for 
Aging. 
‘‘(vi) The Administrator of the Health 
Resources and Services Administration. 
‘‘(vii) The Assistant Attorney General 
for the Office of Justice Programs. 
‘‘(viii) The Director of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality.
‘‘(C) CHAIRPERSON.—The members of the 
advisory board appointed under subparagraph 
(A) shall elect a chairperson from among such 
members. 
‘‘(3) MEETINGS.—The advisory board shall 
meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the re-
quest of the Secretary, but not less often than 2 
times each year. 
‘‘(4) DUTIES.—In order to ensure the most ef-
fective use and organization of Federal resources 
concerning family violence, the advisory board shall 
provide advice and make recommendations to Con-
gress and the Secretary with respect to the imple-
mentation and revision of the research agenda of the 
research centers established under this section. 
‘‘(5) SUBCOMMITTEES.—In carrying out its 
functions under this subsection, the advisory board