criminal justice system. In the 1990s, many jurisdic-
tions began to create specialized domestic violence 
courts for judges to ensure follow-through on cases, 
aid domestic violence victims, and hold offenders ac-
countable, with the assistance of justice and social 
service agencies. By specializing in domestic violence 
offenses, these courts aim to process cases more effi-
ciently and deliver more consistent rulings about do-
mestic violence statutes. Some domestic violence 
courts also incorporate a stronger focus on rehabili-
tation of offenders and deterrence of repeat offenses. 
These courts can also be more sensitive to the needs 
of victims and be able to direct victims to additional 
community resources. 
(5) One-third of violent felony defendants in 
State criminal courts have been charged with domes-
tic violence. 
(6) Teen dating violence cases are best handled 
by courts who have had the training to make in-
formed decisions and have the resources to make 
services available, on-site and in the community, in-
cluding— 
(A) counseling; 
(B) victim witness services; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:19 Feb 10, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(C) assistance with civil restraining orders, 
paternity determinations, custody and access 
orders, and child support orders; and 
(D) locating other assistance needed by 
teen victims. 
(7) There are more than 400,000 children in 
foster care in the United States. Congress has 
charged juvenile courts with oversight of child wel-
fare cases. Highly trained and engaged judges fo-
cused on effective case oversight and system reform 
have been shown to save significant foster care costs 
for the States. 
(8) A 2009 study by the Department of Justice 
found that Kentucky saved $85,000,000 in one year 
through the issuance of protection orders and the re-
duction in violence resulting from the issuance of 
such orders. Examples such as this are prevalent 
across the Nation. 
(9) Children with a Court Appointed Special 
Advocate volunteer spend 7.5 months less in foster 
care, experience fewer out of home placements, and 
have significantly improved education performance, 
compared to their peers without a volunteer advo-
cate. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(10) By reducing long-term foster care place-
ments, subsequent victimization, and reentry into 
the foster care system, the Court Appointed Special 
Advocate program substantially reduces child welfare 
costs. 
SEC. 2. CONSOLIDATION OF GRANTS TO SUPPORT FAMI-
LIES AND VICTIMS IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of division B of the Vic-
tims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 
(Public Law 106–386; 114 Stat. 1509) is amended by 
striking the section preceding section 1302 (42 U.S.C. 
10420), as amended by section 306 of the Violence 
Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthoriza-
tion Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–162; 119 Stat. 316), 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1301. COURT TRAINING AND SUPERVISED VISITATION 
IMPROVEMENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may make 
grants to States, units of local government, courts (includ-
ing juvenile courts), Indian tribal governments, nonprofit 
organizations, legal services providers, and victim services 
providers to improve the response of all aspects of the civil 
and criminal justice system to families and victims with 
a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual as-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
sault, or stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child 
sexual abuse. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant under this section 
may be used to— 
‘‘(1) provide supervised visitation and safe visi-
tation exchange of children and youth by and be-
tween parents in situations involving domestic vio-
lence, dating violence, child sexual abuse, sexual as-
sault, or stalking; 
‘‘(2) develop and promote State, local, and trib-
al legislation, policies, and best practices for improv-
ing civil and criminal court functions, responses, 
practices, and procedures in cases involving a history 
of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
or stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child 
sexual abuse, including cases in which the victim 
proceeds pro se; 
‘‘(3) educate court-based and court-related per-
sonnel (including custody evaluators and guardians 
ad litem) and child protective services workers on 
the dynamics of domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault (including child sexual abuse), and 
stalking, including information on perpetrator behav-
ior, evidence-based risk factors for domestic and dat-
ing violence homicide, and on issues relating to the 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
needs of victims, including safety, security, privacy, 
and confidentiality, including cases in which the vic-
tim proceeds pro se; 
‘‘(4) provide appropriate resources in juvenile 
court matters to respond to dating violence, domestic 
violence, sexual assault (including child sexual 
abuse), and stalking and ensure necessary services 
dealing with the health and mental health of victims 
are available; 
‘‘(5) enable courts or court-based or court-re-
lated programs to develop or enhance— 
‘‘(A) court infrastructure (such as special-
ized courts, consolidated courts, dockets, intake 
centers, or interpreter services); 
‘‘(B) community-based initiatives within 
the court system (such as court watch pro-
grams, victim assistants, pro se victim assist-
ance programs, or community-based supple-
mentary services); 
‘‘(C) offender management, monitoring, 
and accountability programs; 
‘‘(D) safe and confidential information- 
storage 
and 
information-sharing 
databases 
within and between court systems; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(E) education and outreach programs to 
improve community access, including enhanced 
access for underserved populations; and 
‘‘(F) other projects likely to improve court 
responses to domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault, and stalking; 
‘‘(6) provide civil legal assistance and advocacy 
services, including legal information and resources in 
cases in which the victim proceeds pro se, to— 
‘‘(A) victims of domestic violence, dating 
violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and 
‘‘(B) nonoffending parents in matters— 
‘‘(i) that involve allegations of child 
sexual abuse; 
‘‘(ii) that relate to family matters, in-
cluding civil protection orders, custody, 
and divorce; and 
‘‘(iii) in which the other parent is rep-
resented by counsel; 
‘‘(7) collect data and provide training and tech-
nical assistance, including developing State, local, 
and tribal model codes and policies, to improve the 
capacity of grantees and communities to address the 
civil and criminal justice needs of victims of domes-
tic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
stalking who have legal representation, who are pro-
ceeding pro se, or are proceeding with the assistance 
of a legal advocate; and 
‘‘(8) improve training and education to assist 
judges, judicial personnel, attorneys, child welfare 
personnel, and legal advocates in the civil, criminal, 
and juvenile justice systems. 
‘‘(c) CONSIDERATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In making grants for pur-
poses described in paragraphs (1) through (7) of 
subsection (b), the Attorney General shall consider— 
‘‘(A) the number of families and victims to 
be served by the proposed programs and serv-
ices; 
‘‘(B) the extent to which the proposed pro-
grams and services serve underserved popu-
lations; 
‘‘(C) the extent to which the applicant 
demonstrates cooperation and collaboration 
with nonprofit, nongovernmental entities in the 
local community with demonstrated histories of 
effective work on domestic violence, dating vio-
lence, sexual assault, or stalking, including 
State or tribal domestic violence coalitions, 
State or tribal sexual assault coalitions, local 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
shelters, and programs for domestic violence 
and sexual assault victims; and 
‘‘(D) the extent to which the applicant 
demonstrates coordination and collaboration 
with State, tribal, and local court systems, in-
cluding mechanisms for communication and re-
ferral. 
‘‘(2) OTHER GRANTS.—In making grants under 
paragraph (8) of subsection (b), the Attorney Gen-
eral shall take consider the extent to which the ap-
plicant has experience providing training, education, 
or other assistance to the judicial system related to 
family violence, child custody, child abuse and ne-
glect, adoption, foster care, supervised visitation, di-
vorce, and parentage. 
‘‘(d) APPLICANT
REQUIREMENTS.—The Attorney 
General may make a grant under this section to an appli-
cant that— 
‘‘(1) demonstrates expertise in the areas of do-
mestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
stalking, or child sexual abuse, as appropriate; 
‘‘(2) ensures that any fees charged to individ-
uals for use of supervised visitation programs and 
services are based on the income of those individ-
uals, unless otherwise provided by court order; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(3) for a court-based program, certifies that 
victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 
assault, or stalking are not charged fees or any 
other costs related to the filing, petitioning, modi-
fying, issuance, registration, enforcement, with-
drawal, or dismissal of matters relating to the do-
mestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or 
stalking; 
‘‘(4) demonstrates that adequate security meas-
ures, including adequate facilities, procedures, and 
personnel capable of preventing violence, and ade-
quate standards are, or will be, in place (including 
the development of protocols or policies to ensure 
that confidential information is not shared with 
courts, law enforcement agencies, or child welfare 
agencies unless necessary to ensure the safety of any 
child or adult using the services of a program fund-
ed under this section), if the applicant proposes to 
operate supervised visitation programs and services 
or safe visitation exchange; 
‘‘(5) certifies that the organizational policies of 
the applicant do not require mediation or counseling 
involving offenders and victims being physically 
present in the same place, in cases where domestic 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking 
is alleged; 
‘‘(6) certifies that any person providing legal 
assistance through a program funded under this sec-
tion has completed or will complete training on do-
mestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 
stalking, including child sexual abuse, and related 
legal issues; and 
‘‘(7) certifies that any person providing custody 
evaluation or guardian ad litem services through a 
program funded under this section has completed or 
will complete training developed with input from and 
in collaboration with a tribal, State, territorial, or 
local domestic violence, dating violence, sexual as-
sault, or stalking organization or coalition on the dy-
namics of domestic violence and sexual assault, in-
cluding child sexual abuse, that includes training on 
how to review evidence of past abuse and the use of 
evidenced-based theories to make recommendations 
on custody and visitation. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 
$22,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2013 through 
2017. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this subsection 
shall remain available until expended.’’. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 3. COURT-APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE PROGRAM. 
Subtitle B of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 13011 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 216 (42 U.S.C. 13012), by strik-
ing ‘‘January 1, 2010’’ and inserting ‘‘January 1, 
2015’’; 
(2) in section 217 (42 U.S.C. 13013)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) of subsection 
(c)(2), by striking ‘‘Code of Ethics’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Standards for Programs’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) REPORTING BY GRANTEES.—An organization 
that receives a grant under this section for a fiscal year 
shall submit to the Administrator a report regarding the 
use of the grant for the fiscal year, including a discussion 
of outcome performance measures (which shall be estab-
lished by the Administrator) to determine the effectiveness 
of the programs of the organization in meeting the needs 
of children in the child welfare system.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (a) of section 219 (42 U.S.C. 
13014), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2007 through 
2011’’ and inserting ‘‘the fiscal years 2013 through 
2017’’. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
05:49 Feb 09, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3977.IH
H3977
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS