I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5288 
To make further improvements relating to women’s rights and protections, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 25, 2023 
Mr. SANTOS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Edu-
cation and the Workforce, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and 
Ways and Means, 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 make further improvements relating to women’s rights 
and protections, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Securing Women’s 
Independence For Today Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘SWIFT 
Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO HEALTH EDUCATION CUR-
RICULUM. 
(a) HEALTH EDUCATION IN HIGH SCHOOLS.—The 
Secretary of Education shall encourage each public high 
school in each State to implement health education cur-
riculum that includes information on the prevention of 
rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. 
(b) HEALTH EDUCATION IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH-
ER EDUCATION.—Section 487(a) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(30) The institution will— 
‘‘(A) implement health education cur-
riculum that includes information on the pre-
vention of rape, sexual assault, and sexual har-
assment; and 
‘‘(B) require each student enrolled at such 
institution to complete such curriculum.’’. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) HIGH
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high school’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 8101 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the 50 States. 
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SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM TO IM-
PROVE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM WITH RESPECT 
TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL AS-
SAULT. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con-
gress that there should be a national effort to educate first 
responders and healthcare workers on how to engage with 
victims of sexual assault and violence. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
COMPREHENSIVE
EDU-
CATION PROGRAM DESCRIBED.—Not later than the 13th 
of December after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Attorney General, in coordination and consultation 
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall 
implement a comprehensive education program to improve 
the healthcare system in the United States and ensure 
that responses to domestic violence and sexual assault con-
tinually improve. 
(c) COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM DE-
SCRIBED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The comprehensive edu-
cation program shall include— 
(A) enhanced training for covered employ-
ees, including— 
(i) training that considers mental 
health and encourages empathy; 
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(ii) training on taking and maintain-
ing diligent records; 
(iii) training on the proper handling 
of evidence; and 
(iv) any other type of training relating 
to mental health that is recommended by 
the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices; 
(B) real world situational modules de-
scribed in subsection (d). 
(2) REQUIREMENT TO PARTICIPATE.—The com-
prehensive education program shall be available to 
any covered employee. A covered employee shall 
complete the comprehensive education program with-
in the first three months of hire and again at least 
every two years. Such participation shall be man-
aged and required by the executive of each covered 
entity. 
(3) E-CERTIFICATION.—Covered employees who 
have completed the comprehensive education pro-
gram shall be issued an e-certificate which qualifies 
such an employee to interact with victims of sexual 
assault, sexual violence, or domestic violence. 
(d) REAL
WORLD
SITUATIONAL
MODULES
DE-
SCRIBED.—The comprehensive education program de-
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scribed under subsection (c)(1) shall include at minimum 
the following 13 modules: 
(1) A module detailing intake procedures for an 
individual documenting sexual assault. 
(2) A module detailing intake procedures for an 
individual documenting domestic violence. 
(3) A module detailing how to respond to a 
scene of domestic violence. 
(4) A module detailing how to respond to a 
scene of sexual assault. 
(5) A module on emotional support and empa-
thy training. 
(6) A module on conflict de-escalation. 
(7) A module on reporting and associated pro-
cedures necessary for law enforcement efforts to in-
vestigate and prosecute perpetrators of sexual as-
sault, sexual violence, or domestic violence. 
(8) A module on suicide prevention, de-esca-
lation, and emergency response procedures, including 
how to interact with an individual dealing with suici-
dal thoughts or history. 
(9) A module on how to provide services to and 
handle the needs of victims who are minors. 
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(10) A module on Federal, State, and local laws 
and policies related to sexual assault and domestic 
violence. 
(11) A module on physical evidence collection 
and record taking procedures for law enforcement, 
including mandatory reporting requirements for in-
formation reported by a victim. 
(12) A module on social services references and 
resources for helping victims in an individualized 
context. 
(13) A module on costs a victim may expect to 
be associated with care and costs associated with 
mental health resources and care. 
(e) LOSS OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—Any covered entity 
that does not comply with the requirements of this section 
shall not be eligible for any Federal funding for the fol-
lowing year. 
(f) FINE.—A covered entity found to have covered 
employees in violation of this section shall be fined 
$50,000 a month per employee who has not completed the 
requirements of this section. 
(g) REDUCING NATIONAL DEBT.—Any fines col-
lected pursuant to subsection (f) shall on December 13th 
of each year be deposited into the general fund of the 
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Treasury for the sole purpose of reducing the national 
debt. 
(h) 
APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is 
appropriated 
$13,000,000 per State for the Attorney General to carry 
out this section, to be derived from the unobligated bal-
ances of amounts previously appropriated as follows: 
(1) The unobligated balance of all amounts 
made available to the Attorney General to prevent, 
prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus as of the 
date of the enactment of the ‘‘Swift Act of 2023’’. 
(2) To the extent the unobligated balances de-
scribed 
in 
paragraph 
(1) 
do 
not 
exceed 
$650,000,000, an additional amount representing 
the difference between the amount described in para-
graph (1) and $650,000,000, derived from the unob-
ligated balances of amounts appropriated by Public 
Law 117–169 (commonly referred to as the Inflation 
Reduction Act of 2022) for the Internal Revenue 
Service. 
(3) To the extent the unobligated balances de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) do not exceed 
$650,000,000, an additional amount representing 
the difference between the amount described in para-
graphs (1) and (2) and $650,000,000, derived from 
the unobligated balances of amounts appropriated to 
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pay any interest or debt owed by the United States 
to the People’s Republic of China, or from any 
amounts made available to provide United States as-
sistance to the People’s Republic of China. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COVERED EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘covered 
employee’’ includes any employee of any covered en-
tity who directly, or has the potential to directly, 
interact with an individual who has been a victim of 
sexual assault, sexual violence, or domestic violence, 
including nurses, doctors, physician assistants, law 
enforcement officers, and first responders. 
(2) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en-
tity’’ includes any entity that employs a covered em-
ployee. 
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
FOREIGN COUNTRIES THAT CRIMINALIZE OR 
DISCRIMINATE BASED ON GENDER. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to 
provide assistance, directly or indirectly, to a country de-
scribed in subsection (c) for five calendar years. 
(b) EXCEPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President may author-
ize an obligation or expenditure of Federal funds to 
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assist a country described in subsection (c) only if 
the President determines, on a case-by-case basis, 
that such proposed obligation or expenditure is vital 
to the national security interests of the United 
States. 
(2) BRIEFING.—Upon making a determination 
under paragraph (1), the President, acting through 
the Secretary of State, shall provide to the appro-
priate congressional committees and congressional 
leadership a briefing on such determination. 
(c) COUNTRIES DESCRIBED.—A country described in 
this subsection is a foreign country the government of 
which the President determines has enacted or established 
and is implementing any provision of law, or provision 
which has the force and effect of law, that criminalizes 
or discriminates on the basis of gender, including through 
such provisions that, on the basis of gender— 
(1) limit or prohibit women from— 
(A) enrolling in or attending any edu-
cational institution, school, or other program of 
instruction, or otherwise seeking or receiving 
education activities; 
(B) operating a vehicle; 
(C) freely exercising any religion; or 
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(D) walking or otherwise traveling without 
a male escort; or 
(2) authorize (including as a form of punish-
ment) female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, be-
heading, or any other practice that targets the lives 
of women. 
(d) PAY OFF THE NATIONAL DEBT.—Any Federal 
funds not obligated or expended to provide assistance, di-
rectly or indirectly, to a country described in subsection 
(c) pursuant to subsection (a) or any Federal funds re-
maining for that fiscal year or previous years for such pur-
pose shall be used to pay off the national debt. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the following: 
(A) The Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives. 
(B) The Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate. 
(2) CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP.—The term 
‘‘congressional leadership’’ means the following: 
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(A) The Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
(B) The minority leader of the House of 
Representatives. 
(C) The majority leader of the Senate. 
(D) The minority leader of the Senate. 
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect on 
the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 5. FUNDING FOR PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TO 
SEXUAL VIOLENCE. 
There is appropriated $13,000,000 for the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry 
out the Rape Prevention and Education Program, to be 
derived from the unobligated balances of amounts pre-
viously appropriated as follows: 
(1) The unobligated balance of all amounts 
made available Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention to prevent, prepare for, or 
respond to the coronavirus as of the date of the en-
actment of the ‘‘Swift Act of 2023’’. 
(2) To the extent the unobligated balances de-
scribed in paragraph (1) do not exceed $13,000,000, 
an additional amount representing the difference be-
tween the amount described in paragraph (1) and 
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$13,000,000, derived from the unobligated balances 
of amounts appropriated by Public Law 117–169 
(commonly referred to as the Inflation Reduction 
Act of 2022) for the Internal Revenue Service. 
(3) To the extent the unobligated balances de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) do not exceed 
$13,000,000, an additional amount representing the 
difference between the amount described in para-
graphs (1) and (2) and $13,000,000, derived from 
the unobligated balances of amounts appropriated to 
pay any interest or debt owed by the United States 
to the People’s Republic of China, or from any 
amounts made available to provide United States as-
sistance to the People’s Republic of China. 
Æ 
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