TITLE III—OTHER DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE PROGRAMS
Subtitle A—Strengthening Services
to Victims of Violence
SEC. 301. CIVIL LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The purpose of this section is to
enable the Attorney General to award grants to increase
the availability of civil legal assistance necessary to pro-
vide effective aid to victims of domestic violence, dating
violence, stalking, or sexual assault who are seeking relief
in legal matters arising as a consequence of that abuse
or violence, at minimal or no cost to the victims.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘domestic
violence’’ has the meaning given the term in section
2003 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–2).
(2) DATING VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘dating vio-
lence’’ has the meaning given the term in section
2003 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–2).
(3) CIVIL LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS.—
The term ‘‘civil legal assistance’’ includes legal as-
sistance to victims of domestic violence, dating vio-
lence, stalking, and sexual assault in any adminis-
trative, civil, judicial, family, or immigration pro-
ceeding. No funds made available under this section
may be used to provide financial assistance in sup-
port of any litigation described in paragraph (14) of
section 504(a) of Public Law 104–134.
(4) SEXUAL ASSAULT.—The term ‘‘sexual as-
sault’’ has the meaning given the term in section
2003 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–2).
(c) LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS GRANTS.—The
Attorney General may award grants under this subsection
to private nonprofit entities, Indian tribal governments,
tribally recognized organizations, qualified Legal Services
Corporation grantees, other voluntary legal services orga-
nizations, and publicly funded organizations not acting in
a governmental capacity such as law schools, and which
shall be used—
(1) to implement, expand, and establish cooper-
ative efforts and projects between domestic violence
and sexual assault victim services organizations and
legal assistance providers to provide legal assistance
for victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual
assault;
(2) to implement, expand, and establish efforts
and projects to provide legal assistance for victims
of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault by
organizations with a demonstrated history of pro-
viding direct legal or advocacy services on behalf of
these victims; and
(3) to provide training, technical assistance,
and data collection to improve the capacity of grant-
ees and other entities to offer legal assistance to vic-
tims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual as-
sault.
(d) To be eligible for a grant under subsection (c),
applicants shall certify in writing that—
(1) any person providing civil legal assistance
through a program funded under subsection (c) has
completed or will complete training in connection
with domestic violence or sexual assault and related
legal issues;
(2) any training program conducted in satisfac-
tion of the requirement of paragraph (1) has been
or will be developed with input from and in collabo-
ration with a State, local, or tribal domestic violence
or sexual assault program or coalition, as well as ap-
propriate State and local law enforcement officials;
(3) any person or organization providing civil
legal assistance through a program funded under
subsection (c) has informed and will continue to in-
form State, local, or tribal domestic violence or sex-
ual assault programs and coalitions, as well as ap-
propriate State and local law enforcement officials of
their work; and
(4) the grantee’s organizational policies do not
require mediation or counseling involving offenders
and victims physically together, in cases where sex-
ual assault, domestic violence, or child sexual abuse
is an issue.
(e) EVALUATION.—The Attorney General may evalu-
ate the grants funded under this section through contracts
or other arrangements with entities expert on domestic vi-
olence, stalking, and sexual assault, and on evaluation re-
search.
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be
appropriated from the Violent Crime Reduction
Trust Fund established under section 310001 of the
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of
1994 (42 U.S.C. 14211) to carry out this section—
(A) $35,250,000 for fiscal year 2001;
(B) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2002;
(C) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
(D) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
(E) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—
(A) TRIBAL PROGRAMS.—Of the amount
made available under this subsection in each
fiscal year, not less than 5 percent shall be used
for grants for programs that assist victims of
domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault
on lands within the jurisdiction of an Indian
tribe.
(B) VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.—Not
less than 25 percent of the funds used for di-
rect services, training, and technical assistance
shall be used to support projects focused solely
or primarily on civil legal assistance for victims
of sexual assault.
(3) 
NONSUPPLANTATION.—Amounts 
made
available under this section shall be used to supple-
ment and not supplant other Federal, State, and
local funds expended to further the purpose of this
section.
Subtitle B—Limiting the Effects of
Violence on Children
SEC. 305 . SAFE HAVENS FOR CHILDREN PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may award
grants to States, units of local government, and Indian
tribal governments that propose to enter into or expand
the scope of existing contracts and cooperative agreements
with public or private nonprofit entities to provide super-
vised visitation and safe visitation exchange of children by
and between parents in cases of domestic violence, child
abuse, or sexual assault.
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants under
subsection (a), the Attorney General shall take into
account—
(1) the number of families to be served by the
proposed visitation programs and services;
(2) the extent to which the proposed supervised
visitation programs and services serve underserved
populations (as defined in section 2003 of title I of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–2));
(3) with respect to an applicant for a contract
or cooperative agreement, the extent to which the
applicant demonstrates cooperation and collabora-
tion with nonprofit, nongovernmental entities in the
local community served, including the State domestic
violence coalition, State sexual assault coalition, local
shelters, and programs for domestic violence and
sexual assault victims; and
(4) the extent to which the applicant dem-
onstrates coordination and collaboration with State
and local court systems, including mechanisms for
communication and referral.
(c) APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS.—The Attorney Gen-
eral shall award grants for contracts and cooperative
agreements to applicants that—
(1) demonstrate expertise in the area of family
violence, including the areas of domestic violence or
sexual assault, as appropriate;
(2) ensure that any fees charged to individuals
for use of programs and services are based on the
income of those individuals, unless otherwise pro-
vided by court order;
(3) demonstrate that adequate security meas-
ures, including adequate facilities, procedures, and
personnel capable of preventing violence, are in place
for the operation of supervised visitation programs
and services or safe visitation exchange; and
(4) prescribe standards by which the supervised
visitation or safe visitation exchange will occur.
(d) REPORTING.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after
the last day of the first fiscal year commencing on
or after the date of the enactment of this Act, and
not later than 180 days after the last day of each
fiscal year thereafter, the Attorney General shall
submit to Congress a report that includes informa-
tion concerning—
(A) the number of—
(i) individuals served and the number
of individuals turned away from visitation
programs and services and safe visitation
exchange (categorized by State);
(ii) the number of individuals from
underserved populations served and turned
away from services; and
(iii) the type of problems that underlie
the need for supervised visitation or safe
visitation exchange, such as domestic vio-
lence, child abuse, sexual assault, other
physical abuse, or a combination of such
factors;
(B) the numbers of supervised visitations
or safe visitation exchanges ordered under this
section during custody determinations under a
separation or divorce decree or protection order,
through child protection services or other social
services agencies, or by any other order of a
civil, criminal, juvenile, or family court;
(C) the process by which children or
abused partners are protected during visita-
tions, temporary custody transfers, and other
activities for which supervised visitation is es-
tablished under this section;
(D) safety and security problems occurring
during the reporting period during supervised
visitation under this section, including the num-
ber of parental abduction cases; and
(E) the number of parental abduction
cases in a judicial district using supervised visi-
tation programs and services under this section,
both as identified in criminal prosecution and
custody violations.
(2) GUIDELINES.—The Attorney General shall
establish guidelines for the collection and reporting
of data under this subsection.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated from the Violent Crime Re-
duction Trust Fund established under section 310001 of
the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of
1994 (42 U.S.C. 14211) to carry out this section
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002.
(f) ALLOTMENT FOR INDIAN TRIBES.—Not less than
5 percent of the total amount made available for each fis-
cal year to carry out this section shall be available for
grants to Indian tribal governments.
Subtitle C—Protections Against Vi-
olence and Abuse for Women
with Disabilities
SEC. 310. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) women with disabilities are more likely to be
the victims of abuse and violence than women with-
out disabilities because of their increased physical,
economic, social, or psychological dependence on oth-
ers;
(2) in domestic violence cases, women with dis-
abilities stay with their batterers almost twice as
long as women without disabilities;
(3) violence and abuse against women with dis-
abilities takes many forms, including verbal abuse,
physical abuse, sexual assault, forced isolation, con-
trol over economic resources, and the withholding of
equipment, medication, transportation, or personal
care assistance;
(4) many women with disabilities fail to report
abuse because they are dependent on their abusers
and fear being abandoned or institutionalized;
(5) many women with disabilities are unable to
leave abusive or violent spouses or cohabitants be-
cause of the inaccessibility of services or the fear of
abandoning dependent children; and
(6) law enforcement, the criminal justice sys-
tem, legal services, and victim services are often not
equipped or trained to effectively identify and re-
spond to abuse or violence against women with dis-
abilities.
SEC. 311. OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE STREETS
ACT OF 1968.
Section 2001(b)(5) of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg(b)), as
amended by section 141(a)(1), is amended by inserting be-
fore the semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘and forms
of violence and abuse particularly suffered by women with
disabilities’’.
SEC. 312. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT.
Section 40412 of the Equal Justice for Women in the
Courts Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13992) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (6), by inserting ‘‘, stereo-
typing of persons with disabilities who are victims of
rape, sexual assault, abuse, or violence’’ after ‘‘racial
stereotyping of rape victims’’;
(2) in paragraph (13), by inserting ‘‘or among
persons with disabilities,’’ after ‘‘socioeconomic
groups,’’; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (22) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(23) issues related to violence and abuse
against persons with disabilities, including the na-
ture of physical, mental, and communications dis-
abilities, the special vulnerability to violence of per-
sons with disabilities, and the types of violence and
abuse experienced by persons with disabilities;
‘‘(24) the requirements placed on courts and
judges under existing disability laws, including the
requirements to provide appropriate auxiliary aids
and services and to ensure physical access; and
‘‘(25) the stereotypes regarding the fitness of
persons with disabilities to retain custody of chil-
dren, especially in domestic violence cases.’’.
SEC. 313. GRANTS FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall make
grants to States, nongovernmental private entities, and
tribal organizations to provide education and technical as-
sistance for the purpose of providing training, consulta-
tion, and information on violence, abuse, and sexual as-
sault against women who are individuals with disabilities
(as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)).
(b) PRIORITIES.—In making grants under this sec-
tion, the Attorney General shall give priority to applica-
tions designed to provide education and technical assist-
ance on—
(1) the nature, definition, and characteristics of
violence, abuse, and sexual assault experienced by
women who are individuals with disabilities;
(2) outreach activities to ensure that women
who are individuals with disabilities who are victims
of violence, abuse, and sexual assault receive appro-
priate assistance;
(3) the requirements of shelters and victim
services organizations under Federal anti-discrimina-
tion laws, including the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 and section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973; and
(4) cost-effective ways that shelters and victim
services may accommodate the needs of individuals
with disabilities in accordance with the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990.
(c) USES OF GRANTS.—Each recipient of a grant
under this section shall provide information and training
to national, State, local, and tribal organizations and pro-
grams that provide services to individuals with disabilities,
including independent living centers, disability-related
service organizations, domestic violence programs pro-
viding shelter or related assistance, rape crisis centers,
and programs providing sexual assault services, other vic-
tim services organizations, and women with disabilities.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated from the Violent Crime
Reduction Trust Fund established under section 310001
of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14211) to carry out this section
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.
Subtitle 
D—Standards, 
Practice,
and Training for Sexual Assault
Examinations
SEC. 315. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Standards, Prac-
tice, and Training for Sexual Assault Forensic Examina-
tions Act’’.
SEC. 316. STANDARDS, PRACTICE, AND TRAINING FOR SEX-
UAL ASSAULT FORENSIC EXAMINATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall—
(1) evaluate existing standards of training and
practice for licensed health care professionals per-
forming sexual assault forensic examinations and de-
velop a national recommended standard for training;
(2) recommend sexual assault forensic examina-
tion training for all health care students to improve
the recognition of injuries suggestive of rape and
sexual assault and baseline knowledge of appropriate
referrals in victim treatment and evidence collection;
and
(3) review existing national, State, tribal, and
local protocols on sexual assault forensic examina-
tions, and based on this review, develop a rec-
ommended national protocol and establish a mecha-
nism for its nationwide dissemination.
(b) CONSULTATION.—The Attorney General shall
consult with national, State, tribal, and local experts in
the area of rape and sexual assault, including rape crisis
centers, State and tribal sexual assault and domestic vio-
lence coalitions and programs, and programs for criminal
justice, forensic nursing, forensic science, emergency room
medicine, law, social services, and sex crimes in under-
served communities (as defined in section 2003(7) of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42
U.S.C. 3796gg–2(7) as amended by section 2(d)).
(c) REPORT.—The Attorney General shall ensure
that no later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, a report of the actions taken pursuant to sub-
section (a) is submitted to Congress.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$200,000 for fiscal year 2001.
Subtitle E—Domestic Violence
Task Force
SEC. 320. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TASK FORCE
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (108 Stat.
1902), as amended by section 107, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
‘‘Subtitle I—Domestic Violence
Task Force
‘‘SEC. 40901. TASK FORCE.
‘‘(a) ESTABLISH.—The Attorney General, in con-
sultation with national nonprofit, nongovernmental orga-
nizations whose primary expertise is in domestic violence,
shall establish a task force to coordinate research on do-
mestic violence and to report to Congress on any overlap-
ping or duplication of efforts on domestic violence issues.
The task force shall be comprised of representatives from
all Federal agencies that fund such research.
‘‘(b) USES OF FUNDS.—Funds appropriated under
this section shall be used to—
‘‘(1) develop a coordinated strategy to strength-
en research focused on domestic violence education,
prevention, and intervention strategies;
‘‘(2) track and report all Federal research and
expenditures on domestic violence; and
‘‘(3) identify gaps and duplication of efforts in
domestic violence research and governmental expend-
itures on domestic violence issues.
‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Task Force shall report to Con-
gress annually on its work under subsection (b).
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘domestic violence’ has the meaning given such term
by section 2003 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–2(1).
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATION.—There
are authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2001 through 2004 to carry out this sec-
tion.’’.
Passed the House of Representatives September 26,
2000.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.
Calendar No. 834
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 1248
AN ACT
To prevent violence against women.
SEPTEMBER 27 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2000
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar