I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1034 
To require the Attorney General to issue guidance to law enforcement agencies 
as they respond to increased levels of domestic violence during the 
COVID–19 public health emergency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2021 
Ms. WEXTON (for herself, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. COOPER, 
Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mrs. HINSON, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. 
KUSTER, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 
TAKANO, Mr. SIRES, Ms. WILD, Mr. CARSON, and Mr. HASTINGS) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary 
A BILL 
To require the Attorney General to issue guidance to law 
enforcement agencies as they respond to increased levels 
of domestic violence during the COVID–19 public health 
emergency, 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 ‘‘Domestic Violence 
Public Health Emergency Guidance Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GUIDANCE ON ADDRESSING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 
DURING 
THE 
COVID–19 
PUBLIC 
HEALTH 
EMERGENCY. 
(a) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 30 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, domestic violence stakeholders, and State, local, 
and tribal law enforcement stakeholders, shall issue guid-
ance to Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement 
agencies which contain promising and model practices for 
addressing domestic violence and protecting the safety of 
law enforcement officers and all other parties involved, 
during the COVID–19 public health emergency. In issuing 
the guidance required under this subsection, the Attorney 
General shall— 
(1) identify law enforcement-centered promising 
or model practices for— 
(A) addressing domestic violence during 
the COVID–19 public health emergency; 
(B) adopting and implementing such pro-
grams and practices; 
(C) implementing measures to mitigate ex-
posure to COVID–19, including adequate use of 
personal protective equipment, when responding 
to domestic violence incidents that create poten-
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tial exposure to COVID–19 for all parties in-
volved; and 
(D) ensuring safety and limiting risk of ex-
posure to COVID–19 for family members of law 
enforcement officers; 
(2) identify victim-centered promising and 
model practices for— 
(A) assessing the potential threat of vio-
lence to the victim and their children, while en-
suring safety and privacy; 
(B) safety planning for victims and their 
children and taking preventive steps to ensure 
safety for all parties involved during the 
COVID–19 public health emergency; 
(C) timely submission of records for do-
mestic violence protective orders and other re-
lated court orders and convictions for crimes re-
lated to intimate partner violence; 
(D) enforcing domestic violence protective 
orders, other related court orders, and child 
custody orders in the context of domestic vio-
lence; and 
(E) ensuring community coordinated re-
sponses to domestic violence; and 
(3) create a resource guide, including— 
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(A) the promising and model practices 
identified under paragraphs (1) and (2); 
(B) educational resources on risk factors 
related to COVID–19 that exacerbate the risk 
of escalation and lethality of reports of domestic 
violence, such as fear of illness, drug and alco-
hol abuse, economic uncertainty, unemploy-
ment, and grief; 
(C) educational resources on training, in-
cluding cultural humility and vicarious trauma, 
for law enforcement officers responding to do-
mestic violence; 
(D) educational resources on investigation 
and prosecutorial tools for law enforcement offi-
cers responding to domestic violence; 
(E) resources for victims of domestic vio-
lence during the COVID–19 public health emer-
gency, including information related to the na-
tional domestic violence hotline authorized 
under section 313 of the Family Violence Pre-
vention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10413). 
(b) DISSEMINATION.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General 
shall— 
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(1) issue the guidance developed under sub-
section (a) directly to Federal, State, local, and trib-
al law enforcement agencies; 
(2) make the guidance publicly available by 
posting the guidance electronically on the website of 
the Department of Justice; 
(3) collaborate with the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to make the guidance available 
on the website of the Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
(c) EXTENSION.—The Attorney General may extend 
the deadlines under subsections (a) and (b), in the case 
that meeting such deadlines is impracticable. In the case 
that the Attorney General extends such a deadline pursu-
ant to this subsection, the Attorney General shall notify 
Congress, which notification shall include a date before 
which the Attorney General will complete each such re-
quirement. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘domestic violence’’ has the 
meaning given the term under section 40002(a)(8) 
of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement 
Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(8)). 
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(2) The term ‘‘COVID–19 public health emer-
gency’’ means the period beginning on the date on 
which 
the 
emergency 
period 
under 
section 
1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1320b–5(g)(1) was declared and ending 90 days 
after the date on which such period ends. 
(3) The term ‘‘COVID–19’’ means the 2019 
Novel Coronavirus or 2019–nCoV. 
(4) The term ‘‘personal protective equipment’’ 
means any protective equipment required to prevent 
the wearer from contracting COVID–19, including 
gloves, N–95 respirator masks, gowns, goggles, face 
shields, or other equipment required for safety. 
(5) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin 
Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(6) The term ‘‘Federal law enforcement agen-
cy’’ includes law enforcement agencies of the Armed 
Forces. 
Æ 
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