I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3424
To authorize the establishment of domestic violence court systems from 
amounts available for grants to combat violence against women. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 30, 2003
Ms. SOLIS (for herself, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. GINNY BROWN-
WAITE of Florida, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, 
Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. STARK, Ms. 
CARSON of Indiana, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, Ms. MAJETTE, 
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Ms. NORTON, 
Ms. KILPATRICK, and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary 
A BILL 
To authorize the establishment of domestic violence court 
systems from amounts available for grants to combat 
violence against women.
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 
Courts Assistance Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Nearly one-third of American women report 
being physically or sexually abused by a husband or 
boyfriend at some point in their lives. 
(2) Family violence costs the nation between 
$5,000,000,000 and $10,000,000,000 each year in 
medical expenses, police and court costs, shelters 
and foster care, sick leave, absenteeism, and non-
productivity. 
(3) The Nation’s first specialized domestic vio-
lence court was established in Chicago in the early 
1980s to centralize the prosecution of domestic vio-
lence offenders. 
(4) There are presently more than 300 domestic 
violence courts in at least 23 States nationwide. 
(5) Specialized domestic violence courts in sev-
eral communities have resulted in cutting the proc-
essing time of domestic violence, reducing a backlog 
of existing domestic violence cases and raising the 
conviction rate. 
(6) Specialized domestic violence courts allow 
judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys to focus 
on the intricacies of domestic violence cases, espe-
cially with regards to repeat offenders.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURT 
SYSTEMS FROM AMOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR 
GRANTS TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST 
WOMEN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part T of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (relating to grants 
to combat violent crimes against women) is amended as 
follows: 
(1) PURPOSES
FOR
WHICH
GRANTS
MAY
BE 
USED.—Section 2001(b) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 
3796gg(b)) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in paragraph (11), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(12) providing the resources to establish and 
maintain a court system dedicated to the adjudica-
tion of domestic violence cases, including providing 
such resources as—
‘‘(A) prosecutors and court personnel, in-
cluding those who perform interpretation and 
translation services; 
‘‘(B) technical assistance and counseling;
‘‘(C) training of attorneys, judges, and 
court personnel, including those who perform 
interpretation and translation services (which 
should be carried out in consultation with local 
domestic violence advocates, State domestic vio-
lence coalitions, or both); 
‘‘(D) technological improvements and data 
collection; and 
‘‘(E) improvement of court facilities, in-
cluding the creation of safe waiting areas and 
improved security.’’. 
(2) 
QUALIFICATION
FOR
FUNDS.—Section 
2002(c)(3)(C) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–
1(c)(3)(C)) is amended by inserting after ‘‘including 
juvenile courts’’ the following: ‘‘and specialized do-
mestic violence courts’’. 
(b) ATTORNEY GENERAL REPORT.—Not later than 
thirty days after the expiration of the third fiscal year be-
ginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report on the 
implementation and effectiveness of the amendments made 
by subsection (b), including the effectiveness of grants 
made under such amendments in reducing the rates of do-
mestic violence and shortening the period of judicial review 
in domestic violence cases.
(c) STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE.—Section 206(c) of 
the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 
10705(c)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (14) by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(2) in paragraph (15) by striking the period at 
the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(16) implement and evaluate court-based ap-
proaches to adjudicating domestic violence cases in 
State courts, including—
‘‘(A) domestic violence courts; 
‘‘(B) integrated case management informa-
tion systems; 
‘‘(C) collaborations among courts, law en-
forcement agencies, social service agencies, 
women’s shelters, and victims of crime support 
organizations; and 
‘‘(D) any other innovative practices likely 
to improve the criminal justice system’s re-
sponse to domestic violence; and 
‘‘(17) provide technical assistance to State 
courts to facilitate the development and adoption of 
improved practices in the adjudication of domestic 
violence cases.’’.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out paragraphs 
(16) and (17) of section 206(c) of the State Justice Insti-
tute Act of 1984, as added by subsection (c), $1,500,000 
for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2008.
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