retary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services, shall award grants 
under this section to eligible entities to carry out programs 
to provide the assistance described in subsection (c) with 
respect to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault, or stalking and the pets of such victims. 
(b) APPLICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may 
reasonably require, including— 
(A) a description of the activities for which 
a grant under this section is sought; 
(B) such assurances as the Secretary de-
termines to be necessary to ensure compliance 
by the entity with the requirements of this sec-
tion; and 
(C) a certification that the entity, before 
engaging with any individual domestic violence 
victim, will disclose to the victim any mandatory 
duty of the entity to report instances of abuse 
and neglect (including instances of abuse and 
neglect of pets). 
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(2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In addition 
to the requirements of paragraph (1), each applica-
tion submitted by an eligible entity under that para-
graph shall— 
(A) not include proposals for any activities 
that may compromise the safety of a domestic 
violence victim, including— 
(i) background checks of domestic vio-
lence victims; or 
(ii) clinical evaluations to determine 
the eligibility of such a victim for support 
services; 
(B) not include proposals that would re-
quire mandatory services for victims or that a 
victim obtain a protective order in order to re-
ceive proposed services; and 
(C) reflect the eligible entity’s under-
standing of the dynamics of domestic violence, 
dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 
(3) RULES
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
this subsection shall be construed to require— 
(A) domestic violence victims to participate 
in the criminal justice system in order to re-
ceive services; or 
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(B) eligible entities receiving a grant under 
this section to breach client confidentiality. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded under this sec-
tion may only be used for programs that provide— 
(1) emergency and transitional shelter and 
housing assistance for domestic violence victims with 
pets, including assistance with respect to any con-
struction or operating expenses of newly developed 
or existing emergency and transitional pet shelter 
and housing (regardless of whether such shelter and 
housing is co-located at a victim service provider or 
within the community); 
(2) short-term shelter and housing assistance 
for domestic violence victims with pets, including as-
sistance with respect to expenses incurred for the 
temporary shelter, housing, boarding, or fostering of 
the pets of domestic violence victims and other ex-
penses that are incidental to securing the safety of 
such a pet during the sheltering, housing, or reloca-
tion of such victims; 
(3) support services designed to enable a do-
mestic violence victim who is fleeing a situation of 
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or 
stalking to— 
(A) locate and secure— 
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(i) safe housing with the victim’s pet; 
or 
(ii) safe accommodations for the vic-
tim’s pet; or 
(B) provide the victim with pet-related 
services, such as pet transportation, pet care 
services, and other assistance; or 
(4) for the training of relevant stakeholders 
on— 
(A) the link between domestic violence, 
dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and 
the abuse and neglect of pets; 
(B) the needs of domestic violence victims; 
(C) best practices for providing support 
services to such victims; 
(D) best practices for providing such vic-
tims with referrals to victims’ services; and 
(E) the importance of confidentiality. 
(d) GRANT CONDITIONS.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall, as a condition of 
such receipt, agree— 
(1) to be bound by the nondisclosure of con-
fidential 
information 
requirements 
of 
section 
40002(b)(2) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925(b)(2)); and 
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(2) that the entity shall not condition the re-
ceipt of support, housing, or other benefits provided 
pursuant to this section on the participation of do-
mestic violence victims in any or all of the support 
services offered to such victims through a program 
carried out by the entity using grant funds. 
(e) DURATION OF ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO VIC-
TIMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
assistance provided with respect to a pet of a domes-
tic violence victim using grant funds awarded under 
this section shall be provided for a period of not 
more than 24 months. 
(2) EXTENSION.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this section may extend the 24- 
month period referred to in paragraph (1) for a pe-
riod of not more than 6 months in the case of a do-
mestic violence victim who— 
(A) has made a good faith effort to acquire 
permanent housing for the victim’s pet during 
that 24-month period; and 
(B) has been unable to acquire such per-
manent housing within that period. 
(f) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Not later than 1 
year after the date on which an eligible entity receives a 
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grant under this section and each year thereafter, the enti-
ty shall submit to the Secretary a report that contains, 
with respect to assistance provided by the entity to domes-
tic violence victims with pets using grant funds received 
under this section, information on— 
(1) the number of domestic violence victims 
with pets provided such assistance; and 
(2) the purpose, amount, type of, and duration 
of such assistance. 
(g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 
November 1 of each even-numbered fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agri-
culture of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
of the Senate a report that contains a compilation 
of the information contained in the reports sub-
mitted under subsection (f). 
(2) AVAILABILITY OF REPORT.—The Secretary 
shall transmit a copy of the report submitted under 
paragraph (1) to— 
(A) the Office on Violence Against Women 
of the Department of Justice; 
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(B) the Office of Community Planning and 
Development of the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development; and 
(C) the Administration for Children and 
Families of the Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. 
(2) LIMITATION.—Of the amount made avail-
able under paragraph (1) in any fiscal year, not 
more than 5 percent may be used for evaluation, 
monitoring, salaries, and administrative expenses. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM DEFINED.— 
The term ‘‘domestic violence victim’’ means a victim 
of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
or stalking. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a State; 
(B) a unit of local government; 
(C) an Indian tribe; or 
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(D) any other organization that has a doc-
umented history of effective work concerning 
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual as-
sault, or stalking (as determined by the Sec-
retary), including— 
(i) a domestic violence and sexual as-
sault victim service provider; 
(ii) a domestic violence and sexual as-
sault coalition; 
(iii) a community-based and culturally 
specific organization; 
(iv) any other nonprofit, nongovern-
mental organization; and 
(v) any organization that works di-
rectly with pets and collaborates with any 
organization referred to in clauses (i) 
through (iv), including— 
(I) an animal shelter; and 
(II) an animal welfare organiza-
tion. 
(3) PET.—The term ‘‘pet’’ means a domes-
ticated animal, such as a dog, cat, bird, rodent, fish, 
turtle, horse, or other animal that is kept for pleas-
ure rather than for commercial purposes. 
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(4) OTHER TERMS.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in this subsection, terms used in this section 
shall have the meaning given such terms in section 
40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925(a)). 
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that States should encour-
age the inclusion of protections against violent or threat-
ening acts against the pet of a person in domestic violence 
protection orders. 
Æ 
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