Sarah Collins Rudolph Civil Rights Compensation Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.6655 | Sponsor: Rep. Bacon, Don (R-NE)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Sarah Collins Rudolph Civil Rights Compensation Act of 2022
This bill establishes grants for victims of racial violence during the Civil Rights Movement.
Specifically, the bill establishes grants through the Department of Justice and the Crime Victims Fund to cover the cost of medical care for individuals who sustained injuries as a result of racial violence between 1954 and 1965. The bill defines racial violence as violence in which a victim or property was intentionally selected based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person.

To amend the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide compensation for 
    direct victims of civil rights movement violence, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sarah Collins Rudolph Civil Rights 
Compensation Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. COMPENSATION FOR DIRECT VICTIMS OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 
              VIOLENCE.

    Chapter XIV of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101 et 
seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 1402(d) by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(7)(A) In addition to the amounts distributed under 
        paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) the Director shall set 
        aside up to $10,000,000 from the amounts transferred to the 
        Fund to award grants to an individual who is a direct victim of 
        civil rights movement violence in accordance with section 
        1404G. The Director may replenish any amounts obligated from 
        such reserve in subsequent fiscal years by setting aside up to 
        25 percent of the amounts remaining in the Fund in any fiscal 
        year after distributing amounts under paragraphs (2), (3), (4), 
        (5), and (6). Such reserve shall not exceed 10 million dollars.
                    ``(B) The grants to an individual who is a direct 
                victim of civil rights movement violence referred to in 
                subparagraph (A) may be used for grants under section 
                1404G of this title.
                    ``(C) Amounts for grants to an individual who is a 
                direct victim of civil rights movement violence 
                established pursuant to subparagraph (A) may be carried 
                over from fiscal year to fiscal year.''; and
            (2) by inserting after section 1404F the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 1404G. GRANTS TO DIRECT VICTIMS OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 
              VIOLENCE.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director of the Department of Justice and 
Office for Victims of Crime shall make grants as provided in section 
1404(d) to an individual who is a direct victim of civil rights 
movement violence.
    ``(b) Grant Amount.--
            ``(1) Initial grant amount.--A direct victim of civil 
        rights movement violence shall be eligible for a grant under 
        this section in the amount that is equal to the cost of the 
        individual's medical care associated with an injury sustained 
        during the civil rights movement, as demonstrated by the 
        medical records of such direct victim.
            ``(2) Additional amounts.--A direct victim of civil rights 
        movement violence may apply for an additional grant amount if--
                    ``(A) the cost of the individual's medical care 
                associated with the injury sustained during the civil 
                rights movement has resulted in additional expenses 
                after a grant amount under this section was awarded; or
                    ``(B) the direct victim of civil rights movement 
                violence submits medical records demonstrating costs 
                greater than a grant amount awarded under this section.
    ``(c) Survivors of a Direct Victim.--A family member of a direct 
victim of civil rights movement violence shall be eligible for a grant 
under this section if such family member is responsible for the costs 
related to the injury sustained during the civil rights movement and 
the direct victim is deceased.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Civil rights movement.--The term `civil rights 
        movement' means the time period of 1954 through 1965.
            ``(2) Direct victim of civil rights movement violence.--The 
        term `direct victim of civil rights movement violence' means an 
        individual who--
                    ``(A) is an citizen of the United States;
                    ``(B) sustained an injury as a result of racial 
                violence during the civil rights movement;
                    ``(C) can provide evidence of the injury sustained 
                through medical records; and
                    ``(D) has or is incurring expenses related to the 
                injury.
            ``(3) Family member.--The term `family member' means--
                    ``(A) a person to whom the direct victim of civil 
                rights movement violence is legally married, even if 
                physically separated, under the laws of the 
                jurisdiction where the marriage took place;
                    ``(B) a child that is natural, illegitimate, 
                adopted, posthumous, or a stepchild of the direct 
                victim of civil rights movement violence; or
                    ``(C) any other family member that provided medical 
                care or funding to medical expenses to a direct victim 
                of civil rights movement violence.
            ``(4) Injury.--The term `injury' means--
                    ``(A) a traumatic physical wound (or a traumatized 
                physical condition of the body) directly and 
                proximately caused by external force (such as bullets, 
                explosives, sharp instruments, blunt objects, or 
                physical blows), chemicals, electricity, climatic 
                conditions, infectious disease, radiation, virii, or 
                bacteria;
                    ``(B) any associated or resulting traumatic 
                physical wound that occurred as a result of a traumatic 
                physical wound described in subparagraph (A), even if 
                such resulting traumatic physical wound did not occur 
                during the civil rights movement; and
                    ``(C) any associated or resulting psychological 
                condition that occurred as a result of a traumatic 
                physical wound described in subparagraph (A), even if 
                such resulting psychological condition did not occur 
                during the civil rights movement.
            ``(5) Medical records.--The term `medical records' includes 
        medical records and bills that document an injury during the 
        civil rights movement.
            ``(6) Racial violence.--The term `racial violence' means 
        violence in which the individual intentionally selects a 
        victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that 
        is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived 
        race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, 
        disability, or sexual orientation of any person.''.
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