Choose Respect Act
Bill: S.3116 | Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan (R-AK)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Choose Respect Act
This bill designates October 1 as Choose Respect Day and establishes a Choose Respect national media campaign to promote awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence.
The bill also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reimplement their national 2006 Choose Respect initiative. (This initiative was designed to prevent dating violence and encouraged youth ages 11–14 to have healthy relationships.)
Finally, the U.S. Postal Service must issue a semipostal stamp (a stamp sold at a premium to raise funds for causes of national public interest) related to the Choose Respect campaign.

To amend title 36, United States Code, to designate October 1 as Choose 
                  Respect Day, 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 ``Choose Respect Act''.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 146. Choose Respect Day
    ``(a) Designation.--October 1 is Choose Respect Day.
    ``(b) Recognition.--All private citizens, organizations, and 
Federal, State, and local governmental and legislative entities are 
encouraged to recognize Choose Respect Day through proclamations, 
activities, and educational efforts in furtherance of changing the 
culture around the tolerance of violence against women.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following:

``146. Choose Respect Day.''.

SEC. 3. MEDIA CAMPAIGN.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office on Violence Against Women.
            (2) National media campaign.--The term ``national media 
        campaign'' means the national ``Choose Respect'' media campaign 
        described in subsection (b).
    (b) Media Campaign.--The Director shall, to the extent feasible and 
appropriate, conduct a national ``Choose Respect'' media campaign in 
accordance with this section for the purposes of--
            (1) preventing and discouraging the mistreatment of women, 
        including domestic abuse, violence, stalking, and harassment;
            (2) supporting evidence-based prevention programs targeting 
        the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of individuals who have 
        or are likely to participate in the activities described in 
        paragraph (1);
            (3) encouraging victims of the activities described in 
        paragraph (1) to seek help through the means determined to be 
        most effective by the most current evidence available, 
        including seeking legal representation; and
            (4) informing the public about the help available to 
        victims of the activities described in paragraph (1).
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Amounts made available to carry out this 
        section for the national media campaign may only be used for 
        the following:
                    (A) The purchase of media time and space, including 
                the strategic planning for, tracking, and accounting 
                of, such purchases.
                    (B) Creative and talent costs, consistent with 
                paragraph (2).
                    (C) Advertising production costs, which may include 
                television, radio, internet, social media, and other 
                commercial marketing venues.
                    (D) Testing and evaluation of advertising.
                    (E) Evaluation of the effectiveness of the national 
                media campaign.
                    (F) Costs of contracts to carry out activities 
                authorized by this section.
                    (G) Partnerships with professional and civic 
                groups, community-based organizations, including faith-
                based organizations, and government organizations 
                related to the national media campaign.
                    (H) Entertainment industry outreach, interactive 
                outreach, media projects and activities, public 
                information, news media outreach, corporate sponsorship 
                and participation, and professional sports associations 
                and military branch participation.
                    (I) Operational and management expenses.
            (2) Specific requirements.--
                    (A) Creative services.--In using amounts for 
                creative and talent costs under paragraph (1), the 
                Director shall use creative services donated at no cost 
                to the Government wherever feasible and may only 
                procure creative services for advertising--
                            (i) responding to high-priority or emergent 
                        campaign needs that cannot timely be obtained 
                        at no cost; or
                            (ii) intended to reach a minority, ethnic, 
                        or other special audience that cannot 
                        reasonably be obtained at no cost.
                    (B) Testing and evaluation of advertising.--In 
                using amounts for testing and evaluation of advertising 
                under paragraph (1)(D), the Director shall test all 
                advertisements prior to use in the national media 
                campaign to ensure that the advertisements are 
                effective with the target audience and meet industry-
                accepted standards. The Director may waive this 
                requirement for advertisements using no more than 10 
                percent of the purchase of advertising time purchased 
                under this section in a fiscal year and no more than 10 
                percent of the advertising space purchased under this 
                section in a fiscal year, if the advertisements respond 
                to emergent and time-sensitive campaign needs or the 
                advertisements will not be widely utilized in the 
                national media campaign.
                    (C) Consultation.--For the planning of the campaign 
                under subsection (b), the Director may consult with--
                            (i) leading national advocacy groups;
                            (ii) the heads of any victim support or 
                        antiviolence against women Federal agency or 
                        interagency department;
                            (iii) State, local, and Tribal governments;
                            (iv) experts in the field of preventing 
                        violence against women; and
                            (v) communications professionals.
                    (D) Evaluation of effectiveness of national media 
                campaign.--In using amounts for the evaluation of the 
                effectiveness of the national media campaign under 
                paragraph (1)(E), the Attorney General shall--
                            (i) designate an independent entity to 
                        evaluate by April 20 of each year the 
                        effectiveness of the national media campaign 
                        based on data from any relevant studies or 
                        publications, as determined by the Attorney 
                        General, including tracking and evaluation data 
                        collected according to marketing and 
                        advertising industry standards; and
                            (ii) ensure that the effectiveness of the 
                        national media campaign is evaluated in a 
                        manner that enables consideration of whether 
                        the national media campaign has contributed to 
                        changes in attitude or behaviors among the 
                        target audience with respect to violence 
                        against women and such other measures of 
                        evaluation as the Attorney General determines 
                        are appropriate.
    (d) Advertising.--In carrying out this section, the Director shall 
ensure that sufficient funds are allocated to meet the stated goals of 
the national media campaign.
    (e) Responsibilities and Functions Under the Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall determine the overall 
        purposes and strategy of the national media campaign.
            (2) Director.--
                    (A) In general.--The Director shall approve--
                            (i) the strategy of the national media 
                        campaign;
                            (ii) all advertising and promotional 
                        material used in the national media campaign; 
                        and
                            (iii) the plan for the purchase of 
                        advertising time and space for the national 
                        media campaign.
                    (B) Implementation.--The Director shall be 
                responsible for implementing a focused national media 
                campaign to meet the purposes set forth in subsection 
                (b) and shall ensure--
                            (i) information disseminated through the 
                        campaign is accurate and scientifically valid; 
                        and
                            (ii) the campaign is designed using 
                        strategies demonstrated to be the most 
                        effective at achieving the goals and 
                        requirements of subsection (b), which may 
                        include--
                                    (I) a media campaign, as described 
                                in subsection (c);
                                    (II) local, regional, or population 
                                specific messaging;
                                    (III) the development of websites 
                                to publicize and disseminate 
                                information;
                                    (IV) conducting outreach and 
                                providing educational resources for 
                                women;
                                    (V) collaborating with law 
                                enforcement agencies; and
                                    (VI) providing support for school-
                                based public health education classes 
                                to improve teen knowledge about the 
                                effects of violence against women.
    (f) Prohibitions.--None of the amounts made available under 
subsection (c) may be obligated or expended for any of the following:
            (1) To supplant current antiviolence against women 
        community-based coalitions.
            (2) To supplant pro bono public service time donated by 
        national and local broadcasting networks for other public 
        service campaigns.
            (3) For partisan political purposes, or to express advocacy 
        in support of or to defeat any clearly identified candidate, 
        clearly identified ballot initiative, or clearly identified 
        legislative or regulatory proposal.
            (4) To fund advertising that features any elected 
        officials, persons seeking elected office, cabinet level 
        officials, or other Federal officials employed pursuant to 
        section 213 of Schedule C of title 5, Code of Federal 
        Regulations.
            (5) To fund advertising that does not contain a primary 
        message intended to reduce or prevent violence against women.
            (6) To fund advertising containing a primary message 
        intended to promote support for the national media campaign or 
        private sector contributions to the national media campaign.
    (g) Financial and Performance Accountability.--The Director shall 
cause to be performed--
            (1) audits and reviews of costs of the national media 
        campaign pursuant to section 4706 of title 41, United States 
        Code; and
            (2) an audit to determine whether the costs of the national 
        media campaign are allowable under chapter 43 of title 41, 
        United States Code.
    (h) Report to Congress.--The Director shall submit on an annual 
basis a report to Congress that describes--
            (1) the strategy of the national media campaign and whether 
        specific objectives of the national media campaign were 
        accomplished;
            (2) steps taken to ensure that the national media campaign 
        operates in an effective and efficient manner consistent with 
        the overall strategy and focus of the national media campaign;
            (3) plans to purchase advertising time and space;
            (4) policies and practices implemented to ensure that 
        Federal funds are used responsibly to purchase advertising time 
        and space and eliminate the potential for waste, fraud, and 
        abuse;
            (5) all contracts entered into with a corporation, 
        partnership, or individual working on behalf of the national 
        media campaign;
            (6) the results of any financial audit of the national 
        media campaign;
            (7) a description of any evidence used to develop the 
        national media campaign;
            (8) specific policies and steps implemented to ensure 
        compliance with this section;
            (9) a detailed accounting of the amount of funds obligated 
        during the previous fiscal year for carrying out the national 
        media campaign, including each recipient of funds, the purpose 
        of each expenditure, the amount of each expenditure, any 
        available outcome information, and any other information 
        necessary to provide a complete accounting of the funds 
        expended; and
            (10) a review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
        national media campaign strategy for the past year.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director to carry out this section $5,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2021 through 2026, to remain available until 
expended.

SEC. 4. REIMPLEMENTATION OF CHOOSE RESPECT INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention shall reimplement the national ``Choose Respect'' 
initiative that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
implemented in 2006.
    (b) Report.--The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention shall submit to Congress a report on the reimplementation of 
the ``Choose Respect'' initiative required under subsection (a).
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention to carry out this section $1,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2026, to remain available until expended.

SEC. 5. SEMIPOSTAL.

    (a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``semipostal stamp'' has 
the meaning given the term ``semipostal'' in section 416(a) of title 
39, United States Code.
    (b) Issuance.--In order to afford a convenient way for members of 
the public to contribute to changing the culture around the tolerance 
of violence against women, the United States Postal Service shall issue 
a semipostal stamp (referred to in this section as the ``Choose Respect 
Semipostal Stamp'') in accordance with subsection (c).
    (c) Terms and Conditions.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in this subsection, the 
        issuance and sale of the Choose Respect Semipostal Stamp shall 
        be governed by section 416 of title 39, United States Code, and 
        regulations issued under that section.
            (2) Duration.--The Choose Respect Semipostal Stamp shall be 
        made available to the public for a period of 5 years, beginning 
        not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
            (3) Disposition of proceeds.--All amounts becoming 
        available from the sale of the Choose Respect Semipostal Stamp 
        (as determined under section 416(d) of title 39, United States 
        Code) shall be transferred to the Director of the Office on 
        Violence Against Women, for the purpose described in subsection 
        (b), through payments which shall be made not less frequently 
        than 2 times a year.
            (4) Limitation.--For purposes of section 416 of title 39, 
        United States Code (including any regulation prescribed under 
        subsection (e)(1)(C) of that section), the semipostal issued 
        under this section shall not apply to any limitation relating 
        to whether more than 1 semipostal may be offered for sale at 
        the same time.
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