Title: POWER Act
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Protect Our Women and Waive Emergency Requirements Act or the POWER Act
This bill waives, upon state request, specified matching and reporting requirements for family violence and prevention services grants to states, subgrants to local entities, and grants to tribal organizations. This applies to grants awarded during FY2019-FY2020 and the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6685 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6685

To provide for a matching funds waiver for formula grants and subgrants 
         under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2020

Mrs. McBath (for herself and Mr. Cline) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for a matching funds waiver for formula grants and subgrants 
         under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.

    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 ``Protect Our Women and Waive 
Emergency Requirements Act'' or the ``POWER Act''.

SEC. 2. MATCHING FUNDS WAIVER FOR FORMULA GRANTS AND SUBGRANTS UNDER 
              THE FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SERVICES ACT.

    (a) Waiver of Matching Funds for Awarded Grants and Subgrants.--At 
the request of a State (as defined in section 302 of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10402)), the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services shall waive--
            (1) the non-Federal contributions requirement under 
        subsection (c)(4) of section 306 of the Family Violence 
        Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10406) with respect to 
        the grants and subgrants awarded in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 
        to such State and the eligible entities within such State under 
        such section or section 308 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 10408); and
            (2) the reporting requirements required under such 
        subgrants and grants that relate to such non-Federal 
        contributions requirement.
    (b) Waiver of Matching Funds for Grants Awarded After Date of 
Enactment.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (c)(4) of section 306 of the 
        Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10406) 
        shall not apply to a qualified grant during the period of a 
        public health emergency declared pursuant to section 319 of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) resulting from the 
        COVID-19 pandemic.
            (2) Qualified grant defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``qualified grant'' means a grant or subgrant awarded--
                    (A) after the date of the enactment of this 
                section; and
                    (B) under section 306, 308, or 309 of the Family 
                Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10406; 
                10408; 10409).
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