Title: Empower our Girls Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Empower our Girls Act
This bill allows certain grants authorized under the Violence Against Women Act to be used to support victims of female genital mutilation. Such grants already support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
The bill also requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to classify female genital mutilation as a Part II crime (i.e., a less serious offense) in the Uniform Crime Reports. (The FBI compiles and periodically publishes crime statistics through the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Currently, the FBI does not compile and publish information about female genital mutilation.)

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 829 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 829

To allow certain grants to be used for the purpose of assisting victims 
of female genital mutilation, to classify the offense of female genital 
    mutilation as a part II crime for purposes of the Uniform Crime 
                    Reports, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2021

 Mr. Perry (for himself, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Norman, Mr. Burchett, Mr. 
  Van Drew, Mr. Calvert, and Mrs. Walorski) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To allow certain grants to be used for the purpose of assisting victims 
of female genital mutilation, to classify the offense of female genital 
    mutilation as a part II crime for purposes of the Uniform Crime 
                    Reports, 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 ``Empower our Girls Act''.

SEC. 2. VAWA GRANT PROGRAMS.

    (a) STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program.--Section 
2001(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10441(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'';
            (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'';
            (4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'';
            (5) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'' each place it 
        appears;
            (6) in paragraph (7), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'';
            (7) in paragraph (10), by striking ``domestic violence'' 
        and inserting ``domestic violence, female genital 
        mutilation,'';
            (8) in paragraph (12), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,'' each place it 
        appears;
            (9) in paragraph (14), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,''; and
            (10) in paragraph (20), by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``domestic violence,''.
    (b) Consolidated Grant Program.--
            (1) Choose children and youth.--Section 41201 of the 
        Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 
        U.S.C. 12451) is amended by inserting ``female genital 
        mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'' each place it appears.
            (2) Smart prevention.--Section 41303 of the Violent Crime 
        Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12463) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by inserting ``female 
                genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'' each 
                place it appears;
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``female 
                        genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'' 
                        each place it appears; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (3), by inserting 
                        ``female genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual 
                        assault,''; and
                    (C) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``female 
                        genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual 
                        assault,''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting 
                        ``female genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual 
                        assault,'' each place it appears.
    (c) Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations.--
Section 120 of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice 
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (34 U.S.C. 20123) is amended by inserting 
``female genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'' each place it 
appears.
    (d) Improving Criminal Justice Responses.--
            (1) Purpose.--Section 2101(a) of the Omnibus Crime Control 
        and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10461(a)) is amended by 
        inserting ``female genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual 
        assault,''.
            (2) Grant authority.--Section 2101(b) of the Omnibus Crime 
        Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10461(b)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``female genital 
                mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'' each place it 
                appears;
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``female genital 
                mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'';
                    (C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``female genital 
                mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'';
                    (D) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``female genital 
                mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'';
                    (E) in paragraph (6), by inserting ``female genital 
                mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'';
                    (F) in paragraph (14), by inserting ``female 
                genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'';
                    (G) in paragraph (15), by inserting ``female 
                genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,''; and
                    (H) in paragraph (16), by inserting ``female 
                genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,''.
            (3) Eligibility.--Section 2101(c)(1)(D) of the Omnibus 
        Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
        10461(c)(1)(D)) is amended--
                    (A) by inserting ``female genital mutilation,'' 
                after ``sexual assault,'' the first place it appears; 
                and
                    (B) by striking ``domestic violence, dating 
                violence, stalking, or sexual assault'' and inserting 
                ``domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
                female genital mutilation, or stalking''.
            (4) Applications.--Section 2102(b) of the Omnibus Crime 
        Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10462(b)) is 
        amended by inserting ``female genital mutilation,'' after 
        ``sexual assault,'' each place it appears.
    (e) Legal Assistance for Victims.--Section 1201 of the Violence 
Against Women Act of 2000 (34 U.S.C. 20121) is amended by inserting 
``female genital mutilation,'' after ``dating violence,'' each place it 
appears.
    (f) Transitional Housing Assistance Grants.--Section 40299 of the 
Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12351) is amended by 
inserting ``female genital mutilation,'' after ``sexual assault,'' each 
place it appears.
    (g) Female Genital Mutilation Defined.--Section 40002(a) of the 
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 
12291(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(46) Female genital mutilation.--The term `female genital 
        mutilation' means the removal or infibulation (or both) of the 
        whole or part of the clitoris, the labia minor, or the labia 
        major.''.

SEC. 3. REPORTING ON FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION.

    (a) Uniform Crime Reports.--The Director of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation shall, pursuant to section 534 of title 28, United States 
Code, classify the offense of female genital mutilation as a part II 
crime in the Uniform Crime Reports.
    (b) Female Genital Mutilation Defined.--In this section, the term 
``female genital mutilation'' means the removal or infibulation (or 
both) of the whole or part of the clitoris, the labia minora, or labia 
majora.
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