Violence Against Women Act Court Training and Improvements Act of 2005

Bill: 109-hr-3171
Sponsor: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-16]
Introduced: 2005-06-30 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Admission of nonimmigrants
Adoption
Agriculture and Food
Aid to dependent children
Alien labor
Aliens
Arrest
Authorization
Block grants
Cash welfare block grants
Child abuse
Child labor
Child sexual abuse
Child welfare
Church and social problems
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Commerce
Community health services
Computer crimes
Confidential communications
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer protection
Crime prevention
Crimes against women
Criminal justice information
Cubans
Curricula
DNA
Damages
Data banks
Department of Justice
Deportation
Discrimination in employment
Discrimination in insurance
Discrimination in medical care
Dismissal of employees
Divorce
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Employee rights
Employers' liability
Families
Family services
Family violence
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to health facilities
Federal aid to housing
Federal aid to law enforcement
Food stamps
Forced labor
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Health
Health insurance
Higher education
Homeless
Housing and Community Development
Housing authorities
Housing subsidies
Human rights
Identification devices
Immigrants
Immigration
Indian courts
Indian housing
Indian women
Injunctions
Insurance companies
International Affairs
Internet
Interstate relations
Judges
Judicial officers
Labor and Employment
Leave of absence
Legal aid
Legal education
Legal fees
Legal services
Life insurance
Low-income housing
Maternal and infant welfare
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical research
Mental health services
Mentoring
Minorities
Native Americans
Naturalization
Nonprofit organizations
Parent and child
Patients' rights
Polygraphs
Prosecution
Prostitution
Public health
Public housing
Public service advertising
Rape
Recidivists
Rehabilitation of criminals
Religion
Residence requirements
Restrictive trade practices
Right of asylum
Right of privacy
Rural crime
School security
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Sentences (Criminal procedure)
Sex crimes
Skilled labor
Slavery
Social Welfare
Stalking
Supplemental security income program
Telephone
Unemployment insurance
Victims of crimes
Violence
Visas
Welfare eligibility
Wife abuse
Women's shelters
Youth services

Summary:
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: 
Violence Against Women Act of 2005 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, VAWA of 2000 (VAWA-2000), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (OCCSSA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), the Social Security Act (SSA), the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994, the United states Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000, and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to reauthorize, revise, and establish various programs for prevention and treatment of violence against women, including domestic violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (violence).
 

 
Establishes VAWA grant programs: (1) by the Department of Justice (Justice) for assisting children and youth exposed to violence, and for engaging men, women, and youth in preventing violence; and (2) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for services, education, protection, and justice for young victims of violence, and for research on effective interventions in the healthcare setting.
 

 

 
Revises and reauthorizes: (1) grants under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to reduce violence against women on campus; (2) safe havens for children under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
 
Reauthorizes PHSA rape prevention and education programs, including the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Establishes related PHSA grants.
 

 
Establishes VAWA grant programs to address the housing needs of victims of violence.
 

 

 
Supporting Teens through Education and Protection Act of 2005 - STEP Act - Authorizes the Attorney General, through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (Justice), to make grants to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in middle and high schools.
 
Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence.
 
Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence .
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of state unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence.
 

 
Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence.

Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims.

Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence. 
 
Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Revises the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (under VAWA-2000) with respect to victims of violence, including victims of crimes of human trafficking, VAWA petitioners, and children.
 
Prescribes requirements regarding the safety of Indian women.
 
Best Help for Rape Victims Act - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to include within the national protocol on sexual assault forensic examinations a recommendation that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy from rape should be: (1) offered information about emergency contraception; and (2) provided with such contraception on site at the victim's request. 

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide various protections for victims of trafficking. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a special unit to investigate trafficking in persons.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-09-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H8427)
action_date: 2005-09-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
action_date: 2005-08-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
action_date: 2005-08-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Select Education.
action_date: 2005-08-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
action_date: 2005-08-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
action_date: 2005-08-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
action_date: 2005-07-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2005-07-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
action_date: 2005-07-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Introduced in House