Improve Data on Sexual Violence Act

Bill: 115-hr-4893
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2]
Introduced: 2018-01-29
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses

Congressional oversight

Crimes against women

Criminal justice information and records

Executive agency funding and structure

Government information and archives

Sex offenses

Violent crime
Latest action: action_date: 2018-02-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-01-29
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Improve Data on Sexual Violence Act</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to establish an interagency working group to study federal efforts to collect data on sexual violence and to make recommendations on efforts to coordinate sexual violence data collection to produce complementary information, without compromising programmatic needs.</p> <p> The working group shall consider:</p> <ul> <li>what activity constitutes different acts of sexual violence,</li> <li>whether reports that use the same terms for acts of sexual violence are collecting the same data on these acts,</li> <li>whether the context which led to such an act should impact how that act is accounted for in reports,</li> <li>whether the data collected is presented in a way that allows the general public to understand what acts of sexual violence are included in each measurement, and</li> <li>steps that agencies that compile reports relating to sexual violence can take to avoid double counting incidents.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4893 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 29, 2018 Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire (for herself and Mr. Turner ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish an interagency working group to study Federal efforts to collect data on sexual violence and to make recommendations on the harmonization of such efforts, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Improve Data on Sexual Violence Act . 2. Interagency working group to study Federal efforts to collect data on sexual violence (a) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish an interagency working group (in this section referred to as the Working Group ) to study Federal efforts to collect data on sexual violence and to make recommendations on the harmonization of such efforts. (b) Composition The Working Group shall be comprised of at least one representative from the following agencies, who shall be selected by the head of that agency: (1) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2) The Department of Defense. (3) The Department of Education. (4) The Department of Health and Human Services. (5) The Department of Justice. (c) Duties The Working Group shall consider the following: (1) What activity constitutes different acts of sexual violence. (2) Whether reports that use the same terms for acts of sexual violence are collecting the same data on these acts. (3) Whether the context which led to an act of sexual violence should impact how that act is accounted for in reports. (4) Whether the data collected is presented in a way that allows the general public to understand what acts of sexual violence are included in each measurement. (5) Steps that agencies that compile reports relating to sexual violence can take to avoid double counting incidents of sexual violence. (d) Report required Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Working Group shall publish and submit to Congress a report on the following: (1) The activities of the Working Group. (2) Recommendations to harmonize Federal efforts to collect data on sexual violence. (3) Actions Federal agencies can take to implement the recommendations described in paragraph (2). (4) Recommendations for congressional action to implement the recommendations described in paragraph (2). (e) Termination The Working Group shall terminate 30 days after the date on which the report is submitted pursuant to subsection (d). (f) Definitions In this Act: (1) Harmonize The term harmonize includes efforts to coordinate sexual violence data collection to produce complementary information, as appropriate, without compromising programmatic needs. (2) Sexual violence The term sexual violence includes an unwanted sexual act (including both contact and non-contact) about which the Federal Government collects information.