[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1829 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1829

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for demonstration 
projects for the identification by health care providers of victims of 
 domestic violence and sexual assault, to provide for the education of 
 the public on the consequences to the public health of such violence 
   and assault, and to provide for epidemiological research on such 
                         violence and assault.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 1993

Mr. McDermott (for himself, Mrs. Morella, and Mr. Kreidler) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for demonstration 
projects for the identification by health care providers of victims of 
 domestic violence and sexual assault, to provide for the education of 
 the public on the consequences to the public health of such violence 
   and assault, and to provide for epidemiological research on such 
                         violence and assault.

    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 ``Women's Violence-Related Injury 
Reduction Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Domestic violence and sexual assault represent serious 
        threats to the health and well-being of millions of women in 
        the United States.
            (2) Violence against women has serious health consequences 
        for its victims, including fatality, severe trauma, repeated 
        physical injuries, and chronic stress-related disorder.
            (3) Violence against women has serious mental health 
        consequences for its victims, including substance abuse, severe 
        psychological trauma, and suicide.
            (4) Approximately 4,000,000 women in the United States are 
        victims of domestic violence each year.
            (5) One of two women is a victim of domestic violence or 
        sexual assault during her lifetime.
            (6) Battering is the leading cause of injury to women.
            (7) It has been estimated that 1 in 6 pregnant women are 
        battered, resulting in increased rates of miscarriage, 
        stillbirths, and low-birthweight babies.
            (8) Domestic violence may account for as much as one-third 
        of emergency-room visits by women, an annual total of 
        approximately 28,700 such visits.
            (9) Estimates based on the National Crime Survey provide 
        that domestic violence accounts for 21,000 hospitalizations, 
        99,800 days of hospitalization, and 39,900 visits to a 
        physician each year.
            (10) Fewer than 5 percent of injured women are correctly 
        diagnosed by medical personnel as being victims of domestic 
        violence.
            (11) Hospitals and clinics do not have a uniform set of 
        protocols for the identification and referral of victims of 
        domestic violence and sexual assault, or for the training of 
        health care professionals to perform such functions.
            (12) A national surveillance system for monitoring the 
        health effects of domestic violence and sexual assault should 
        be established to determine the nature and extent of such 
        violence and assault in the United States.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF CERTAIN HEALTH PROGRAMS REGARDING DOMESTIC 
              VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.), as amended by section 308 of Public Law 102-531 (106 Stat. 
3495), is amended by inserting after section 317D the following 
section:

    ``health programs regarding domestic violence and sexual assault

    ``Sec. 317E. (a) Demonstration Projects for Identification and 
Referrals of Victims.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for the 
        purpose of carrying out demonstration projects in which health 
        care providers, in providing such care--
                    ``(A) identify individuals whose medical condition 
                or statements indicate that the individuals are victims 
                of domestic violence or sexual assault; and
                    ``(B) refer the individuals to entities that 
                provide services regarding such violence and assault, 
                including referrals for counseling, housing (including 
                temporary housing), legal services, and services of 
                community organizations.
            ``(2) Training.--The Secretary may authorize grantees under 
        paragraph (1) to expend the grants to train health care 
        providers to carry out the activities described in such 
        paragraph.
            ``(3) Protocols for identification, referrals, and 
        training.--The Secretary may make a grant under paragraph (1) 
        only if the applicant for the grant agrees that the 
        demonstration project involved will not begin operation until 
        the Secretary approves for the project protocols for 
        identifying and referring victims, and training health care 
        providers, for purposes of such paragraph. The Secretary may 
        authorize grantees under such paragraph to expend the grants to 
        develop such protocols.
            ``(4) Consultation with relevant entities.--The Secretary 
        may make a grant under paragraph (1) only if the applicant 
        involved has, in developing the proposal of the applicant for a 
        demonstration project under such paragraph, consulted with 
        public and nonprofit private entities that, in the geographic 
        area in which the project is to be carried out, provide 
        services regarding domestic violence or sexual assault.
            ``(5) Reports.--The Secretary may make a grant under 
        paragraph (1) only if the applicant for the grant agrees to 
        submit to the Secretary a report describing the activities of 
        the project under such paragraph for the fiscal year for which 
        the grant is made.
    ``(b) Public Education.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall carry out a 
program to educate health care providers and the public on the 
consequences to the public health of domestic violence and sexual 
assault.
    ``(c) Epidemiological Research.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall provide for the conduct of epidemiological research on 
        domestic violence and sexual assault. In providing for such 
        research, the Secretary shall ensure that, with respect to such 
        violence and assault, data is collected on--
                    ``(A) the incidence of cases and the effect of the 
                cases on the costs of health care in the United States;
                    ``(B) the type and severity of injuries sustained 
                and the type and severity of any other resulting health 
                conditions;
                    ``(C) the extent to which victims seek treatment, 
                including a comparison of the incidence of cases with 
                the incidence of seeking treatment;
                    ``(D) a description of common circumstances 
                influencing victims not to seek treatment;
                    ``(E) the types of medical facilities and health 
                care providers from which victims seek treatment; and
                    ``(F) the demographic characteristics of the 
                individuals from whom data described in subparagraphs 
                (A) through (E) is collected.
            ``(2) National system.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall cooperate with the States for the purpose of 
        establishing, to the extent practicable, a national system for 
        the collection of data regarding domestic violence and sexual 
        assault.
            ``(3) Confidentiality.--Standards of confidentiality under 
        section 308(d) shall apply to data collected under paragraph 
        (1) to the same extent and in the same manner as such section 
        applies to information obtained under section 304, 306, or 307.
            ``(4) Report.--Not later than February 1, 1996, and every 2 
        years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a 
        report summarizing the data collected under paragraph (1) for 
        the preceding 2 years.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--For the purpose of carrying out this 
        section, there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 
        for fiscal year 1994, and such sums as may be necessary for 
        each of the fiscal years 1995 through 1997.
            ``(2) Allocation for demonstration projects.--Of the 
        amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the 
        Secretary shall make available not less than 60 percent for 
        grants under subsection (a).''.

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