[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2002 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2002

To ensure that victims of domestic violence get the help they need in a 
               single phone call, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 8, 2002

 Mr. Wellstone (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. DeWine, and 
   Mr. Bayh) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure that victims of domestic violence get the help they need in a 
               single phone call, 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 ``National Domestic Violence Hotline 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) There are over 2,000 domestic violence shelters in the 
        United States.
            (2) The National Domestic Violence Hotline has received 
        more than 500,000 calls from domestic violence victims 
        nationwide since 1996, and continues to receive 11,000 to 
        13,000 calls per month.
            (3) Access to shelters that address the specific needs of 
        domestic violence victims and their families is critical for 
        women who are trying to escape violence.
            (4) In Minnesota, the only State with a statewide, online 
        network of domestic violence shelters, 90 percent of domestic 
        violence victims and their families are assured of receiving 
        the services they need, when and where they need them, in a 
        single call.
            (5) An online network of shelters would allow victims and 
        their families to relocate to a broader number of areas within 
        a State or in other States so that they can be as safe as 
        possible.
            (6) An online network would reduce the number of calls 
        women need to make to find a domestic violence shelter.
            (7) The National Network to End Domestic Violence estimates 
        that only 43 percent of domestic violence shelters in the 
        United States have access to the Internet.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To provide a grant to develop a fully secure, 
        continuously updated network of available domestic violence 
        shelters and services across the United States. Such a network 
        shall be made available to the National Domestic Violence 
        Hotline, shelters nationwide, State and local domestic violence 
        agencies, and other domestic violence organizations, to enable 
        such entities to connect a victim of domestic violence to the 
        most safe, appropriate, and convenient shelter, while the 
        victim remains on the telephone line, or in the most efficient 
        way possible.
            (2) To ensure that domestic violence victims get the help 
        they need in a single phone call.

SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall award a grant to a 
nonprofit organization to establish and operate, in consultation and 
collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, an 
Internet website (referred to in this Act as the ``Website''), that 
shall--
            (1) link, to the greatest extent possible, the National 
        Domestic Violence Hotline, every domestic violence shelter in 
        the United States, State and local domestic violence agencies, 
        and other domestic violence organizations so that such entities 
        will be able to connect a victim of domestic violence to the 
        most safe, appropriate, and convenient domestic violence 
        shelter while the victim remains on the telephone line or in 
        the most efficient way possible;
            (2) be highly secure; and
            (3) contain continuously updated information as to 
        available services and space in domestic violence shelters 
        across the United States, to the maximum extent practicable.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, a nonprofit organization shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. The application shall--
            (1) demonstrate the experience of the applicant in 
        successfully developing and managing a technology-based network 
        of domestic violence shelters;
            (2) demonstrate a record of success of the applicant in 
        meeting the needs of domestic violence victims and their 
        families; and
            (3) include a certification that the applicant will--
                    (A) implement the highest level security system to 
                ensure the confidentiality of the Website;
                    (B) establish, within 5 years, a Website that link 
                the entities described in subsection (a)(1);
                    (C) consult with the entities described in 
                subsection (a)(1) in developing and implementing the 
                Website and providing Internet connections; and
                    (D) otherwise comply with the requirements of this 
                section.
    (c) Use of Grant Award.--The recipient of a grant award under this 
section shall--
            (1) collaborate with officials in the Department of Health 
        and Human Services in a manner determined appropriate by the 
        Secretary;
            (2) collaborate with the National Domestic Violence Hotline 
        in developing and implementing the network;
            (3) ensure that the Website is continuously updated;
            (4) ensure that the Website provides information describing 
        the services of each domestic violence shelter to which the 
        Website is linked, including information for individuals with 
        limited English proficiency and information concerning access 
        to medical care, social services, transportation, services for 
        children, and other relevant services;
            (5) ensure that the Website provides up-to-the-minute 
        information on available bed space in domestic violence 
        shelters across the United States, to the maximum extent 
        practicable;
            (6) provide training to the staff of the Hotline and to 
        staff of the entities described in subsection (a)(1) regarding 
        how to use the Website to best meet the needs of callers;
            (7) provide Internet access to domestic violence shelters 
        in the United States that do not have the appropriate 
        technology for such access, to the maximum extent practicable; 
        and
            (8) ensure that after the third year of the Website 
        project, the recipient will develop a plan to expand the 
        sources of funding for the Website to include funding from 
        public and private entities, although nothing in this paragraph 
        shall preclude a grant recipient under this Act from raising 
        funds from other sources at any time during the 5-year grant 
        period.
    (d) Duration of Grant.--The term of a grant awarded under this 
section shall be 5 years.
    (e) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall annually--
            (1) conduct an evaluation of the grant program carried out 
        under this Act in a manner that shall be designed to derive 
        information on--
                    (A) the confidentiality of the website;
                    (B) the progress of the grantee in linking the 
                entities described in subsection (a)(1) to the Network;
                    (C) the number of individuals served by the 
                website;
                    (D) any decreases in the number of phone calls 
                necessary to find shelter space for victims of domestic 
                violence; and
                    (E) other matters that the Secretary determines 
                appropriate to ensure that the grantee is achieving the 
                purposes of this Act; and
            (2) submit to Congress a report on the results of that 
        evaluation.
    (f) Oversight.--The Secretary shall have access to and monitor and 
help ensure the security of the Website.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act--
            (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
        2004 through 2007.
    (b) Administrative Costs.--Of the amount made available to carry 
out this Act for each fiscal year the Secretary may use not more than 2 
percent for administrative costs associated with the grant program 
carried out under this Act, of which up to 5 percent shall be used to 
assist the National Domestic Violence Hotline to participate in the 
establishment of the Website.
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