[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 826 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 826

    To amend the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to provide for 
 transitional housing assistance grants for child victims of domestic 
                               violence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 9, 2003

  Mr. Leahy (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Biden) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to provide for 
 transitional housing assistance grants for child victims of domestic 
                               violence.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR CHILD VICTIMS OF 
              DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, STALKING, OR SEXUAL ASSAULT.

    Subtitle B of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 
13701 note; 108 Stat. 1925) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``CHAPTER 11--TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR CHILD VICTIMS 
           OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, STALKING, OR SEXUAL ASSAULT

``SEC. 40299. TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR CHILD VICTIMS 
              OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, STALKING, OR SEXUAL ASSAULT.

    ``(a) In General.--The Attorney General, acting in consultation 
with the Director of the Violence Against Women Office of the 
Department of Justice, shall award grants under this section to States, 
units of local government, Indian tribes, and other organizations 
(referred to in this section as the `recipient') to carry out programs 
to provide assistance to minors, adults, and their dependents--
            ``(1) who are homeless, or in need of transitional housing 
        or other housing assistance, as a result of fleeing a situation 
        of domestic violence; and
            ``(2) for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis 
        intervention services are unavailable or insufficient.
    ``(b) Grants.--Grants awarded under this section may be used for 
programs that provide--
            ``(1) short-term housing assistance, including rental or 
        utilities payments assistance and assistance with related 
        expenses such as payment of security deposits and other costs 
        incidental to relocation to transitional housing for persons 
        described in subsection (a); and
            ``(2) support services designed to enable a minor, an 
        adult, or a dependent of such minor or adult, who is fleeing a 
        situation of domestic violence to--
                    ``(A) locate and secure permanent housing; and
                    ``(B) integrate into a community by providing that 
                minor, adult, or dependent with services, such as 
                transportation, counseling, child care services, case 
                management, employment counseling, and other 
                assistance.
    ``(c) Duration.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 
        minor, an adult, or a dependent, who receives assistance under 
        this section shall receive that assistance for not more than 18 
        months.
            ``(2) Waiver.--The recipient of a grant under this section 
        may waive the restriction under paragraph (1) for not more than 
        an additional 6 month period with respect to any minor, adult, 
        or dependent, who--
                    ``(A) has made a good-faith effort to acquire 
                permanent housing; and
                    ``(B) has been unable to acquire permanent housing.
    ``(d) Application--
            ``(1) In general.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant 
        under this section shall submit an application to the Attorney 
        General at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
        information as the Attorney General may reasonably require.
            ``(2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) describe the activities for which assistance 
                under this section is sought; and
                    ``(B) provide such additional assurances as the 
                Attorney General determines to be essential to ensure 
                compliance with the requirements of this section.
            ``(3) Application.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to require--
                    ``(A) victims to participate in the criminal 
                justice system in order to receive services; or
                    ``(B) domestic violence advocates to breach client 
                confidentiality.
    ``(e) Report to the Attorney General--
            ``(1) In general.--A recipient of a grant under this 
        section shall annually prepare and submit to the Attorney 
        General a report describing--
                    ``(A) the number of minors, adults, and dependents 
                assisted under this section; and
                    ``(B) the types of housing assistance and support 
                services provided under this section.
            ``(2) Contents.--Each report prepared and submitted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include information regarding--
                    ``(A) the amount of housing assistance provided to 
                each minor, adult, or dependent, assisted under this 
                section and the reason for that assistance;
                    ``(B) the number of months each minor, adult, or 
                dependent, received assistance under this section;
                    ``(C) the number of minors, adults, and dependents 
                who--
                            ``(i) were eligible to receive assistance 
                        under this section; and
                            ``(ii) were not provided with assistance 
                        under this section solely due to a lack of 
                        available housing; and
                    ``(D) the type of support services provided to each 
                minor, adult, or dependent, assisted under this 
                section.
    ``(f) Report to Congress.--
            ``(1) Reporting requirement.--The Attorney General, with 
        the Director of the Violence Against Women Office, shall 
        annually prepare and submit to the Committee on the Judiciary 
        of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the 
        Judiciary of the Senate a report that contains a compilation of 
        the information contained in the report submitted under 
        subsection (e).
            ``(2) Availability of report.--In order to coordinate 
        efforts to assist the victims of domestic violence, the 
        Attorney General, in coordination with the Director of the 
        Violence Against Women Office, shall transmit a copy of the 
        report submitted under paragraph (1) to--
                    ``(A) the Office of Community Planning and 
                Development at the United States Department of Housing 
                and Urban Development; and
                    ``(B) the Office of Women's Health at the United 
                States Department of Health and Human Services.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
        years 2004 through 2008.
            ``(2) Limitations.--Of the amount made available to carry 
        out this section in any fiscal year, not more than 3 percent 
        may be used by the Attorney General for salaries and 
        administrative expenses.
            ``(3) Minimum amount.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), unless all eligible applications 
                submitted by any States, units of local government, 
                Indian tribes, or organizations within a State for a 
                grant under this section have been funded, that State, 
                together with the grantees within the State (other than 
                Indian tribes), shall be allocated in each fiscal year, 
                not less than 0.75 percent of the total amount 
                appropriated in the fiscal year for grants pursuant to 
                this section.
                    ``(B) Exception.--The United States Virgin Islands, 
                American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands 
                shall each be allocated not less than 0.25 percent of 
                the total amount appropriated in the fiscal year for 
                grants pursuant to this section.''.
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