[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1431. Ms. ERNST (for herself and Mrs. Capito) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 937, to 
facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. COVID-19 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT EXTENSION OF 
                   AUTHORITY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) According to the American Journal of Emergency 
     Medicine, during the COVID-19 pandemic, police departments 
     across the country reported increases in domestic violence.
       (2) One study, published in the journal Radiology, found 
     that at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, radiology 
     scans and superficial wounds consistent with domestic abuse 
     from March 11 to May 3 of last year exceeded the totals for 
     the same period in 2018 and 2019 combined.
       (3) Lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic 
     increased the isolation of survivors of domestic violence and 
     abusers have taken advantage of that isolation to further 
     exert power and coercive control.
       (4) Domestic violence programs and hotlines across the 
     country have seen a substantial increase in contacts since 
     the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
       (5) Especially in rural areas, survivors are often far from 
     shelter and services, and steps taken to mitigate the spread 
     of COVID-19 have only exacerbated that disparity.
       (6) Survivors across the country have tragically 
     experienced greater abuse and isolation due to lockdowns 
     associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and are in desperate 
     need of increased support.
       (7) An extension of the Violence Against Women 
     Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-4; 127 Stat. 54) 
     that lasts through the COVID-19 pandemic ensures that 
     survivors can have their needs met, and ensures that their 
     abusers are subjected to justice.
       (b) Authority.--Any program, authority, or provision, 
     including any pilot program, authorized under the Violence 
     Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-4; 
     127 Stat. 54) shall continue in effect through the date that 
     is 6 months after the date on which the public health 
     emergency for COVID-19, as declared by the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services under section 319 of the Public 
     Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d), expires.
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