Moore, McBath, Fitzpatrick, Kim Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence

Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Lucy McBath (D-GA-07), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), and Young Kim (R-CA-40) reintroduced the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (FVPSA). The bill will reauthorize and expand funding for programs focused on supporting survivors and preventing family and domestic violence. These programs are the only federal funding sources under the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to providing domestic violence prevention services.

“FVPSA supports culturally competent, trauma-informed services and emergency housing for those facing violence and abuse. This funding is lifesaving, ensuring programs are available when a survivor is in danger and home isn’t safe. As a survivor and federal lawmaker, I am proud to help secure robust funding to ensure FVPSA can support those experiencing abuse when it’s needed most,” said Moore.

“The anguish of far too many survivors of domestic violence is a painful and unshakeable reminder of our fundamental need to put an end to it. We must do all we can to keep children and families safe, and we are long past due for a reauthorization of these vital programs,” said McBath. “This is one more step we have taken together as we move toward answering the call of state, local, and tribal leadership for more resources and increased funding to help end domestic violence. This bill helps provide survivors a way up, a way out, and a way forward.”
“Domestic violence affects families and communities across the nation, and victims and survivors deserve stronger and meaningful protections,” said Fitzpatrick. “Our bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act funds important resources for protection and prevention, and I am proud to join my colleagues in standing up for victims of domestic violence.”

“Nearly 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States every single minute, which adds up to more than 10 million women and men each year. Unfortunately, the impacts of domestic violence on victims worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kim. “No victim should ever feel alone. Funding from the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act provides domestic violence resources to more than 1.3 million victims and their children every year. I will continue to do all I can to support commonsense policies that uplift domestic violence victims and ensure lifesaving resources and treatment are available in California’s 40^th District.”

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act expands resources for survivors and initiatives to end domestic violence by:

1. Increases the funding authorization level to $253 million to respond to very low per-program funding levels and provide access to FVPSA funds for programs not currently funded.
2. Expanding support for and access to culturally-specific programs.

1. 1. Culturally-specific organizations are better equipped to address the complex, multi-layered challenges facing victims from racial and ethnic minority populations as they seek services and protections from abuse.
   2. Culturally-specific programs often have challenges accessing FVPSA funding at the state and local levels due to the limited funding available and robust competition. This bill authorizes a new culturally-specific program to address these needs and incorporates related funding into the formula itself.

1. Strengthening the capacity of Indian Tribes to exercise their sovereign authority to more fully respond to domestic violence in their communities and authorizes funding for tribal coalitions and the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center.
2. Meaningfully investing in prevention. Brings evidence-informed, community-based prevention initiatives to more communities.
3. Strengthening and updating the National Domestic Violence Hotline and hotline services for underrepresented populations, including American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Deaf victims of domestic and dating violence.
4. Creating a new underserved populations grant program.

1. 1. The lack of resources and severity of violence is often heightened for survivors living at the margins, such as those living in rural communities, individuals with disabilities, older adults, those identifying with faith-based communities, youth and others. These underserved populations are often reluctant to seek assistance, and when they do, they frequently look for services and support in their immediate communities. This bill creates a grant program for family centers, youth centers, senior centers, community-based organizations or vocational organizations to meet the needs of these survivors.

1. Continuing to support national technical assistance (TA) centers, including the Alaskan Native Tribal Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and their work to develop effective policy, practice, research and cross-system collaborations.
2. Updating provisions and definitions to ensure access to services for all survivors, better align with related programs and reflect evolving practices in order to provide uniform guidance to those working to end domestic violence.

1. 1. Updates language to reflect current practices and provide a reference to other statutes to ensure common understanding across different federal programs.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.