S.Amdt. 1431

1. Adds SEC. __. COVID-19 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY wherever appropriate

   Adds a section

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

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:

   Inserted: (1) According to the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, during the COVID-19 pandemic, police departments across the country reported increases in domestic violence.

   Inserted: (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.

   Inserted: (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.

   Inserted: (4) Domestic violence programs and hotlines across the country have seen a substantial increase in contacts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

   Inserted: (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.

   Inserted: (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.

   Inserted: (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.

   Inserted: (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.

   The amendment doesn't say where this goes; the clerk decides.

   Original wording

   At the appropriate place, insert the following:

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As printed