POWER 2.0 Act

Mr. Speaker, this is an enormously important initiative, and I rise today to support the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2021, or the POWER 2.0 Act. This has to be one of the more important bills on the floor, among many.

This is a bill that saves lives, and I certainly want to, at the very beginning, acknowledge certainly the Senator, but as well, I want to acknowledge our friend and colleague in the House and thank her so very much, Congresswoman Peltola, for her great work that has generated something that is very close to my heart.

The POWER Act will give a lifeline to domestic violence sufferers, those who have been abused by domestic violence.

As the author of the Violence Against Women Act in the House over a number of Congresses, I know how important any legislation is dealing with domestic violence and domestic abuse.

I speak to law enforcement and often say to them that domestic violence calls are the most dangerous that law enforcement engage in.

Remember, as I started on this floor, I indicated that as Democrats, we know how to bring down crime and also engage in social justice. We understand that it is extremely important that those in the criminal justice system deserve due process. But the victims of domestic violence, more often than not women, suffer greatly.

In Texas, 40.1 percent of women and 34 percent of men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner rape, and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes. Thousands of incidents are reported every day. On a single day in 2020, domestic violence hotlines across the country receive 21,321 calls.

The provision of legal services through the southern district or through the various Federal districts that train over 600,000 lawyers and then send them out to be able to give assistance to State and local governments is a lifeline. It is a lifesaver.

Less than one-third of domestic violence victims successfully obtain protective orders. Protective orders can be the cause of saving life, keeping a mother to protect her children, keeping an aunt or a grandmother. The POWER Act has an indelible impact on the lives of the most vulnerable Americans, and I stand here in grand support of this important effort.

As a former board member of the Houston Area Women's Center, I know what it means to get calls late into the night and calling the executive director and asking for relief for a woman who is running for her life.

Over this past Thanksgiving weekend, unfortunately, in my own community, there were a series of domestic violence killings of women who suffered at the hands of an ex.

It is important to eliminate the sunset of this provision and to be able to say that no one should be left alone without the idea or the help of ensuring that there is legal protection and that you have access to legal protection.

Again, I want to commend Congresswoman Mary Sattler Peltola, a friend and someone who I appreciate her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following articles, The Justice in Government Project and HAWC.

[From the Justice in Government Project]

Key Studies and Data About About How Legal Aid Assists Domestic

Violence Survivors

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that

in the U.S., 36.4 percent of women and 33.6 percent of men

experience sexual or physical violence or stalking

perpetrated by an intimate partner in their tifetimes.

Individuals who have experienced domestic violence display a

multitude of legal needs. They may require assistance with

filing protection orders, custody issues, housing, identity

theft, and employment (Lee & Backes, 2018; Allen et al.,

2004).

Mr. Speaker, this bill must be passed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3115, the ``Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2021,'' also known as the ``POWER 2.0 Act,'' which extends the authorization of vital programs that help victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence receive free legal assistance--without which they would be unlikely to receive any semblance of justice, let alone safety and security.

No community is safe from domestic violence. It touches people of every socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity--in red states and blue states

Nearly a quarter of women in this country experience domestic violence or sexual assault at some point in their lives. Many victims of domestic violence are poor, helpless, and living in underserved communities. Many are mere children.

In Texas, 40.1 percent of women and 34.9 percent of men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner rape and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes.

Thousands of incidents are reported daily. On a single day in 2020, domestic violence hotlines across the country received 21,321 calls--an average of almost 15 calls every minute.

The provision of legal services following the first occurrence of domestic violence can be a proactive solution that minimizes the likelihood of victims experiencing farther incidents of abuse. But without access to legal representation, those most in need of protection--which our courts can provide--are often unable to receive the help they need to escape the cycle of violence.

Unfortunately, less than one third of domestic violence victims successfully obtain protective orders if they seek one on their own, without the assistance of counsel.

That is why in 2018, Congress enacted the Power Act, which requires every judicial district within the United States and its territories to hold annual public pro-bono summits to recruit and encourage attorneys to provide free legal services to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault. It also requires targeted programs in areas with large populations of Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

The Power Act has had an indelible impact on the lives of the most vulnerable Americans. From 2019 to 2021, our courts have held nearly 250 pro bono summits, reaching more than 60,000 attorneys--educating them about the need for their services and letting them know how they can help,

While that is a promising start, it is only the beginning. An innumerable number of domestic and sexual violence victims still need legal assistance to survive. Yet the programs authorized under the Act are set to expire in just a few short weeks.

That is why it is imperative we pass the POWER 2.0 Act, which would remove the 4-year sunset provision from the original legislation and allow us to continue growing an army of capable, volunteer attorneys available to represent, protect, and provide a lifeline to victims and survivors, who so desperately need their help.

I commend Representative Mary Sattler Peltola for her work on the POWER 2.0 Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3115) to remove the 4-year sunset from the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2018.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 3115.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 25 percent of women suffer from domestic violence at some point in their lives. Domestic violence and related offenses destroy lives and shatter families. Among the many challenges that victims face is a lack of legal representation when seeking assistance from the court system.

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, in just one day in September 2014, domestic violence assistance programs received more than 10,000 requests for services, including legal representation, that were not met. The effect of this lack of representation is devastating. Research has shown that 83 percent of victims represented by counsel were able to obtain protective orders, while only 32 percent of unrepresented victims were able to do so.

That is why in 2018, Congress stepped in by enacting the POWER Act, which requires the chief judge of every judicial district to hold an annual public event, in partnership with a State, local, Tribal, or domestic violence service provider or volunteer attorney project, in promoting pro bono legal services as a critical way to empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The act also requires that events be held every 2 years in areas with high numbers of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, with a focus on addressing the specific issues facing Native populations.

We recognize that pro bono legal assistance would not only provide critical representation in court, but it would also help provide survivors with access to services such as emergency shelter, transportation, and childcare. We also recognize that legal summits mandated by the act would raise awareness of the horrors of domestic violence and sexual assault while inspiring others to devote their efforts to helping survivors in their communities.

In addition to providing for these pro bono programs, the 2018 act requires the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to report to Congress about each public event conducted in the previous fiscal year.

The programs authorized under the original POWER Act have been extremely successful. In 2021, 73 pro bono legal summits were held across the Nation, reaching more than 11,000 attorneys. In the years since we passed the POWER Act, we have amassed an army of thousands of lawyers who are helping survivors, including children, get out of dangerous situations, giving them a measure of justice and a ray of hope.

But as effective as they have been, the programs created and authorized by the 2018 POWER Act are set to sunset at the end of this year. Meanwhile, the crisis of domestic and sexual violence continues.

S. 3115, the POWER 2.0 Act, would ensure the continuation of the critical programs we enacted in 2018 by removing the sunset date for these programs, helping to deliver essential legal services and to bring hope and healing to many more survivors across the country. We have already planted the seeds, and by removing the 4-year sunset provision from the original POWER Act, we will allow these pivotal programs to continue to grow and thrive, helping more and more survivors every year.

I thank Senator Dan Sullivan for introducing this important and time- sensitive legislation and the gentlewoman from Alaska (Ms. Peltola) for leading the House version of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alaska (Mrs. Peltola), the House sponsor of the bill and a worthy successor to our late colleague, Don Young.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

Mr. Speaker, there are an untold number of victims of domestic and sexual violence in this country, including young children, who are without legal recourse to escape their abusers, to protect themselves and their families, and to obtain the services they need to rebuild their lives.

The POWER Act has started the hard work of incentivizing and encouraging thousands of lawyers to provide pro bono legal services to the victims and survivors that are most in need. But we need more attorneys to join the cause.

By removing the sunset date from the POWER Act, S. 3115 will allow us to continue and expand the critical programs we created in 2018, while ensuring that there is no gap in access to services for those who need them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of this crucial legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on S. 3115, the POWER 2.0 Act. This bill is the Senate companion to my bill of the same title, H.R. 9113.

Both bills address the same flaw in our system, that survivors of intimate partner-related violence and intimidation often lack the legal resources they need to protect themselves from future injury. In this paradigm, victims are too often unable to escape their perpetrators, often to devastating effect.

Thankfully, in 2018, Congress offered an avenue to relief. The Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act, sponsored by my Senate colleague, Senator Sullivan, authorized a pilot project calling for each district court to hold at least one event annually in concert with domestic violence service providers to promote pro bono legal services for victims of partner-related violence and intimidation.

Additionally, to address the appalling victimization rates among Alaska

Natives and American Indians in particular, the bill also mandates partnerships between district courts and Tribes and Tribal organizations.

Since its enactment, the POWER Act has brought together dozens of service organizations and tens of thousands of lawyers, all with the aim of combating our skyrocketing rates of violence and intimidation endemic across many parts of our country.

As one of my first legislative actions in Congress, I am proud to introduce the POWER 2.0 Act. This bill removes the sunset on the POWER Act and will ensure more victims have the ability to protect themselves from further violence and intimidation.

I am both grateful and filled with anticipation to see this body act so uniformly in favor of this bill, S. 3115, today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the POWER 2.0 Act permanently authorizes the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2018, which is scheduled to sunset at the end of this year.

It requires the chief judge for each district to conduct public events to promote pro bono legal services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

In addition, the bill requires the chief judge for a district that includes an Indian Tribe to conduct a public event to promote pro bono legal services for Indian or Alaska Native victims of these crimes every 2 years.

Research has shown that survivors of domestic abuse have significantly better outcomes, such as successfully obtaining a protective order, when represented by an attorney.

This bill will hopefully assist victims in accessing quality representation through pro bono services.

Mr. Speaker, I recommend that my colleagues support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.