,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #haif ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #aa1 #bjbj,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,hurd of ,texas1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,bass1 and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,education and ,labor1 ,energy and ,commerce1 and ,financial ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to establish an ,interagency ,task ,force to examine the conditions and experiences of ,black women and girls in education1 economic development1 healthcare1 labor and employment1 housing1 justice and civil rights1 to promote community-based methods for mitigating and addressing harm and ensuring accountability1 and to study societal effects on ,black women and girls1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,protect ,black ,women and ,girls ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights 7,,usccr7 advises ,congress1 as well as the ,president and the ,american public1 on discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws under the ,constitution of the ,united ,states because of color1 race1 religion1 sex1 age1 disability1 or national origin1 or in the administration of justice4 7#b7 ,the ,,usccr routinely has difficulties collecting information from ,federal agencies despite having the power to take depositions1 issue interrogatories and subpoenas1 and broad authority language for the collection of information from ,federal agencies4 7#c7 ,the activities mandated herein for the ,,usccr are explicitly authorized by section #c of the ,civil ,rights ,commission ,act of #aihc 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aige;a74 7#d7 ,an interagency task force is a task force organized in collaboration with two or more ,federal agencies1 using government-wide resources1 and expertise to-- 7,a7 examine a particular problem1 issue1 or event2 7,b7 discuss strategies as a collective group to address such problem1 issue1 or event2 7,c7 identify programs1 policies1 and funding2 and 7,d7 make recommendations for changes in public policy4 7#e7 ,implicit bias on the basis of race is experienced by all ,black people1 and demonstrated more clearly1 in the troubling conditions for ,black women and girls in our school discipline policies and the connections to the school-to-prison pipeline for children of color with disabilities4 7#f7 ,black girls are suspended and expelled from school at rates that exceed other girls and all other boys except ,black boys4 7#g7 ,in studying the conditions of confinement for women in prison1 ,black women are admitted to prison at #c4i times the rate of ,white women4 7#h7 ,black women and girls are individuals who identify as a woman1 female1 or femme4 #c4 ,interagency task force on ,black women and girls 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 shall establish an ,interagency ,task ,force on ,black women and girls 7referred to in this ,act as the ,task ,force7 to carry out the purposes and duties described in subsections 7c7 and 7d71 in compliance with requirements and restrictions under law1 as applicable1 including those prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race and sex4 7b7 ,membership ,the ,task ,force shall consist of members appointed as follows3 7#a7 ,the head of each of the following agencies shall appoint at least one officer or employee1 but no more than two1 from a relevant office of the following3 7,a7 ,the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 7,b7 ,the ,department of ,education4 7,c7 ,the ,department of ,labor4 7,d7 ,the ,national ,institutes of ,health4 7,e7 ,the ,department of ,justice4 7,f7 ,the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development4 7#b7 ,the ,attorney ,general shall appoint the following3 7,a7 ,one officer or employee of the ,federal ,public ,defenders4 7,b7 ,two representatives of community-based organizations that have expertise working on culturally specific issues unique to the needs of ,black women and girls4 7#c7 ,the term of a member of the ,task ,force shall be #d years1 and they shall be eligible for consecutive reappointment by the head of their respective agency or the ,attorney ,general4 7c7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,task ,force is to examine the conditions and experiences of ,black women and girls1 to identify and assess the efficacy of policies and programs of ,federal1 ,state1 and local governments designed to improve outcomes for ,black women and girls1 and to make recommendations to improve such policies and programs as necessary4 7d7 ,duties ,the duties of the ,task ,force are as follows3 7#a7 ,education ,the ,task ,force shall identify and recommend programs1 policies1 and incentives for adoption by ,federal1 ,state1 or local governments with respect to the following3 7,a7 ,community-led educational and support programs for ,black school-age girls1 which shall include the following3 7i7 ,social and emotional learning programs offered in elementary and secondary schools to children in grades #g through #ab1 including-- 7,i7 affinity spaces for particularly impacted students2 and 7,,ii7 facilitators trained in identity-based dialogue to attend to such an affinity space or social and emotional learning program4 7ii7 ,support for school-age girls who have a parent or guardian who is incarcerated or has a substance use disorder4 7iii7 ,support for a college scholarship fund and programs to increase access to post-secondary education for children of incarcerated parents4 7iv7 ,classroom and after school empowerment programs for ,black girls4 7v7 ,community-led civic engagement and community organizing education4 7vi7 ,classroom and community-led art1 theater1 and ,,stem learning centers4 7vii7 ,school-based and community-led programs to eliminate the detention and incarceration of school-aged children4 7viii7 ,household access to school-based communication technologies4 7ix7 ,school-based or community-based restorative justice programs to address expulsion of girls from school4 7x7 ,curriculum1 tutoring1 and activities support for homeschooling and virtual learning families4 7,b7 ,community-led educational programs for ,black women1 including providing household access to information and communication technologies to narrow the digital divide and enhance access to higher education4 7,c7 ,school-based and neighborhood restorative and transformative justice curriculums and spaces4 7#b7 ,economic development ,the ,task ,force shall identify and recommend programs1 policies1 and incentives for adoption by ,federal1 ,state1 or local governments with respect to the following3 7,a7 ,pre-apprenticeship and career exploration programs for careers as skilled building tradeswomen4 7,b7 ,programs that award not less than #aj percent of their yearly and multi-year contract dollars to ,black women-owned businesses on an annual basis4 7,c7 ,entrepreneurship and cooperative business training for ,black women4 7,d7 ,incidental support for low income ,black women workers4 7,e7 ,career mentorship for ,black women4 7,f7 ,support for older ,black women workers to enter the workforce4 7,g7 ,support for ,black women who leave the workforce to care for a dependent 7such as an elderly relative or child7 to re-enter the workforce after a significant absence4 7,h7 ,increase in sustainable employment for women headed households4 7,i7 ,limitation of barriers to occupational licensure for ,black women4 7,j7 ,establishment of vocational training and career technical education4 7#c7 ,healthcare ,the ,task ,force shall identify and recommend programs1 policies1 and incentives for adoption by ,federal1 ,state1 or local governments with respect to the following3 7,a7 ,developing a study of the health1 including the mental health1 of ,black women and girls4 7,b7 ,programs to improve maternal health and infant mortality outcomes for ,black mothers4 7,c7 ,neighborhood-based1 on demand mental health and trauma services4 7,d7 ,gender-responsive domestic and interpersonal violence responders4 7,e7 ,local neighborhood safe houses4 7,f7 ,long-term1 on demand1 substance use disorder treatment4 7,g7 ,neighborhood-based emergency response teams for women and girls4 7,h7 ,access to comprehensive well-women care for ,black women and girls1 including local testing for mammograms1 papsmears1 and other medical testing4 7,i7 ,local neighborhood ,,covid-#ai testing4 7#d7 ,justice and civil rights ,the ,task ,force shall identify and recommend programs1 policies1 and incentives for adoption by ,federal1 ,state1 or local governments with respect to the following3 7,a7 ,reentry assistance and reunification planning and community-based programming for women victims of the war on drugs1 sexual or domestic violence1 mental illness1 or substance abuse4 7,b7 ,programs for ,black women and girls that promote the treatment of underlying problems instead of incarceration1 including the expansion of the use of parole and diversion programs and preventing the incarceration of mothers who are primary caretakers of minor children4 7,c7 ,access to legal assistance provided by the ,office on ,violence ,against ,women of the ,department of ,justice for child custody and parental termination proceedings4 7,d7 ,funding that enables communities to reimagine community-based programming4 7,e7 ,support for formerly incarcerated ,black women1 in collaboration with community-led organizations4 7,f7 ,permitting formerly incarcerated and convicted women 7not including incarceration or convictions for violent offenses1 human trafficking1 or sex offenses7 to be eligible to serve as a foster parent4 7,g7 ,judicial discretion in sentencing and procedures for resentencing4 7,h7 ,examination of policies to reform and limit laws requiring mandatory minimum sentences4 7,i7 ,examination of vacatur and expungement laws for criminal offenses committed by victims of human and sex trafficking4 7#e7 ,housing ,the ,task ,force shall identify and recommend programs1 policies1 and incentives for adoption by ,federal1 ,state1 or local governments with respect to the following3 7,a7 ,increasing access to the following3 7i7 ,permanent and transitional housing for women with children1 formerly incarcerated women1 women with disabilities1 and elderly women4 7ii7 ,legal representation for women with children and the elderly facing eviction4 7iii7 ,homeownership assistance funds for ,black women4 7,b7 ,increasing accessibility and availability of long-term neighborhood transitional and permanent supportive housing for ,black women reentering the community following incarceration4 7e7 ,report to ,congress ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,task ,force shall submit to ,congress a report on-- 7#a7 the activities conducted under this section2 and 7#b7 the activities conducted under this section that are ongoing or are in continuation of existing ,federal programs1 including information on additional work undertaken in response to duties of the ,task ,force under subsection 7d74 7f7 ,recommendations ,not later than two years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,task ,force shall submit to ,congress1 the ,president1 and to each chief executive of a ,state or local government recommendations on policies1 practices1 programs1 and incentives that may be adopted to improve outcomes for ,black women and girls4 #d4 ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights ,report on issues impacting ,black women and girls 7a7 ,duties ,not later than one year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights shall conduct a comprehensive study and collect data with respect to the effects on ,black women and girls of the following3 7#a7 ,the lack of contract opportunities with the ,federal ,government1 for ,black women4 7#b7 ,the wage gap and pay equity for ,black women in comparison to other individuals4 7#c7 ,the high maternal mortality rate and the steps needed to reduce such rate4 7#d7 ,the high infant mortality rate of ,black girls4 7#e7 ,the impact of screening for breast cancer at an earlier age than #dj years of age for ,black women4 7#f7 ,the school-to-prison pipeline and its impact on ,black women and girls4 7#g7 ,housing stability1 homelessness1 and access to affordable rental housing and home loans for ,black women4 7#h7 ,the prevalence and rate of violence against ,black women and girls1 including ,black transgender women and girls1 and the effect of prevention strategies1 barriers to service1 and increased lethality for these individuals4 7#i7 ,excessive use of force by law enforcement1 including where death results1 against ,black women and girls1 including ,black transgender women and girls4 7#aj7 ,the over-incarceration of ,black women and girls1 including ,black transgender women and girls1 in the juvenile and adult justice system4 7#aa7 ,restoring ,federal parole4 7#ab7 ,establishing a moratorium on building new women's prisons or jails4 7#ac7 ,ending contracts for private prisons and electronic monitoring4 7#ad7 ,repealing of the ,adoption ,safe ,families ,act of #aiig 7,public ,law #aje-hi2 #aaa ,stat4 #baae74 7#ae7 ,repealing any policy or law that creates barriers to housing or precludes formerly incarcerated people from living with family members in public or private housing4 7#af7 ,neighborhood family reunification support4 7#ag7 ,the high rate of sex trafficking of ,black women and girls1 and the impact of ,state vacatur and expungement laws for victims of human and sex trafficking4 7#ah7 ,any additional items described in section #c7;d7 that the ,commission determines appropriate4 7b7 ,report ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights shall submit to ,congress1 the ,president1 and make publicly available online1 a report outlining the ,commission's activities and findings under subsection 7a74 7c7 ,information sharing ,all relevant entities of the ,united ,states ,government1 including the ,department of ,justice1 the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 the ,department of ,education1 the ,department of ,labor1 and the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 shall provide information to the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights in order for the ,commission to carry out its duties under this section4 #e4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this ,act4