,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #egjb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #f1 #bjbe,mrs4 ,sykes introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,violent ,crime ,control and ,law ,enforcement ,act of #aiid to ensure that healthcare providers can assist survivors of domestic violence1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the or the ,better ,care ,for ,domestic ,violence ,survivors ,act4 #b4 ,demonstration program on trauma-informed1 victim-centered training for healthcare providers 7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,q of title ,,iv of the ,violent ,crime ,control and ,law ,enforcement ,act of #aiid 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #abeac et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #dagjb4 ,demonstration program on trauma-informed1 victim-centered training for healthcare providers 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 the term ,attorney ,general means the ,attorney ,general1 acting through the ,director of the ,office on ,violence ,against ,women2 7#b7 the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services2 7#c7 the term covered individual means an individual who interfaces with victims of domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking1 including-- 7,a7 an individual working for or on behalf of an eligible entity2 7,b7 an administrator or personnel of a school1 university1 or other educational program or activity 7including a campus police officer or a school resource officer72 and 7,c7 an emergency services employee2 7#d7 the term eligible entity means a facility as described in paragraph 7#a71 7#b71 7#d71 7#e71 or 7#f7 of section #afbd of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjjs-#c72 and 7#e7 the term mandatory partner means a national1 regional1 or local victim services organization or agency working in collaboration with a facility described in paragraph 7#d74 7b7 ,grants authorized 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,attorney ,general1 in consultation with the ,secretary1 shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to collaborate with their mandatory partners to carry out the demonstration program under this section by implementing evidence-based or promising investigative policies and practices to incorporate trauma-informed1 victim-centered techniques designed to-- 7,a7 prevent re-traumatization of the victim2 7,b7 ensure that covered individuals use evidence-based practices to identify1 respond to1 and treat cases of domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking2 7,c7 increase collaboration among stakeholders who are part of the coordinated community response to domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking2 and 7,d7 evaluate the effectiveness of the training process and content4 7#b7 ,award basis ,the ,attorney ,general1 in consultation with the ,secretary1 shall award grants under this section to multiple eligible entities for use in a variety of settings and communities1 including-- 7,a7 urban1 suburban1 ,tribal1 remote1 and rural areas2 7,b7 college campuses2 or 7,c7 traditionally underserved communities4 7c7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant to-- 7#a7 train covered individuals associated with the eligible entity to use evidence-based1 trauma-informed1 and victim-centered techniques to identify and treat individuals who have experienced domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 or stalking1 including by-- 7,a7 customizing treatment approaches to ensure a culturally and linguistically appropriate approach to the community being served2 7,b7 becoming proficient in understanding and responding to complex cases1 including cases of domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 or stalking-- 7i7 facilitated by alcohol or drugs2 7ii7 involving strangulation2 7iii7 committed by a non-stranger2 7iv7 committed by an individual of the same sex as the victim2 7v7 involving a victim with a disability2 7vi7 involving a male victim2 or 7vii7 involving a lesbian1 gay1 bisexual1 or transgender 7commonly referred to as ,,lgbt7 victim2 7,c7 developing collaborative relationships between-- 7i7 healthcare providers1 law enforcement officers1 and other members of the response team2 and 7ii7 the community being served2 and 7,d7 developing an understanding of how to define1 identify1 and correctly classify a report of domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 or stalking2 and 7#b7 promote the efforts of the eligible entity to improve the response of covered individuals to domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking through various communication channels1 such as the website of the eligible entity1 social media1 print materials1 and community meetings1 in order to ensure that all covered individuals associated with the eligible entity are aware of those efforts and included in trainings1 to the extent practicable4 7d7 ,demonstration program trainings on trauma-,informed1 victim-,centered approaches 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,attorney ,general1 in consultation with the ,secretary1 shall identify trainings for covered individuals1 in existence as of the date on which the ,attorney ,general begins to solicit applications for grants under this section1 that-- 7,a7 employ a trauma-informed1 victim-centered approach to domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking2 and 7,b7 focus on the fundamentals of-- 7i7 trauma responses2 7ii7 the impact of trauma on victims of domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking2 and 7iii7 techniques for effectively treating the medical consequences of domestic violence1 dating violence1 sexual assault1 and stalking4 7#b7 ,selection ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall select one or more of the approaches employed by a training identified under paragraph 7#a7 to test at the eligible entity4 7e7 ,evaluations 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,attorney ,general and the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,justice1 shall require each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section to identify a research partner1 preferably a local research partner1 to-- 7,a7 design a system for generating and collecting the appropriate data to facilitate an independent process or impact evaluation of the use of the grant funds2 7,b7 periodically conduct an evaluation described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7,c7 periodically make publicly available1 during the grant period-- 7i7 preliminary results of the evaluations conducted under subparagraph 7,b72 and 7ii7 recommendations for improving the use of the grant funds4 7#b7 ,,gao ,report ,not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to the ,committees on ,ways and ,means1 ,energy and ,commerce1 and ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committees on ,judiciary and on ,finance of the ,senate a report summarizing the implementation of this section4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,attorney ,general #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj to carry out this section4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents for the ,violent ,crime ,control and ,law ,enforcement ,act of #aiid 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajaja note7 is amended by inserting after the item related to section #dagja the following3 #dagjb4 ,demonstration program on trauma-informed1 victim-centered training for healthcare providers4 4