Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) voted to pass the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act, which will reauthorize and expand federal funding to protect survivors and prevent domestic violence. H.R. 2119 is the only the only federal funding source dedicated to domestic violence prevention. The legislation was authored by Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) and cosponsored by 83 Democratic and Republican Representatives.

“Sadly, the pandemic has heightened an already worsening trend of domestic violence rates across the country and has disrupted support services to survivors. In Maine, domestic violence calls spiked 24 percent in 2020. Now more than ever, survivors need our support,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “With this bill, we can ensure local, state, and tribal organizations have the resources they need to keep children and families safe through the pandemic and in the future. I’m proud to have voted for this bill alongside my colleagues today.”

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act, H.R. 2119, expands resources for survivors and initiatives to end domestic violence by:

• Increasing the funding authorization level to $270 million to respond to very low per-program funding levels and provide access to FVPSA funds for programs not currently funded.
• Expanding support for and access to culturally specific programs.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.
• Meaningfully investing in prevention. Brings evidence-informed, community-based prevention initiatives to more communities.
• 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.
• Creating a new underserved populations grant program.

• 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.

• 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.
• 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.

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

The bill passed in a 228-220 vote.

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