[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6655 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6655
To amend the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide compensation for
direct victims of civil rights movement violence, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 9, 2022
Mr. Bacon (for himself and Mrs. Watson Coleman) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide compensation for
direct victims of civil rights movement violence, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Sarah Collins Rudolph Civil Rights
Compensation Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. COMPENSATION FOR DIRECT VICTIMS OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
VIOLENCE.
Chapter XIV of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101 et
seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 1402(d) by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
``(7)(A) In addition to the amounts distributed under
paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) the Director shall set
aside up to $10,000,000 from the amounts transferred to the
Fund to award grants to an individual who is a direct victim of
civil rights movement violence in accordance with section
1404G. The Director may replenish any amounts obligated from
such reserve in subsequent fiscal years by setting aside up to
25 percent of the amounts remaining in the Fund in any fiscal
year after distributing amounts under paragraphs (2), (3), (4),
(5), and (6). Such reserve shall not exceed 10 million dollars.
``(B) The grants to an individual who is a direct
victim of civil rights movement violence referred to in
subparagraph (A) may be used for grants under section
1404G of this title.
``(C) Amounts for grants to an individual who is a
direct victim of civil rights movement violence
established pursuant to subparagraph (A) may be carried
over from fiscal year to fiscal year.''; and
(2) by inserting after section 1404F the following new
section:
``SEC. 1404G. GRANTS TO DIRECT VICTIMS OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
VIOLENCE.
``(a) In General.--The Director of the Department of Justice and
Office for Victims of Crime shall make grants as provided in section
1404(d) to an individual who is a direct victim of civil rights
movement violence.
``(b) Grant Amount.--
``(1) Initial grant amount.--A direct victim of civil
rights movement violence shall be eligible for a grant under
this section in the amount that is equal to the cost of the
individual's medical care associated with an injury sustained
during the civil rights movement, as demonstrated by the
medical records of such direct victim.
``(2) Additional amounts.--A direct victim of civil rights
movement violence may apply for an additional grant amount if--
``(A) the cost of the individual's medical care
associated with the injury sustained during the civil
rights movement has resulted in additional expenses
after a grant amount under this section was awarded; or
``(B) the direct victim of civil rights movement
violence submits medical records demonstrating costs
greater than a grant amount awarded under this section.
``(c) Survivors of a Direct Victim.--A family member of a direct
victim of civil rights movement violence shall be eligible for a grant
under this section if such family member is responsible for the costs
related to the injury sustained during the civil rights movement and
the direct victim is deceased.
``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Civil rights movement.--The term `civil rights
movement' means the time period of 1954 through 1965.
``(2) Direct victim of civil rights movement violence.--The
term `direct victim of civil rights movement violence' means an
individual who--
``(A) is an citizen of the United States;
``(B) sustained an injury as a result of racial
violence during the civil rights movement;
``(C) can provide evidence of the injury sustained
through medical records; and
``(D) has or is incurring expenses related to the
injury.
``(3) Family member.--The term `family member' means--
``(A) a person to whom the direct victim of civil
rights movement violence is legally married, even if
physically separated, under the laws of the
jurisdiction where the marriage took place;
``(B) a child that is natural, illegitimate,
adopted, posthumous, or a stepchild of the direct
victim of civil rights movement violence; or
``(C) any other family member that provided medical
care or funding to medical expenses to a direct victim
of civil rights movement violence.
``(4) Injury.--The term `injury' means--
``(A) a traumatic physical wound (or a traumatized
physical condition of the body) directly and
proximately caused by external force (such as bullets,
explosives, sharp instruments, blunt objects, or
physical blows), chemicals, electricity, climatic
conditions, infectious disease, radiation, virii, or
bacteria;
``(B) any associated or resulting traumatic
physical wound that occurred as a result of a traumatic
physical wound described in subparagraph (A), even if
such resulting traumatic physical wound did not occur
during the civil rights movement; and
``(C) any associated or resulting psychological
condition that occurred as a result of a traumatic
physical wound described in subparagraph (A), even if
such resulting psychological condition did not occur
during the civil rights movement.
``(5) Medical records.--The term `medical records' includes
medical records and bills that document an injury during the
civil rights movement.
``(6) Racial violence.--The term `racial violence' means
violence in which the individual intentionally selects a
victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that
is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived
race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender,
disability, or sexual orientation of any person.''.
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