[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2348 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2348
To amend the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to authorize
grants to strengthen relationships between health and wellness
providers or systems (including for behavioral health) and community-
based sexual assault programs to support survivors of sexual assault
across the lifespan of the survivor, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 17, 2025
Ms. Murkowski (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to authorize
grants to strengthen relationships between health and wellness
providers or systems (including for behavioral health) and community-
based sexual assault programs to support survivors of sexual assault
across the lifespan of the survivor, 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 ``Healing Partnerships for Survivors
Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HEALTH AND
WELLNESS PROVIDERS OR SYSTEMS, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
PROGRAMS, DISABILITY PROGRAMS, AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDER
OR COMMUNITY-BASED SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT
SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.
(a) In General.--The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
(42 U.S.C. 10401 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 315. GRANTS FOR STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT
FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Grants authorized.--From amounts appropriated under
section 303(d) to carry out this section, the Secretary, acting
through the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services,
may award grants to eligible entities to develop, implement,
and improve systems of support and service provision through
partnerships with health and wellness providers or systems,
behavioral health programs, disability programs, or other
service provider or community-based sexual assault programs.
``(2) Eligible entities.--
``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under paragraph (1), an entity shall be--
``(i) a State sexual assault coalition, a
territorial sexual assault coalition, or a
tribal coalition;
``(ii) a nonprofit community-based sexual
assault program, including such a program that
is a rape crisis center, culturally specific
organization, or community-based organization,
with a history of demonstrated work with
survivors of sexual assault; or
``(iii) an Indian tribe or tribal
organization.
``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Sexual assault; state sexual assault
coalition; tribal coalition.--The terms `sexual
assault', `State sexual assault coalition', and
`tribal coalition' have the meanings given such
terms in section 40002 of the Violence Against
Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291).
``(ii) Territorial sexual assault
coalition.--The term `territorial sexual
assault coalition' means a program addressing
sexual violence that is--
``(I) an established nonprofit,
nongovernmental territorial coalition
addressing sexual assault within the
territory; or
``(II) a nongovernmental
organization with a demonstrated
history of addressing sexual assault
within the territory that proposes to
incorporate as a nonprofit,
nongovernmental territorial coalition.
``(3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
paragraph (1), an eligible entity shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Secretary determines appropriate.
``(4) Use of funds.--
``(A) In general.--An eligible entity that receives
a grant under paragraph (1) shall, directly or through
subgrants or contracts, develop and implement a program
for developing partnerships with health and wellness
providers or systems, behavioral health programs,
disability programs, or other service providers or
community-based sexual assault programs to develop
trauma-informed, culturally relevant partnerships,
training, responses, services, and policies to address
and improve the comprehensive response to the health
and well-being of survivors of sexual assault across
the lifespan of the survivor, including adult survivors
of childhood sexual abuse, regardless of age.
``(B) Authorized activities.--The program developed
and implemented under subparagraph (A) may engage in
the following:
``(i) The provision of services, including
prevention, screening, linkages to care, and
treatment, including therapy, support groups,
holistic healing services, somatic approaches,
substance-use services and supports, temporary
housing assistance, and personal advocacy
through case management, and information and
referral services.
``(ii) Support for an adult survivor of
childhood sexual abuse or sexual assault while
the survivor receives health care or substance-
use treatment services, including recovery and
harm reduction support.
``(iii) The provision of training for staff
and partners associated with delivering
services described in clause (i).
``(iv) The provision of a trauma-informed
and culturally relevant or specific health and
wellness modality for a survivor of sexual
assault.
``(v) Such other activities as the
Secretary determines appropriate.
``(5) Reports and evaluations.--An eligible entity that
receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit to the
Secretary, at such time as shall be reasonably required by the
Secretary, a report that--
``(A) describes the activities that have been
carried out with such grant funds;
``(B) includes an evaluation of the impact and
effectiveness of such activities; and
``(C) provides such additional information as the
Secretary determines appropriate.
``(6) Privacy.--Each eligible entity receiving a grant
under paragraph (1) shall ensure that each program developed or
implemented with such grant protects victim privacy,
confidentiality, and safety in compliance with applicable
confidentiality, privacy, and nondisclosure requirements.
``(b) Technical Assistance and Training.--
``(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated under section
303(d) for any fiscal year to carry out this section, the
Secretary shall award not more than 10 percent of the funds
available for the fiscal year to 2 or more eligible entities
for the provision of training and technical assistance to
grantees and potential grantees under subsection (a)(1).
``(2) Eligible entities.--
``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under paragraph (1), an eligible entity shall--
``(i) be a private, nonprofit organization
that focuses primarily on issues related to
sexual assault;
``(ii) in an application for a grant under
paragraph (1), provide documentation to the
Secretary demonstrating experience working
directly on issues related to sexual assault;
and
``(iii) demonstrate to the Secretary in
such application, the strong support of sexual
assault service programs, including through
letters of support, from around the United
States for the entity's demonstrated history in
providing training and technical assistance on
issues related to sexual assault.
``(B) Demonstrated expertise.--To be eligible to
receive a grant under paragraph (1), at least one of
the eligible entities applying for the grant shall
have--
``(i) a demonstrated expertise primarily
working with culturally specific communities;
or
``(ii) a demonstrated expertise in
addressing, and a primary purpose to address,
the development and provision of culturally
specific services.
``(3) Required uses of funds.--An eligible entity awarded a
grant under paragraph (1) shall use the grant--
``(A) to provide training and technical assistance
to entities receiving grants under subsection (a)(1)
for the implementation of programs funded under such
subsection;
``(B) to conduct evaluations of the programs;
``(C) to identify and disseminate best practices
that emerge from the programs; and
``(D) to carry out any other activity determined
appropriate by the Secretary.
``(c) Federal Administration.--From amounts appropriated under
section 303(e) for any fiscal year, not more than $5,000,000 for such
fiscal year may be used by the Secretary for evaluation, monitoring,
and other administrative expenses.
``(d) Definition of Sexual Assault.--For purposes of this section,
the term `sexual assault' has the meaning given the term in section
40002 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291).''.
(b) Authority of the Secretary.--Section 304 of the Family Violence
Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10404(a)(5)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and dating violence'' each place it
appears and inserting ``dating violence, and sexual assault'';
and
(2) by striking ``or dating violence'' each place it
appears and inserting ``dating violence, or sexual assault''.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 303 of the Family
Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10403) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
``(d) Grants for Strengthening Public Health Systems of Support for
Survivors of Sexual Assault.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
carry out section 315 $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through
2030.''.
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