Washington, DC — Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted for the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act. This bill will reauthorize and expand funding for programs to protect survivors as well as prevent family and domestic violence.
“We need to do everything in our power to make sure all Wisconsinites are safe from abuse,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Through this legislation, we can better support state, local, and tribal leaders in their efforts to prevent violence and increase resources for survivors of domestic abuse. I’m proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and take this step to help care for survivors and prevent domestic violence.”
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act enhances initiatives to end domestic violence and supports survivors by:
- Increasing the funding authorization level to $253 million and providing access to FVPSA funds for programs not currently funded.
- Creating a new grant program to help meet the needs of survivors in underserved populations, such as those living in rural communities, individuals with disabilities, older adults, youth and others.
- Expanding access to and support for culturally-specific programs.
- Strengthening the capacity of Tribes to exercise their sovereign authority to more fully respond to domestic violence in their communities and authorizing funding for tribal coalitions.
- Investing in prevention and expanding evidence-informed, community-based prevention initiatives.
- Strengthening and updating the National Domestic Violence Hotline and hotline services.
- Continuing to support national technical assistance (TA) centers, 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.
