Expanding Research for Women in Trauma Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to makes grants and enter into contracts for violence against women prevention research initiatives.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1811 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1811
To expand research for women in trauma.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 31, 2003
Mr. Daschle (for Mr. Edwards) introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand research for women in trauma.
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 ``Expanding Research for Women in
Trauma Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Most studies of violence against women currently focus
on physical abuse or rape, primarily because they are easier to
identify and measure and are potentially lethal, however,
almost all battered women describe psychological abuse as the
most harmful.
(2) Most available research on violence against women has
focused on young to middle-aged white women living in the
community although available data shows that incarcerated
women, women living in poverty, women belonging to minority
ethnic and language groups, older women, and women with mental
and physical disabilities report especially high rates of
victimization.
(3) Victims of violence are at increased risk for a number
of physical and mental health problems, for example, in primary
care practice, women who have been raped report more symptoms
of illness and more negative health behaviors than
nonvictimized women.
(4) Effective methods for screening to identify women
affected by violence are prerequisite to understanding the
outcomes of abuse-sensitive medical care, for example, the
effect of medical attention to violence on perceived health
utilization of health services over time, and patient
satisfaction.
(5) Violence against women occurs in a sociocultural
context. More research should be conducted to identify
sociocultural factors that promote and maintain violence
against women and to learn how sociocultural factors, such as
gender roles and poverty, mediate the effects of interpersonal
victimization.
(6) There are a number of community-based and legal system
interventions available to victims of interpersonal violence.
However, there is little evaluation research on the
effectiveness of these interventions, especially for various
subpopulations of women. More research needs to be conducted on
the effectiveness of legal and community-based interventions,
not only those with the goal of changing the behavior of
assailants but also those with the goal of helping women take
safety-promoting actions.
(7) Much of the research on violence against women examines
continuing rates of physical or psychological abuse as outcome
measures and measures the behavior of the perpetrators, not
something over which the woman has direct and immediate
control. However, research on the women's attempts to manage
and end the violence in their lives is rare.
(8) Much of the extant research has focused on violence
against women in the streets (sexual assault) or in their homes
(domestic violence and battering). However, consistent focus on
violence against women in work-related (violence by partners in
these settings and by coworkers and colleagues) and educational
contexts has been more limited.
SEC. 3. RESEARCH INITIATIVES.
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 399O. VIOLENCE PREVENTION RESEARCH INITIATIVES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the
National Institute of Mental Health, the Director of the Office of
Research on Women's Health, the Director of the Office of Women's
Health, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the
Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the
Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
the Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Science, the
Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and
the Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health
Disparities shall make grants and enter into contracts to--
``(1) increase research on the psychological sequelae of
violence against women;
``(2) expand research on special populations and their risk
for violence, including adolescents, older women, ethnic
minorities, women with disabilities, and other affected
populations;
``(3) increase research on violence against women as a risk
factor for various mental and physical health problems;
``(4) develop and test effective methods of screening for
violence in all points of entry to the health care system,
including mental health, emergency medicine, and primary care;
``(5) expand and enhance research on socioeconomic and
sociocultural correlates of violence, such as the factors that
create the predisposition toward violent behavior, situational
variables that trigger the expression of violence, and social
processes that allow violence to continue without negative
consequences to the perpetrator;
``(6) develop systematic and quantifiable measures to
evaluate treatment programs for victims and perpetrators of
violence;
``(7) conduct research to increase better understanding of
the complex process victimized women go through in attempting
to manage and end the violence in their lives and focus on
resilience and coping mechanisms; and
``(8) develop standardized questions concerning rape,
battering, and sexual harassment in work-related and
educational contexts to be routinely included in governmentally
sponsored national surveys in order to obtain a fuller and more
accurate assessment of the nature, prevalence, and effect of
multiple forms of violence against women in these settings.
``(b) Maximum Amount.--The Secretary shall not award a grant under
this section in an amount which exceeds $500,000.
``(c) Duration.--The Secretary shall award grants under this
section for a period not to exceed 5 years.
``(d) Application.--
``(1) In general.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
``(2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall--
``(A) describe the activities for which assistance
under this section is sought; and
``(B) provide such additional assurances as the
Secretary determines to be essential to ensure
compliance with the requirements of this section.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be
necessary.''.
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Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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